Florida Lawmakers Will Bring Back Abortion-Ultrasound Bill, Pro-Lifers Upset

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 1, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Florida Lawmakers Will Bring Back Abortion-Ultrasound Bill, Pro-Lifers Upset

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 1
, 2008

Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) — Florida lawmakers say they will bring back an abortion bill next session that allows women a chance to see their unborn child before the abortion. Meanwhile, the state’s leading pro-life group says it’s disappointed the Florida Senate failed women and unborn children.

Yesterday, the Florida Senate killed the bill in a tie vote 20-20 after lawmakers put it off for several days to count votes and lobby each other.

Pro-life advocates had been trying to get the bill approved for years and made it further than in previous years thanks in part to Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster sponsoring it in the chamber.

Webster told the Herald Tribune newspaper that he would absolutely bring the bill back for another attempt at passing it, and he said he may have more luck next time.

"Next year it will be easier to do," he said.

Meanwhile, Adam Goldman, the vice president for legislative affairs from Florida Right to Life, told LifeNews.com he’s very disappointed by the vote.

"Yesterday, certain state senators chose to play to the fears of a few rather than protecting life concerning the right of women to obtain informed consent before the termination of an unborn child," he said.

"Women have the right to know the development of their unborn child before an abortion clinic terminates that life. Ultrasound exams are the best means toward that end," he explained.

Goldman promised LifeNews.com that Florida Right to Life would let their tens of thousands of members statewide know which senators voted to kill the bill and urge them to replace those lawmakers with pro-life advocates this November.

"It is clear that we will have to wait for term limits this November to bring in new elected officials who respect the rights of women and children," he said.

This is the second time for the bill as the Florida House approved it last year but the Senate version was watered down and eventually pulled.

Twelve states have put similar measures on the books and five other states are considering similar bills.

There are about 95,000 abortions annually in Florida according to the latest figures from the state health department from 2006.

Related web sites:
Florida Right to Life – https://www.frtl.org
Florida State House – https://www.myfloridahouse.gov
Florida legislature – https://www.leg.state.fl.us