Rubio Urges Crist to Sign Florida Bill for Ultrasound, Abortion Fund Opt Out
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 7, 2010
Tallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) — Florida pro-life Senate candidate Marco Rubio has urged his opponent, Governor Charlie Crist, to sign a pro-life bill. The measure would allow women to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion and opt Florida out of forcing taxpayers to fund abortions under the national health care law.
Crist is embroiled in a contentious Senate battle with Rubio, who enjoys the backing of pro-life groups, which are asking him to sign the bill.
He has initially appeared to oppose the bill, which would make Florida the next state to prohibit federal and state taxpayer funding of abortion in the health care plan Obama signed.
"It is my hope that Governor Crist will come down on the side of life, and sign HB 1143 into law, or at least allow it to become law without his signature," Rubio said in a statement LifeNews.com received. "This commonsense measure is a small but important step toward providing women with vital information during perhaps the most critical healthcare decision they will ever make."
"While it has not received as much attention as the ultrasound provision, this legislation will also allow Florida to opt out of the abortion coverage mandate in the federal healthcare overhaul which was recently passed," Rubio added. "If Governor Crist vetoes this legislation, he will clear the way for taxpayer funding of abortion in Florida, an extreme policy which runs contrary to the mainstream values most Floridians share."
“The reality is that this legislation will save lives, and I hope that fact alone will outweigh any concerns Governor Crist may have," he concluded.
However, Crist has sent strong signals he will veto the measure.
"I’m concerned about it," Crist said Wednesday in St. Petersburg. "Even though I’m pro-life I don’t want to impose my will on others."
Abortion advocates have mounted a massive campaign against the measure and, thus far, the calls to Crist have run about 80 percent against the bill.
Sheila Hopkins with the Florida Catholic Conference, says the bill "is a test for him" to determine whether Crist will get the support of any pro-life voters in November.
ACTION: Contact Governor Crist at: Phone: (850) 488-7146 or (850)-488-4441, Fax: (850) 487-0801 [email protected]
Related web sites:
Florida Right to Life – https://www.frtl.org
Florida Family Policy Council – https://www.FLFamily.org
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