Florida Democrat files bill protecting right to an abortion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, filed Sunday a bill to protect Floridians’ right to an abortion under state law.
HB 1457 is entitled “Protection of the Right to an Abortion.”
The bill text declares the right to an abortion under the Florida Constitution’s right to privacy section.
It also clarifies that the right to an abortion only extends until the fetus “becomes capable of meaningful life outside the womb through standard medical measures.” It lays out that the end of the second trimester is where this limit likely ends.
If a woman is barred from an abortion during the allotted time period, under the bill, the party who prevents her is liable for damages.
Abortion restrictions are undergoing legal challenges before the Florida Supreme Court. The six-week ban, passed in 2023, is not set to take effect until the court upholds 2022’s 15-week ban.
Abortion rights activists also received enough signatures for a constitutional amendment to appear on the 2024 ballot which aims to protect the right to abortion.
The abortion measure that would be on the 2024 ballot reads:
No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.
