Santa Rosa County votes unanimously to recognize June as ‘Pro-Life Month’

By Owen Girard

Published Jun. 22, 2023, 3:37 p.m. ET | Updated Jun. 22, 2023

"Life" balloon in Richmond, Va., April 4, 2019. (Photo/Maria Oswalt, Unsplash)

SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (FLV) – All five members of the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners voted to recognize June as “Pro-Life Month” at the board’s Thursday meeting.

Commissioner James Calkins sponsored the resolution, expressing his support for the recognition and what it meant to celebrate life throughout the community.

“If we pass this today, we will be the first county in the United States of America to pass June as ‘Pro-Life month,’” Calkins said after he read out the resolution.

“Life is so important and citizens of Santa Rosa County voted in a landslide to make Santa Rosa County a pro-life sanctuary,” he said.

The commissioner also highlighted that there is a similar piece of legislation in congress that designates June as pro-life month.

“Our great Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have co-sponsored that bill,” he added.

After the resolution was read, Commissioner Sam Parker immediately offered to second the motion to vote.

The decision came in the middle of a heated meeting where the commissioners shared differing opinions on a controversial resolution that encouraged the school board to remove pornographic content in school libraries.

Recently, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s six week abortion ban that was passed by the state legislature.

Along with limiting up to what point a woman can have an abortion, the bill also expands the Florida Pregnancy Care Network by provides additional funds and resources for parents and guardians of babies and young children.

The six-week ban is set to take effect, pending a state Supreme Court decision.

There is trigger language in the bill for the abortion ban to go into effect 30 days after one of the following events occurs:

The Florida Supreme court ruling overturns one of several other related cases
A Florida Supreme court ruling stating that the privacy clause in the Florida Constitution does not protect the right to abortion
An amendment to the Florida Constitution which provides the same.