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Senate OKs Ladapo as surgeon general; to Dems, he’s ‘not the right person for the job’
The Florida Senate confirmed Joseph Ladapo as surgeon general on Wednesday, even as Democrats criticized the doctor over his stance on COVID-19 safety and other concerns. State Sen. Lori Berman, a Democrat representing part of Palm Beach County, urged colleagues to vote against Dr. Ladapo — a favorite of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who chose Ladapo […]
‘Ban off our Bodies’: A rallying cry for reproductive freedom as 15-week abortion ban appears imminent
Florida lawmakers and hundreds of activists on Tuesday rallied to raise their voices in the fight for reproductive freedom, chanting “Ban off our Bodies” as the Legislature gets closer to a final vote on a 15-week abortion ban. The group carried signs and the speakers crowded into the Capitol complex area, near the Florida Senate […]
Epic debate ends in foregone conclusion: 15-week abortion ban passes FL House
People came from all over the state and filled the Florida House gallery during Wednesday’s final debate on the bill to ban abortions after 15 weeks. They watched emotional speeches on both sides during the six hours the House chamber devoted to the discussion. They didn’t all remain quiet. As bill sponsor Erin Grall offered […]
Proposed 15-week abortion ban getting closer to passage in the FL House
For about two hours in the state House on Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers questioned aspects of a bill that could ban many abortions in Florida and tried to amend the legislation. The answer, repeatedly, was no. The 15-week abortion ban, HB 5, is expected to be up for debate Wednesday, leading to a vote in the […]
Last state House committee hearing on 15-week abortion ban; next stop is a vote in the full House
House Bill 5, the proposed 15-week abortion ban that has rattled the abortion rights movement, continues to make its way through the Florida Legislature, despite Democratic lawmakers and activists fighting against the legislation. People gathered in the House Health & Human Services Committee meeting Thursday for the last round of House committee hearings on HB […]
Progressives claim FL Legislature is ignoring real people’s needs this session
Progressives activists including elected officials gathered at the Florida Capitol Tuesday to complain that the Legislature isn’t addressing the problems that average people need help with. “We are tired of a state that continues to demolish the capability of local officials trying to address the needs of their constituents; we are tired of coming year […]
FL Senate panel approves 15-week abortion ban; no exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking
In the Legislature’s first Senate hearing on a proposed 15-week abortion ban, GOP lawmakers and anti-abortion activists supported the measure, even after Democrats tried to amend the legislation to allow for rape, incest and human trafficking exceptions. The amendment didn’t pass. And the vote overall on the ban was six Republicans to four Democrats. For […]
FL Senate is pursuing 15-week abortion ban; committee to debate the issue Wednesday
Physicians in Florida who offer abortion services and Democratic leaders in the Florida Senate raised concerns Wednesday about a 15-week abortion ban that is moving fast in the Florida Legislature, with a Senate committee scheduled to discuss the ban this afternoon. Earlier, the state House has been debating the ban, HB 5, in committee meetings. […]
‘Let us speak’: Crowd chanted during House committee meeting over public testimony on abortion ban
A crowd in a House committee meeting Thursday evening chanted loudly, “Let us speak; let us speak,” when the chairman announced that the committee would soon end the public testimony on a proposed 15-week abortion ban. The last speaker, a woman from Tampa Bay, began to make her remarks, and the chanting in the crowd […]
HB 5 abortion ban is making headway through the state House
Last week, a proposed 15-week abortion ban in Florida passed in its first committee in the Legislature — just before the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court case. This week, on Thursday, lawmakers will have its second committee hearing, in the Health Care Appropriations subcommittee in the House. Just like the first […]
Suicide prevention for veterans: Lawmakers pursue a training program
In 2019, 6,261 veterans nationwide died from suicides and 553 of those veterans died in Florida. Now, lawmakers are pursuing a way to prevent suicides, through legislation. Senate Bill 1712 would require the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs to contract with an organization that will help prevent suicides. The plan would be a training pilot […]
More than half the states across the nation are considering abortion bans
With the 49th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade case coming up, several organizations across the nation including Florida are planning to make an example by protesting various abortions bans that threaten women’s reproductive freedom. Currently, 26 states are certain or likely to go forth with an abortion ban, Jessica Post, president of the […]