Florida is the latest state to defund abortion giant Planned Parenthood, shifting funding away from the abortion industry to comprehensive health clinics. On Friday, Republican Governor Rick Scott signed HB 1441, which will both reduce funding and tighten regulations on abortion facilities in the state.
The bill forbids state and local government from funding or contracting with any entity that owns, operates, or contracts with abortion facilities. It also requires abortionists to have admitting privileges and written transfer agreements with nearby hospitals.
In addition, the measure requires facilities to report the number of abortions and the reasons women cited for them on a monthly basis. A lack of comprehensive abortion reporting is a significant complication to accurately gauge reasons why women have abortions, as well as determining the number of medical emergencies and complications associated with abortions.
As Live Action News reported earlier in March, HB 1441 stands to cut off the Florida abortion industry from an estimated $200,000 of Medicaid funds annually.
State Senator Rob Bradley called it “simply intolerable” that “those taxpayer dollars would go to an organization that performs abortions.”
Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger called passage of the bill a “historic victory.” It is slated to take effect on July 1st.
