UPDATE, 2/20/20: Today, the Florida House also passed the parental consent bill, by a vote of 75-43. The bill now goes to Governor Ron DeSanctis for his signature.
2/8/20: On Thursday, the Florida Senate passed a parental consent bill for minors seeking abortion. The legislation, SB 404, passed with a vote of 23-17. The Miami Herald reports that the House version of the bill is fast-tracked in committee and is expected to reach a floor vote next week.
The bill is expected to pass in the House as well, and Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to sign it into law during his State of the State last month.
Current Florida law requires that the parent or guardian of a minor seeking abortion be notified. The proposed legislation would require an abortionist “to obtain written consent from a minor’s parent or legal guardian before performing or inducing a termination of the pregnancy of a minor.” The bill also establishes penalties for abortionists who fail to comply with the requirements. The proposed bill, like legislation currently in force requiring parental notification, allows minors to obtain judicial bypass in special circumstances, such as if the minor is a victim of abuse.
The Florida House successfully passed parental consent legislation last year, but that legislation then stalled in a Senate committee.
In 1989, the Florida Supreme Court ruled similar parental consent legislation unconstitutional, but the makeup of the court has changed and proponents are optimistic that the legislation will stand.
READ: Utah parental consent law prevents rapist from getting victim an abortion at Planned Parenthood
The parental consent or judicial bypass requirement could help victims of human trafficking by requiring additional reporting and consent for minors undergoing elective abortion. The abortion industry, which continues to fight parental consent laws, has a history of ignoring, covering up, and failing to report victims of abuse and victims of human trafficking who are coerced into abortions as minors.
The Florida abortion industry has a documented history of predatory abortionists. As Live Action News noted in a previous report, “Almost as disturbing is the fact that in many states, there are few laws regulating abortions on minors, and abortionists like this just might have easy access to vulnerable girls.”
Passing parental consent laws in Florida would provide extra protection for minors vulnerable to abuse.
Editor’s Note: This title has been updated since its original publication.
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