Tomorrow a dangerous anti-choice bill (HB 277) will be heard on the floor of the Florida House. The bill seeks to limit access to abortion by targeting doctors and clinics. There are no medical reasons for these proposed restrictions, and would also limit the ability for these clinics to provide other services like life-saving cancer screenings; birth control; and STI testing.
The bill would require health clinics that provide abortions to be "wholly owned and operated by a physician"; require doctors who perform abortions to take continuing education ethics courses; an mandate a 24 hour waiting period for a woman seeking an abortion- even if that abortion is recommended to save the woman's life.
This much is clear: the Legislature is trying to limit the number of health centers that provide abortion care to make abortion inaccessible and to shame women and their doctors. Targeting reproductive health care providers will eliminate access to health care services for tens-of-thousands of Florida women and men who depend on these health care centers for important healthcare needs.
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