The Florida Senate

Tallahassee, FL – In a 26 to 13 vote, the Florida Senate passed SB 300. Senator Linda Stewart (D – Orange County) had the following to say after voting in opposition to the bill that would prohibit the termination of a pregnancy after six-weeks.

“The six-week ban is an insult to women and a direct attack on our fundamental and reproductive healthcare rights. I trust women to be able to make their own decisions in life and decide what is best for themselves,” said Stewart. “Just over a year after reducing the number of weeks to obtain an abortion to 15, the legislature has once again decided to take up the issue of women’s bodily autonomy by looking to reduce the already limiting time constraint to a mere six-weeks.”

Floridians will still be required to wait 24 hours between two separate appointments before getting an abortion, in addition to the new ban after six-weeks. The bill also limits access to medications used to induce an abortion by banning the use of telehealth services and requiring in person appointments. In order to receive a drug to terminate a pregnancy an individual would be required to have a physical appointment for the medication to be prescribed and distributed.

“Many women may not be able to confirm their pregnancy until week four, and now the state of Florida expects them to get appointments with two doctors and make this kind of a major decision in just a couple of weeks? Many people may have irregular menstrual cycles and might not be aware they have missed a period. This entire piece of legislation is ludicrous, unrealistic, and a major overreach by Florida’s government into our everyday lives, and in essence this bill is a complete ban on abortion,” said Stewart.

“A majority of Floridians support access to pregnancy terminating care, and this bill is a direct assault on the lives and freedoms of Floridians,” said Stewart.

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