Reproductive Rights News Roundup

Good luck with your plan to control Florida women, dude
By Diane Roberts
Florida Phoenix
Women are becoming CEOs, joining the military, voting, running for office, walking around like they’re as good as a dude!

Florida Republican Party chief files new abortion-restriction legislation
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Florida Phoenix
Another extreme anti-abortion bill has been filed for the 2019 Florida legislative session, this one by the head of the state Republican Party.

Sarasota state Sen. Joe Gruters files 20-week abortion ban
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota state Sen. Joe Gruters is making another attempt to ban abortions in Florida after 20 weeks.

Courts say anti-abortion ‘heartbeat bills’ are unconstitutional. So why do they keep coming?
By Jessica Ravitz
CNN
Time and again, when it’s introduced in a state legislature, the bill is touted as the most restrictive in the nation.

State battles over abortion policy anticipate a post-Roe world
By Lisa Desjardins
PBS
Proposed legislation in Virginia that would loosen restrictions on third trimester abortions has sparked outrage among conservatives. Many pro-choice advocates expect the Supreme Court to scale back abortion rights, and states favorable to abortion are preparing. Lisa Desjardins talks to Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University and author of several books on abortion politics.

Anti-Abortion Activists Are Still Defending Forced Birth with Debunked Science
By Jennifer Wright
Harper’s Bazaar
Last week, thousands of anti-choice advocates attended the March for Life which they claimed was a “pro-science” march.

Kissimmee Planned Parenthood to no longer offer some abortion services due to legal action
By Ken Jackson and Rachel Christian
Osceola News Gazette
After nearly five years of legal proceedings, a property owner that shares an office complex of medical practices with the Kissimmee Planned Parenthood office received a permanent legal injunction that will prevent Planned Parenthood from performing abortion services later this year.

Where are the women? Not so much in male-dominated Tallahassee
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
Even though a record number of women ran and won seats in Florida’s House of Representatives and Senate, women — who make up 51 percent of the state’s population — still hold only 29.4 percent of the seats in the Legislature.

AHCA Secretary Moves Quickly In New Job
Staff Report
News Service of Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ choice to run the Agency for Health Care Administration, Mary Mayhew, quickly hit the ground this week in her new job.