Reproductive Rights News Roundup – 8/9/2019

Florida senator moves to block abortion votes until at least half of those voting are women
By James Call
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida Sen. Lauren Book wants voters to decide whether a male-dominated Legislature should be allowed to limit a woman’s access to abortion.

Florida State Senator: Ban Abortion Votes Unless Women Make Up Half The Chamber
By Gavrielle Jacobovitz
Huffington Post
A Florida state senator wants to ban the state’s legislative bodies from voting on anti-abortion bills unless at least half of the people in the chamber are women.

Florida’s abortion waiting period back in spotlight after court ruling
By Dara Kam and Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
In a victory for Republican state leaders and abortion opponents, a split appeals court Thursday overturned a circuit judge’s decision that tossed out a 2015 law requiring women to wait 24 hours before having abortions.

St. Augustine community gathers for ‘March for Choice’ to defend reproductive rights
Staff Report
First Coast News Jacksonville
St. Augustine residents gathered Saturday afternoon in response to anti-abortion policies adopted by several states, including Georgia.

Links to Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried and Planned Parenthood undermine a Republican’s political appointment
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Florida Phoenix
A political donation to Agriculture Commissioner candidate Nikki Fried and support for Planned Parenthood clinics may have cost a Republican woman a chance for an appointment to the Lee County Commission.

Candidate for Lee County commissioner says she lost position due to Planned Parenthood ties
By Dave Elias
WBBH Fort Myers
Just days after Governor Ron DeSantis announced his choice to replace the late Lee Commissioner Larry Kiker, one woman who wanted the job made a stunning claim.

What is it like to work in an abortion clinic or pregnancy center? Our reporters visited both.
By Claire McNeill
Tampa Bay Times
For years, Florida has been an outlier, a haven for abortion seekers in a more hostile South.

Tired of hiding: five doctors who provide abortions come out
By Carey Dunne
The Guardian
On a frigid evening in January, Dr Katie McHugh welcomed 20 guests into her Indianapolis home and prepared to tell them a secret she had kept for seven years.

Orange Co. representatives planning ‘Women’s Equality Day’ town hall
By Scott Powers
Florida Politics
Much of Orange County’s Democratic Florida House of Representatives is planning a “Women’s Equality Day” town hall in Orlando to build on the 99th anniversary of women in America obtaining the right to vote.