Reproductive Rights News Roundup

Requiring parental consent for abortion is a step from final passage in Legislature
By Samantha J. Gross
Herald/Tallahassee Bureau
A bill that would reinstate a parental consent law declared unconstitutional 30 years ago — requiring minors seeking abortions to first get consent from a parent or guardian — is just a House vote and pen stroke away from becoming law.

Fl Senate approves parental-consent bill; opponents fear an “abortion desert”
By Danielle J. Brown
Florida Phoenix
In a civil but strenuous debate, the Florida Senate Thursday voted 23-17 to approve a controversial bill that requires parental consent for a minor to get an abortion.

Florida Democrats Refuse to Stand Against Anti-Choice Measure
By Diana Thu-Thao Rhodes
Rewire
Florida came closer this week to expanding the state’s abortion restrictions for young people, as the state senate voted Thursday to pass legislation that would force people under 18 to get a parent’s written permission before obtaining abortion care.

“Shame on you:” Protesters rally against parental-consent bill in FL Legislature
By Danielle J. Brown
Florida Phoenix
Abortion rights advocates rallied Tuesday against a parental-consent bill that would limit access to abortions for minors, protesting against lawmakers who support the bill as well as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who favors the legislation.

Conflicted Florida House Democrats will not take stance on parental consent bill
By Samantha J. Gross
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
Following a week of drama, name-calling and tension in the caucus, House Democrats will not take a caucus position on a contentious bill that would require parental consent for minors seeking abortions.

What It’s Like to Get an Abortion in Florida
By Paige Alexandria
Vice
Republican lawmakers in Florida tried and failed to pass a bill in 2019 that would have banned abortion at six weeks.

Pregnant girls need compassion, not cruelty
By Margaret Wurth
Tallahassee Democrat
The Florida state Senate has voted down several compassionate, common-sense amendments to Senate Bill 404, which would limit girls’ access to abortion and undermine their right to health and privacy.

Why would the Florida Senate approve an unconstitutional abortion restriction?
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
The Florida Senate is poised to approve legislation this week that would require minors to obtain parental consent before receiving an abortion — even though the Florida Supreme Court decided decades ago that restriction violates the Florida Constitution.

The Long History of the Anti-Abortion Movement’s Links to White Supremacists
By Alex DiBranco
The Nation
The anti-abortion movement in the United States has long been complicit with white supremacy. In recent decades, the movement mainstream has been careful to protect its public image by distancing itself from overt white nationalists in its ranks.

Trump Administration’s Domestic Gag Rule Has Slashed the Title X Network’s Capacity by Half
By Ruth Dawson
Guttmacher Institute
New data from the Guttmacher Institute show that the Trump administration’s domestic gag rule has slashed the Title X national family planning network’s patient capacity in half, jeopardizing care for over 1.6 million female patients nationwide.

Letters to the Editor

Imagine if a teen’s parents insisted she have an abortion
By James Shaw, Tampa
Tampa Bay Times
Let’s say a 17-year-old high-school senior is pregnant. She wants to have the baby and marry the father, but her parents think what’s best for her is to have an abortion and go to college. Does anyone among us think that, in this situation, the parents should get their way? No one? Good, then we all agree: The decision belongs to her — not to her parents and not to the government.

Parental consent won’t reduce teen abortions
By Eileen Sullivan, Lake Worth
Palm Beach Post
Requiring teens to get parental consent for an abortion will not necessarily reduce teen abortions because the parents often agree with the teen. Only easily available birth control and better sex education can affect the teen abortion rate.

Floridians deserve paid family leave
By Norman Hodge, Jr.,
Miami Herald
No mom or dad should have to choose between their paycheck and their child. No parent working in the retail or other industry should have to choose between their baby at home and their status at work. The Florida Family Leave Act ensures all parents never have to make that decision again and will help make families stronger.