Reproductive Rights News Roundup

(Some of the news stories below may require a subscription to read.) 

Florida lawmakers approve strictest abortion ban in state’s history
By Arek Sarkissian
Politico
Florida’s Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday night approved the strictest abortion ban in the state’s history, ending a monthslong fight over reproductive rights that pitted GOP lawmakers against Democrats and activists who fought against the measure but were powerless to stop it.

Florida’s 15-week abortion ban heads to DeSantis’ desk
By Kirby Wilson
Tampa Bay Times
Related editorial: Florida’s 15-week abortion ban would be cruel
The Florida Senate voted Thursday to pass a historic and controversial measure banning most abortions after 15 weeks.

FL Senate approves 15-week abortion ban; next step, Gov. DeSantis’ desk
By Imani Thomas
Florida Phoenix
Related: A 15-week abortion ban in FL is close to reality; Dems will try to push back on the legislation
Late in the evening Thursday, amid tears, personal stories, and fears about women’s freedom, the Florida Senate approved a 15-week abortion ban for Florida, allowing the legislation to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for his consideration.

Annette Taddeo recounts having to end her wanted pregnancy during abortion bill debate
By Anne Geggis
Florida Politics
Related: ‘Great day’: Senate Republicans drag 15-week abortion ban to Gov. Ron DeSantis
The debate in the Florida Senate over an abortion bill included Sen. Annette Taddeo describing her own “tough situation” that required a procedure to save her life: an ectopic pregnancy.

Doctors say abortion ban at 15 weeks in Florida is ‘bad medicine and bad policy’
By Liz Freeman
Naples Daily News
A bill now before the Florida Senate to ban abortion after 15 weeks may force families to raise children with special needs and cost the state Medicaid program millions for their care, according to physicians who oppose the measure.

Joe Biden: Abortion Rights ‘Under Attack As Never Before’
By Alanna Vagianos
HuffPost
President Joe Biden acknowledged the attacks on abortion care during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.

GOP Filibusters Bill That Would Protect Abortion Rights If Roe v. Wade Falls
By Alanna Vagianos and Igor Bobic
HuffPost
The WHPA would protect the right to access abortion across the U.S., even if Roe v. Wade is overturned in a landmark Supreme Court case that’s expected to be decided this summer.

Will new abortion restrictions, long-sought goal of conservatives, produce a political backlash and help Democrats in 2022 elections?
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
As Republicans signaled months ago that 2022 would be the year they’d impose new restrictions on abortion access in Florida, Democrats had a warning: Limiting access would produce a political backlash, and a torrent of enraged voters would punish the GOP in this year’s elections.

Florida’s 15-week abortion ban will have dramatic effects on patients and providers. Here’s what to expect.
By Cindy Krischer Goodman, Brooke Baitinger and Caroline Catherman
Orlando Sentinel
Should a proposed 15-week abortion limit making its way through the Legislature go into effect in July, Floridians can expect a dramatic fallout.

These Florida parents chose abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Here’s why.
By Kirby Wilson
Tampa Bay Times
By the squat rental house at the back of the four-acre plot, past the horse paddock but not quite to the barn, a sapling grows.

Florida abortion ban: Dads would have to pay child support at 15 weeks under new amendment
By Sam Sachs and Evan Donovan
WFLA Tampa Bay
More than a dozen amendments to Florida’s proposed 15-week abortion ban were filed Tuesday in its latest visit to a Senate committee.

The Senate Just Failed to Pass an Abortion Rights Bill. Here’s Why That’s Not All Bad For Democrats
By Abigail Abrams
Time
A proposal to protect abortion access nationwide failed when it faced a procedural vote in the Senate on Monday.

What President Biden’s State of the Union Says About the Politics of Abortion
By Abigail Abrams
Time Magazine
Following abortion rights groups’ efforts to pressure President Joe Biden into speaking out in favor of reproductive rights in America, the President mentioned the topic just briefly on Tuesday during his first State of the Union address.