Reproductive Rights News Roundup – March 22nd 2025

Today marks Day 18 of Florida’s 60-day Legislative Session. Next week, a number of bills we’re monitoring will be moving through the process. Time and time again, lawmakers reference whether or not they’ve heard from their constituents on specific bills, so let’s be sure we’re impossible to ignore.

On Tuesday, March 25th, the Senate Committee on Education Pre-K – 12 will hear SB 1288, sponsored by none other than Senator Erin Grall, the sponsor of our state’s current near-total abortion ban. This bill is a bad idea; it attempts to restrict the freedom of young people to access birth control and family planning. It also bans risk assessment surveys to measure the real impact of these harmful proposals.

SB 1288 attempts to mandate family communication by requiring parental consent for all forms of reproductive health care. We know that the majority of young people do involve a parent or guardian in these decisions, and for those who cannot, the parent may be absent or it may be unsafe to include them.

Click here to contact members of Tuesday’s Committee and ask them to OPPOSE SB 1288. Young people deserve better than this.

More bills to take action on:

The Pride Flag Ban: bans public buildings from raising any flag that represents a “political viewpoint,” including Pride Flags.
- Oppose HB 100 (in Senate Community Affairs on 3/25)
The Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work Bill: would create an open license to discriminate against transgender Floridians in government workplaces and prohibit public employers from facilitating employee trainings on LGBTQ issues, including on nondiscrimination and sexual harassment.
- Oppose SB 440 (in Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability on 3/25)
Gun Safety Rollbacks: would lower the purchase age for firearms from 21 to 18.
- Oppose HB 759 (All House members vote on this Wednesday, 3/26 on the House floor.)

Huge shout-out to coalition members who alongside Equality Florida, hosted the biggest ever Pride at the Capitol. This is what people power looks like!

Take Immediate Action: Speak out for HIV Prevention

The CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention could be eliminated. If we don’t stop this massive attack on HIV prevention, there will be a resurgence of this preventable disease, many people will become unnecessarily sick, and it will result in millions of dollars in costs to taxpayers.

'AIDS United ACTION ALERT The Trump Administration Admini is threatening to dismantle the CDC's Division of HIV Prevention. NOW is the time to take action! Call your representative at bit.ly protect- bit.ly/protect-CDC. CDC.'

Take a few minutes this weekend to leave a message for your member of Congress urging them to oppose CDC funding cuts. Learn more here.

Events & Volunteer Opportunities

Helping Men Resist Radicalizationw/EducateUs
Monday, March 24th 7:30pm-8:30pm EST
Join researchers, advocates, and strategists from Equimundo as we explore better ways to engage men and boys—both in our work and personal lives—to build safer, more connected communities.
Click here to register.

Clinic Defense Training w/Florida Access Network & ARC Southeast
Saturday, March 29th 11:00am-1:00pm EST and Friday, April 4th, 5:00pm-6:00pm EST
Join to discuss the definition of practical support, clinic etiquette, caller engagement, and the importance of mutual aid.
Click here to sign up.

After Abortion Care Kit Party & Blanket Making w/Florida Access Network
Sunday, March 30th at 2:00pm EST
Quakers of Orlando
Click here to volunteer.

Making Emergency Contraception Accessible on Your Campus w/ASEC
April 2nd 2:00pm-3:00pm EST and April 3rd 2:00pm-3:00pm EST
Register here for April 2nd (Community Colleges) and here for April 3rd (4-Year Colleges)

Care. No Matter What. Orlando Dinner w/Planned Parenthood
Thursday, April 10th at 6:00pm EST
Featuring former Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy.
Click here to register.

Be a partner for upcoming Black Maternal Health Week.
April 11th-17th
Click here for the partner packeton how to support the Central Florida Birth Network.

Safety & De-Escalation Training w/Florida for All
Saturday, April 12th 10:00am-6:00pm (lunch provided)
Tampa
Click here to sign up.

Spiritual Support and Counseling Online Trainingw/All Options and Faith Aloud
April 23rd-May 28th
Learn tools & skills to provide open-hearted, compassionate spiritual support to people in their reproductive decisions and experiences.
Learn more here.

News Roundup

Florida
Bill permitting suits over wrongful death of fetuses draws concerns about abortion access
By Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix
Republicans in a House committee Thursday advanced a bill that permits parents to claim damages in the wrongful death of a fetus at any stage of development.

Must-watch ’embryologic development’ video passes House education panel
By Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
A Florida House panel on Tuesday pushed ahead with a wide-ranging education bill that includes a contentious provision to require some children in the state’s public schools to watch a video promoted by an anti-abortion group.

DeSantis, lawmakers continue push for restrictions on Florida citizen petition process
By Gray Rohrer, USA Today Network, Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis helped defeat two proposed state constitutional amendments in November, one to enshrine a right to an abortion and another to legalize recreational marijuana. Now, he’s targeting the procedure that put them on the ballot – the citizen petition process itself.

Gov. DeSantis applauded at Catholic service for defeating Florida abortion amendment
By Jim Rosica, USA Today Network-Florida
At a Wednesday evening Catholic service in Tallahassee, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received standing and sustained applause after being thanked for “the good work (he) did in defeating Amendment 4,” last November’s ballot initiative on abortion rights.

After minimum wage, marijuana, Florida politicians want to shut down amendment votes
By Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel
You, the Florida voter, have made big things happen over the years.

411 Teen: Planned Parenthood (audio)
Staff Report, WFSU Tallahassee
This week, 411 Teen sits down with members of Planned Parenthood about reproductive rights, sex education and the legal challenges facing reproductive health organizations such as theirs.

House panel gives green light to fertility preservation insurance bill for state workers
By Drew Dixon, Florida Politics
A proposed measure to allow Florida’s employee insurance to provide fertility preservation for certain workers on the state payroll undergoing cancer treatment is ready for its third and final committee stop.

National
Trump promised to protect access to abortion pills. Things have changed.
By Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims, Popular Information
In an interview with TIME Magazine published last December, then-President-elect Trump was asked whether he would preserve access to abortion pills. Trump said that he staked out his position in a “long and hard campaign” and was “strongly against” restricting access.

After historic indictment, doctors will keep mailing abortion pills over state lines
By Rosemary Westwood, NPR
When the news broke on Jan. 31 that a New York physician had been indicted for shipping abortion medications to a woman in Louisiana, Dr. Kohar Der Simonian was hit by a wave of emotions, among them fear and concern.

Trump’s pardons spark fresh fights over abortion clinic safety
By Alice Miranda Ollstein and Amanda Friedman, Politico
Abortion rights supporters across the country are scrambling to strengthen protections for clinics in response to moves by the Trump administration that they believe will put providers and patients in danger.

“Don’t believe it for one second”: Texas arrests midwife, accuses her of providing illegal abortions
By Alex Galbraith, Salon
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his state’s first arrests under a 2021 law criminalizing nearly all abortions.

Mother of woman who died after Georgia’s six-week abortion ban calls for law’s repeal
By Jill Nolin, States Newsroom
Shanette Williams is again calling on state lawmakers to repeal Georgia’s six-week abortion ban that she says led to her 28-year-old daughter’s death shortly after the law took effect in 2022.

After IVF nightmares, patients have few protections
By Aria Bendix, Kenzi Abou-Sabe, Alexandra Chaidez, Priya Sridhar and Ellison Barber, NBC News
An NBC News analysis found hundreds of lawsuits over five years alleging that embryos were lost, destroyed or swapped by fertility clinics or companies.

Job Openings

Tampa Bay Abortion Fund is hiring an Executive Director.
$90,000-$100,000/year.
Apply here asap.

ACLU is hiring a Summer Social Media intern.
Stipend available.
Apply here.

Men 4 Choice is hiring a Communications Director.
$70,000-$85,000/year.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Power to Decide is hiring a Philanthropy Director.
$108,000-$125,000/year, fully remote.
Click here to apply.

The Florida Youth Leadership Forum is accepting for their July program.
Ages 15-21 with a disability & interest in growing leadership skills.
Apply by today, 3/21.

APIA Vote is accepting applications for their summer internship.
Apply by 4/1.

Equality Florida & Mukti Fund are hiring a Community Organizing Fellow, Grants Fellow, & Health, Education, and Program Impact fellow.
Learn more here.

The ERA Coalition is hiring Public Policy & Social Media interns.
Class credit available.
Learn more here.