The Quickie: Floridians Rally in Support of Reproductive Freedom

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: Floridians rally for reproductive freedom and a state fights round up.

FLORIDIANS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM: On Saturday in Orlando, over a thousand Floridians rallied in support of reproductive freedom and Amendment 4, the measure to limit government interference in abortion. Patients and physicians were joined by advocates to fire up the crowd before a march around Lake Eola. Sarah Parker, executive director of Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel that the message of the Yes on 4 campaign was clear: “When we make medical decisions, we do not contact our local representatives and ask for advice. We can make an educated, informed decision with the help and care from our health care provider, not the Senate and not the House.

Reuters reports how one family shared their experience under Florida’s abortion ban: 

Derick Cook, a Florida resident, described how his wife finally got pregnant after multiple miscarriages. But a complication at 16 weeks meant her fetus would not survive and threatened her life. Florida had enacted a 15-week abortion limit a few weeks before. 

"The doctor told us that because of the ban, there was nothing he could do to help," Cook said, even though the law allows abortions when the mother's life is at risk… Cook's wife, Anya, delivered the fetus in a hair salon the next day and nearly died at the hospital from blood loss, he said.

Read more from Reuters, the Orlando Sentinel, and Florida Politics.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund, 123 William Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10038. Provided in-kind to Floridians Protecting Freedom.

 

STATE FIGHTS ROUND UP: Anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to move in states across the country. 

• Arizona: Following a state Supreme Court ruling that a Civil War-era total abortion ban is enforceable, anti-abortion lawmakers shut down an effort to repeal the law — instead calling for a recess and adjournment until April 17.
• Missouri: The Missouri Senate passed a bill defunding Planned Parenthood affiliates from the state Medicaid program. The bill now returns to the House before going to Gov. Parsons who is expected to sign it. Both the Missouri Supreme Court and the Circuit Court of Cole County have previously ruled prior defunding attempts unconstitutional, though the legislature is now attempting to execute the defund in a different manner.
• Tennessee: Gov. Lee is expected to soon sign HB 2435, a measure that would require schools to show a three-minute ultrasound or computer animation showing “early fetal development” in any class addressing human sexuality or development. The bill lists a misleading, medically inaccurate video created by the anti-abortion group Live Action that explicitly asserts that life begins at fertilization as an example of a compliant video. The Senate also passed HB1895, a bill that makes it a felony for an adult to help a minor access abortion prohibited by the state’s current total ban. Lawmakers are considering similar legislation regarding support for young people accessing gender-affirming care out of state. 
• Kansas: Gov. Kelly has vetoed several anti-sexual and reproductive health bills. These include SB 233, which bans gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary young people; HB 2749, an onerous and stigmatizing anti-abortion reporting bill; HB 2436, which creates the crime of coercion to obtain an abortion. Hostile measures bolstering anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are also still under consideration. 
• Maine: The Maine legislature passed LD 227, a bill that attempts to safeguard providers of reproductive care and care for transgender people in Maine from hostile attacks based on laws in other states and protect access to essential health care in the state. The bill now heads to Gov. Mills’s desk.
• Iowa: Gov. Reynolds signed SSB 3114, a bill loosening accountability requirements for the state and third-party contractors administering the stalled MOMS program, which currently diverts $2 million in taxpayer money to anti-abortion centers. These fake women’s health centers use deceptive tactics, including providing inaccurate medical advice and religious-coded propaganda to pressure people into not having an abortion.
• New Hampshire: The Senate passed SB 461. The bill mandates new, specific reporting in the state and would require abortion providers to tell the state where and when they’ve performed abortions and share statistics about patients, medications used, and more. SB 558, a bill to expand IVF, was amended and passed yesterday on a voice vote. Both bills head to the House.
• Pennsylvania: HB 1512, Ensuring Telemedicine Access for Pennsylvanians, passed the House. HB 1512 would require insurance companies to cover telehealth visits. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.