Welcome to

Just under seventy five thousand abortions were performed in Florida during 2021. Just six percent or about 45 hundred were performed after 15 weeks. Legislation reducing the time for legal abortions from 24 to fifteen weeks cleared a Senate committee along party line votes this afternoon. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, efforts to add more exceptions to the 15 week ban failed.       

The hearing drew more people to the committee room than any time since the pandemic began. Sponsor Kelli Stargel told the crowd “The bill prohibits abortions after fifteen weeks.”

Nearly a hundred either waived in support or opposition to the bill.

Democrat Lauren Book tried to add an exception to the fifteen weeks for rape or incest.

“So victims keep quiet. They just don’t tell. For weeks, months, or years. 

It failed. Minutes after the vote, Samantha Deans, a Planned parenthood Doctor told the story of an11 year old who was raped by a family member.

“When her stomach began to show, her mother took her to a physician,. Who diagnosed her at twenty three weeks” said Bean, who also said the eleven year old said she did not want to be pregnant.

The hearing coincided with Catholic Days at the Capitol. So many wanted to speak, they were limited to thirty seconds a piece.

“The unborn child is a person with rights that should be protected under the law” said Rita Galliano. 

Dorothy Clark from the Villages was admonished for trying to show an ultrasound of her grandson. “No props please. Sorry about that..its the rules.”

And Kelly Flynn told the committee “This fifteen week abortion ban is just an excuse to continue stripping away our rights and make person decisions about our own pregnancies.”

Democrats gave up their time for debate to listen to more in the audience, which gave  Rachel Rapkin time to talk about safety.“Abortion is safer than continuing a pregnancy to term” she told the committee

The party line vote was expected.

If this bill becomes law, North Carolina will be the closest place Floridians can go to get an abortion after fifteen weeks

Democratic Leader Sen. Lauren Book says she will try again for the exception for rape or incest.

“At the end of the day it giving them a little bit more grace to decide what to do.” 

But Book also concede its going to be a hard sell to Republicans.

Of the 74 thousand plus abortions last year, just over forty-four hundred, or about six percent, were past the fifteen week deadline in the bill.

Legislation prohibiting the teaching of Critical Race Theory or other ideas designed to make some feel uncomfortable continues moving through the state legislature. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, sponsors say they want history, not historical theories taught in the classroom. 

Examples of what can’t be taught in the classroom under the legislation include the denial or minimization of the holocaust, or that the purpose of the US Legal System is to uphold the supremacy of white people. Sponsor Bryan Avila says most everything else is fair game.

“Everything should be taught from an objective point of view.  Really, what we are trying to prevent is whatever ideology or whatever take they have in order to essentially twist the material into making someone feel a certain angst” Avila told committee members.

Several dozen spoke. Most, like Rev. Rachel Gunter Shapard, a Jacksonville mother of three, said its okay if her kids are occasionally made to fell uncomfortable.

“It is not discomfort in the classroom that I fear for my children. It is indifference” Shapard told lawmakers.

Aaron DiPetr of the American Family Policy Council was one of the few to speak in favor.

“Systems of supremacy, white guilt, and other such concepts are not facts of history. Those are ideologies.”

And Michael Moore of the Florida Education Association argued it will be one more burden on teachers.

“We have a severe teacher shortage” said Moore, “and this bill does nothing to help recruit and train high quality teachers.”

Afterward, the sponsor reiterated the idea was to keep facts in the classroom and opinions out.”

“No one in the State of Flordia should be made to feel any sort of anguish or guilt for something, quite frankly, they were not a part of that occurred in our nations history a long long time ago.”

Business can also face discrimination lawsuits under the legislation.

The legislation, which is a top priority of the Speaker governor has one more committee meeting in both the House and Senate before heading to the full Chambers.

Brightly colored drawings cover the rotunda of the state Capitol and will for Children’s Week. There were also activities, games, and displays across the courtyard. Advocates say they are pushing for better children’s health care while also asking lawmakers to do something about the covid induced lack of available child care. Phyllis Kalifeh (Ka-Leaf-EE) says the lack of available facilities is hurting the recovery.

“We have classrooms that are empty. We have families that can’t access child care because they don’t have staffing to fill their classrooms. So it certainly does impact them and it means families can’t go back to work. So its an important issue, certainly.”

Children’s Week is an annual event to lobby for those who have needs but not means.