Sneaky Florida Abortion Laws

Lawmakers are prying into uteruses again, with HB 5.  The House bill claims to reduce infant mortality through tobacco use education for women but it's tied into a clause that will prohibit abortions specifically past 15 weeks. This is more restrictive than the current law that prohibits abortions during the third trimester.

The proposals are similar to the Mississippi law that the U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing. The proposals do not include an exception for rape but keep the current medical exception and add an exception for fatal fetal abnormalities.

Exceptions to the 15-week abortion prohibition are if:

• two physicians agree that termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save the mother's life 

• one physician agrees termination is necessary and another physician is not available.

• two physicians agree the fetus has not achieved viability or has a fatal abnormality.

Florida's Republican House Speaker Chris Sprowls highlighted HB5 as one of the top five bills filed.

Abortion providers are currently required by law to submit a monthly report to the Agency for Health Care Administration but are not required to report if the abortion is due to human trafficking. This bill enhances abortion reporting requirements and will require providers to report abortions performed due to human trafficking