TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee voted to pass House Bill 7 (HB 7), a bill that would ban access to abortion after six weeks and criminalize doctors who offer abortion care to patients after six weeks — before many patients even know they are pregnant. This new extreme abortion ban would go into effect this summer if the Florida Supreme Court denies the legal challenge against 2022’s House Bill 5 — a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The ACLU of Florida opposes this bill and its companion bill, Senate Bill 300.
Kirk Bailey, political director ACLU of Florida responded to the vote with the following:
“This bill is blatantly unconstitutional. When it comes to personal medical decisions, politicians have no place getting between patients and their doctors.
“Every Floridian deserves access to health care without barriers or political roadblocks. A super-majority of Floridians overwhelmingly support safe, legal, and accessible abortion care. Polling consistently shows that more than 60% of Floridians say that abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances.
“Since it went into effect, Florida’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks has put lives at risk. Instead of addressing that harm, lawmakers are doubling down on their anti-abortion agenda and further compromising the health of pregnant people.
“When politicians stifle access to health care, they are attacking people who already disproportionately face barriers to access: People of color, immigrants, women, the LGBTQ+ community, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, and people who live in rural communities. This bill will continue to reinforce the inequities that exist within Florida’s already broken healthcare system and will force Floridians to potentially travel a thousand miles or more for life-saving care. Access to health care should not depend on who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.
“The decision about whether and when to have a child is one of the most important decisions we make. The government should never be able to force anyone to carry a pregnancy against their will. Everyone should have the freedom to make decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures without interference from politicians. Floridians deserve better from their elected leaders.”
