TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Committee lawmakers approved a measure Tuesday requiring parental consent before a minor terminates a pregnancy.
The Gannett Capital Bureau reports the 6-3 vote broke along party lines, with Democrats in opposition. They support abortion rights for women, with some saying the proposed bill violates state and federal constitutional guarantees.
Advocates of the legislation defended it as bringing families together.
At question is Senate Bill 404, titled the "Parental Consent for Abortion Act," introduced by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. It requires a written statement by a legal guardian who consents for a pregnant minor to have an abortion.
An exception exists if there is a medical emergency and "there is insufficient time to obtain consent," the bill reads.
Doctors must also submit a report on a monthly basis for each abortion, indicating whether the abortion was performed with consent or otherwise.
Stargel had a child as a teenager and told the committee she had feared telling her mother, the Gannett Capital Bureau reported.
“When I spoke to her, she actually advised (I have) an abortion,” Stargel said. “I didn’t go that direction. We had a discussion about it and when I told her I wanted to have my child she supported me. I think those same things may happen in a situation with other families.”
Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, said the bill, if passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would put "young girls in a really tough position."
The Bureau reports Florida had a parental consent law 30 years ago that the state Supreme Court overturned for violating the state's constitutional right to privacy.
A voter-backed parental notice law approved in 2004 currently requires minors notify their parents or guardians before an abortion.
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