Florida legislative leaders say they will discuss further restrictions on abortions

[In It to Win It]

Miami Herald

No paywall

Supercharged by a super-majority in the House and Senate, Florida legislative leaders broke their silence Wednesday and confirmed they are prepared to discuss further abortion restrictions in Florida in the next year.

But how far they will go is the big question, and interviews with the presiding officers indicate they already appear to be taking different approaches.

Incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo told the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times in an interview that she wants to see the 15-week ban approved last year by lawmakers reduced to 12 weeks with the addition of an exclusion for rape and incest, which is currently not allowed.

“I went on record on the abortion bill in support of an exclusion for rape and incest, and I’d like to see that,’’ said Passidomo, a Naples Republican who will be sworn in this month as the third woman to be Florida’s Senate president. “And I think in order to accomplish that, I think we would have to reduce the weeks. I don’t have a problem going to 12 weeks.”

“I don’t think it’s time for me to put a number on it until we’ve organized,’’ Renner said, noting that there are 30 new legislators joining the House after the election, including a record 85-member Republican majority. He was not prepared to say if they will want to see an outright ban on all abortions or further limits on the existing 15-week ban.

“I personally am pro life and would like to see us move more in that direction,’’ he said. “But I want to hear from my colleagues in the House and my colleagues in the Senate before we take any steps in that direction.”

[magicarpet]

1. With a new super majority in both Houses of Congress and DeSantis,...

.... in the governors mansion,.. expect all sorts of nasty laws to come out of the Floridah State House.

[Timeflyer]

2. Of course they'll throw this red meat to their base, because why should women choose for themselves

when reThuglican politicians and their billionaire conservative donors can use the issue to maintain power in this authoritarian one-party state. My hair's on fire again, gotta go put it out.

[hay rick]

3. They will do exactly what Ron DeSantis tells them to do.

The DeSantis team is surely focus-grouping this nationally as we speak.