How Anti-Choicers Are Anti-Life

Fetal impairment

It refers to the existence of life-threatening or serious anatomical signs that will lead to either an impaired quality of life or at worst, lethal anatomical malformation which renders the fetus unable to survive outside a pregnant woman's body.

Don't think for a second Republicans in the Florida legislature are pro-life. Republicans in the Senate Banking and Insurance committee endangered the lives of women.

Committee members shot down an amendment filed by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, that tried to expand exemptions in the bill from cases when rape or incest is involved to cases where "fetal impairment" could occur.

Republicans on the committee said the term could justify an abortion in almost any case. Opponents said it needs to be there to protect the mother in other instances, but the term should not wear a concrete label because it deals with issues that are very personal.

"That is a condition that needs to be addressed with those physicians and the patient," said Suzie Prabhakaran, an OB/GYN and medical director at Planned Parenthood in Sarasota. "It's kind of a case that you know it when you see it."

The bill passed the committee, 6-4, with Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, joining Democrats in opposition. It has one more committee stop before reaching the full Senate floor for a vote.

Good for Sobel for attempting to add the amendment and Bennett (to my surprise) voting with Democrats. The short version is Republicans do not support publicly-funded insurance for abortions, even if the woman's life is in danger. Sen. Gwen Margolis summed up the vote.

"I can barely talk about it," said Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Miami, visibly upset. "It's incredible to talk about. It's incredible that a bunch of guys are telling us what's right in our lives."

The Domestic Partnerships Act.

State Representative Mark Pafford is the sponsor of the Florida House bill the Domestic Partnerships Act. Rick Kriseman is the co-sponsor of the bill

Domestic Partnerships: Sets fees & costs for dissolution or registration of domestic partnership; requires DOH to examine certificates of domestic partnership & dissolution reports; requires clerk to transmit declarations of domestic partnership; authorizes DOH to issue certified copy of certain vital records to domestic partner; includes domestic partnership within domestic violence provisions; requires DOH to create & distribute forms; provides jurisdiction over partnership proceedings; requires partnership registry; requires form to be filed to form partnership & specifies contents; authorizes partners to retain surnames; provides that any privilege or responsibility granted or imposed by statute, administrative or court rule, policy, common law, or any other law because individual is or was related to another by marriage, or is child of either spouse, is granted on equivalent terms to domestic partners or individuals similarly related to domestic partners; provides exceptions; provides methods to prove existence of partnership when certificate is lost or unavailable; provides for termination of partnership.

So far there is no pdf file of the bill. The legislation addresses recognizing domestic partnership. Nowhere in the language is gay marriage mentioned. What is unclear is if the bill will recognize gay marriages and domestic partnerships from out of state. Currently no gay or lesbian couple can get a gay marriage or partnership license.

Florida Senator Senator Eleanor Sobel is sponsoring a Senate version of the bill. Sadly, the House and Senate bills will die in the chambers. Republicans hold supermajorites. Pafford, Kriseman and Sobel should be commended for their political courage.