Parental Consent Bill Passes Florida Senate Committee

Historic Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida
Credit: Artie White / Flickr

A senate committee in Florida voted on December 10th to advance a parental consent bill. Parental consent bills, which have been passed in multiple states, require minors to have permission from their parents to have an abortion.

Tampa Bay Times writer Elizabeth Koh reported:

A key Florida Senate committee voted Tuesday, along party lines, to advance a bill that would require parental consent for abortion, overcoming a procedural hurdle by Democrats last month to stall the legislation. The 6-3 vote also begins moving what is likely to be one of the legislative session’s most controversial bills through the more moderate Senate, which looks likelier this year to pass the proposal.

The committee heard testimony for the majority of their hearing on the bill, with comments from citizens like Joan Fowinkle, a retired high school teacher who supported the legislation. “The parents have a fundamental right to care for the child and make decisions for their healthcare,” she said. “The state must respect the rights of good parents to fulfill their duties toward their children as their conscience dictates.”

National Right to Life News further reports that a companion bill in the Florida House of Representatives is on a "fast track to passage."

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