For Immediate Release: March 28, 2023
Contact: Kelsey Pritchard, [email protected]
Fiscal Policy Committee Approves $25 Million to Aid Moms
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill supported by 62% of Floridians that would save tens of thousands of lives annually has been greenlit by a second committee and will go on to a Senate hearing. The Florida Senate Fiscal Policy Committee this morning approved SB 300 by a 12-7 vote.
SB 300 protects unborn babies with a heartbeat and provides resources for pregnant women and new moms. The bill allocates $25 million for Florida Pregnancy Care Network, which serves more than 76,000 women, men, youth and families a year. The state’s pregnancy care centers offer free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, medical exams, counseling, parent classes, financial classes, and resources such as food, diapers, clothing, and financial assistance for housing and utilities. The bill also provides for exceptions including rape, incest, and life of the mother, and requires that risky abortion pills be distributed by a physician in-person.
Katie Daniel, state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, shared her reaction:
“Florida has become a destination state for the destruction of unborn life. This sad reality is widely out of step with the will of the majority of Floridians who support protecting babies with a heartbeat – including 61% of Independents and 58% of women. We thank Sen. Erin Grall – a member of our National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus – and pro-life leaders in the Senate for championing SB 300 to create a policy that mirrors public opinion on the issue of life and expands resources for pregnant women and new moms.”
According to data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, more than 82,000 abortions occurred in the state in 2022. Abortions sought for “elective” or “social or economic” reasons accounted for 95% of the state’s abortions that year. Despite a new law protecting unborn babies at 15 weeks going into effect last year, the number of abortions in Florida increased by 3% in 2022.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
###
