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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2019

CONTACT: Nicole Stacy [email protected]

SBA List Urges Lawmakers to Set a Bold Pro-life Agenda in 2020

Washington, D.C. –  The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) today expressed disappointment that two pro-life bills supported by broad majorities of Floridians did not advance in the state legislature this session.

Polling released earlier this year by SBA List finds that 76 percent of Florida voters – including 64 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Independents, 77 percent of women, and 53 percent of self-described pro-choice voters – support a law prohibiting late-term abortions (only 24 percent support allowing late-term abortions).73 percent of Florida voters – including 60 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Independents, and 58 percent of self-described pro-choice voters – support legislation to require parental consent before a minor girl can get an abortion (only 27 percent oppose).

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, legislation to stop late-term abortions after five months of pregnancy – a point when science shows unborn children can feel pain – was introduced by Senator Joe Gruters and Representative Tommy Gregory (SB 0558 and HB 1345, respectively). Senator Kelli Stargel and Representative Erin Grall also introduced parental consent legislation (SB 1774 and HB 1335).

SBA List is partnering with the Florida Family Policy Council and Pensacola-based attorney and lobbyist Anna Higgins of Walker Strategies, LLC to advance these bills, the groups’ top pro-life legislative priorities in the state. Last week SBA List sent letters to state lawmakers urging swift action on both bills.

“It is unfortunate that the Florida legislature missed a leadership opportunity and these popular, common-ground bills did not become law this year,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Three in four Florida voters agree that laws allowing abortion on demand through birth are too extreme. The state’s latest abortion data even reveals that in 2018, at least six babies were born alive during failed abortions, with no indication of what happened to them. We are grateful to our pro-life allies for their work on these much-needed bills. Despite this disappointment, we are more committed than ever to protecting unborn Floridians and their mothers and we hope to hit the ground running on a dynamic pro-life agenda in 2020.”

John Stemberger, president of Florida Family Policy Council said, “It’s extraordinarily disappointing that the pro-life legislature we helped elect couldn’t muster the support for Florida parents to have the right to consent to an abortion for their own daughters. We will be back next year hopeful the Senate will stand for parents’ rights and other pro-life legislation because Florida is a pro-life state.”

“The United States is one of only seven nations that allow elective abortion after five months of pregnancy,” added Anna Higgins, SBA List’s Florida lobbyist. “Florida voters are eager for their legislators to rein in some of the world’s most permissive abortion laws.”

SBA List is a network of more than 700,000 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.

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