LEGISLATURE Florida abortions may require ultrasound

The House passed a bill to mandate ultrasounds for all abortions while critics called it a barrier to abortion access.
Posted on Thu, Apr. 03, 2008
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BY MARY ELLEN KLAS
meklas@MiamiHerald.com
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TALLAHASSEE --
A woman seeking an abortion in Florida would first have to get an ultrasound and review or turn down seeing the picture of the fetus, under a bill that passed the state House Wednesday, largely along party lines.

After nearly two hours of debate and questions, the House voted 70-45 to require doctors to perform an ultrasound any time a woman seeks an abortion and make the results available for review unless the woman signs a paper refusing to see it. A similar measure is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate next week.

Opponents say the measure is another expensive barrier designed to prevent women from getting abortions. Proponents said it is a simple attempt at increasing a woman's right to know before undergoing a medical procedure.

And Democrats blasted the time-consuming debate as a diversion intended to distract attention from the state's budget crisis in an election year.

EXPAND EXISTING RULE

Florida already requires ultrasounds on any women seeking abortions in the second or third trimester, but this bill would have Florida join 12 other states that require them in the first trimester as well.

''This bill is all about informed consent,'' said Rep. Alan Hays, an Umatilla Republican. ``It does nothing to prohibit a woman from making the decision to have an abortion.''

Rep. Joyce Cusack, a Democrat from DeLand, noted that not every abortion clinic has ultrasound equipment and those that do will have to charge patients more to offer the procedures.

Opponents of the measure said the procedure could cost a woman as much as $700, while supporters said the cost would likely be less than $100.

''Let's be realistic about this,'' she said. ``What we're doing is eroding a woman's right to choose.''

The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Trey Traviesa, a Tampa Republican, also contains a new requirement for how a minor who wants to get an abortion without getting her parents' consent can get a judge's approval for the procedures.

DIFFICULT DECISION

Florida's parental-notice law allows teenagers to bypass their parents if they can get a judge's approval, but judges have said it's a difficult decision they are often not prepared to make.

The bill allows judges to appoint special advisors, called guardians ad litem, to help girls review their options and, if a guardian ad litem is not available, the judge can appoint someone else. Opponents objected to the change, saying it opens the door for judges to appoint advisors who share their ideological views about abortion.

A similar bill will be heard in the Senate next week, said Senate sponsor Daniel Webster, a Winter Garden Republican.

But Webster's bill includes only the ultrasound requirement and does not include the provisions increasing the parental-consent bypass requirements. ''I don't think we can pass anything else,'' Webster said.

The lengthy debate on the House floor prompted several Democrats to complain that the issue came up to appeal to the Republican base in an election year.

`DEFLECT ATTENTION'

''Last week with the long debate on guns at work and this week with abortion, there appears to be an attempt to deflect attention away from critical issues and onto social issues and I'm not sure Floridians want us to be doing that,'' said Rep. Jack Seiler, a Wilton Manors Democrat who opposed the bill.

Incoming House Speaker Ray Sansom, a Republican, disagreed. He said the debates on conservative issues is just part of the natural flow of legislation as the Republican-controlled chamber advances its priority bills.

''Tomorrow and next week, we'll be spending a lot of time on the budget and that will dominate things,'' he said.

Miami Herald staff writer Laura Figueroa contributed to this report.