Florida House Republicans Don’t Rule Out New Abortion Bill in This Legislative Session

TALLAHASSEE, Florida. Just over two weeks away from this year’s legislative session in Florida, and there’s still no abortion bill on the books, but don’t rule it out.

House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, said Thursday Republicans are “working on it.”

Even before the midterm elections, there were rumors that the GOP majority in the Legislature – now a supermajority – would propose a 12-week or even six-week ban. Gov. Ron DeSantis also said he would support “great living legislation,” without elaborating.

“We have differences and we will find a landing point that will hopefully strike a balance,” Renner said. “We are currently working on this and getting input from everyone, but right now we have the bills that we have talked about so far that are filed, so this bill is not filed.”

E. W. Scripps

It is true that in the growing pile of bills leading up to the next session, there is nothing that even mentions abortion. But it was the first day of the 2022 legislature that we received Florida’s current abortion law, HB 5, a 15-week ban with no exception for rape and incest.

Renner suggested that the new offer might be rejected after the hammer was gone.

“I expect that sometime in this session we will be able to see this topic and look forward to considering it,” Renner said.

It’s little more than what Sen. President Kathleen Passidomo, D-Naples, constantly tells reporters. She said Florida needs to wait for the state Supreme Court to review the ongoing legal challenge.

“We can’t do anything until [Florida] The Supreme Court is evaluating the 15-week time limit — as you all know — it’s a lawsuit,” Passidomo said in December. “If the Supreme Court rejects it, we will start over.”

E. W. Scripps

Meanwhile, Florida Democrats remain suspicious. Many are uncertain about the future and what will happen, and are concerned about the implications of further restricting access to abortion.

Others, like Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-North Miami, believe that a potential presidency under Gov. Ron DeSantis forces Republicans to not rock the boat too much this year.

“I don’t think women’s reproductive rights are a hugely pressing issue for him,” Pizzo said. “It’s what they tell him does well in the polls or makes him stand out – makes him different from any potential candidates in the future.”

DeSantis denies using polls to make decisions. He also brushed aside suspicions that he was on the run. Although, as with the abortion bill, we may know more when the meeting takes place on March 7th.