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Lawmaker Wants Abortion Providers To Have Hospital Admitting Privileges

Rep. Mike Hill (R-Pensacola Beach) wants abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges.
Jason Corey via Flickr

Florida’s new law requiring women to wait before getting an abortion is locked up in the courts, but one state lawmaker is offering another proposal that could limit abortions in the state. 

Rep. Mike Hill (R-Pensacola Beach) has filed a hospital admitting privileges bill for the 2016 session.  The Republican wants Florida’s abortion providers to have an existing relationship with a nearby hospital, allowing them to bring patients in for treatment.  According to the Guttmacher institute, 13 states currently have similar requirements.  Lawmakers typically push the measures as a way to protect women in the event of an emergency during the operation.  Hill is calling his bill the Women’s Health Protection Act.  But pro-choice advocates say the restrictions are too burdensome for providers, who may face rejections because of distance, how many admissions the provider can guarantee, or the hospital’s religious convictions.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.