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.
