Friends,

This column comes to you from our desk in the Florida Capitol. That is right, our desk, not mine. This seat, this desk, belong to the people of Senate District 12 and it is very humbling for me to be here on your behalf today. It is never taken for granted the responsibility and trust that you have given to me to represent over 500,000 people in our great State. We get to work on some big issues, that will affect all of you, and it is very important for you to be engaged and informed in our legislative process.

One piece of legislation that you should all be very aware of is one that was touched on briefly in my last column. In fact, this is probably the most important bill that will be filed all year in the Florida Legislature. SB 404, filed by Senator Kelli Stargel and co-sponsored by your State Senator, is a bill that would require parental consent for minors seeking to obtain an abortion procedure. Current state law only require parental notification. Critics from the left have labeled this an anti-abortion bill that would infringe on women’s privacy rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. This bill is quite simple. Parents must be involved in any medical decisions that their children undergo. In schools, your child is not allowed to take a Tylenol without your permission. At the movie theatre, your child is not allowed to see an R-rated movie about abortion (see movie: Unplanned) without your permission. Yet some people believe that these same children should be allowed to undergo a medical procedure, without any input from the people who are held responsible for their safety. That is just not right.

My friends, this is not about pro-life versus pro-choice. My stance on those issues is well documented and I am very proud to be called a defender of life, but we need to put all of that aside for minute and recognize what we are trying to do here. This is about empowering families to be able to take care of each other. When a child is faced with that kind of situation, a father and/or a mother’s involvement, no matter what decision is made, is so critical to that child’s future and we must let parents take care of their children. Since there will be cases of minors who do not have family involvement, then this bill provides a way for them to petition a court, at no cost, and have their records remain completely confidential with no public access.

As this is being written, the bill was heard in the Health Policy Committee in the Florida Senate, and fifteen amendments were filed. All of them were given a fair hearing. We anticipate that this bill will pass that first stop and be heard in at least two more committees before it reaches the floor.

Thank you for letting me update you on this important issue, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office should you have any questions.

Onward & Upward,

Senator Dennis Baxley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CEP – Click to learn more

Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe

* indicates required
Newsletter and/or digital publication