Tallahassee Tally: How Palm Beach County lawmakers voted on key bills. Today: Abortion.
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Every year Florida lawmakers leave their communities for Tallahassee to address issues affecting everything from what schoolchildren learn and how people receive healthcare to what's needed to legally obtain a gun. The tallies shown here are final floor votes on bills that went to the Governor's desk for signature. To help our readers see where their state representatives and senators stood on these measures, The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board presents this recap of key votes taken during the 2023 session.
ABORTION: The "Heartbeat Protection Act," HB 7/SB 300, prohibits physicians from terminating a pregnancy after 6 weeks of gestation, down from the 15-week limit Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed in April 2022, which was down from the previous 24-week limit established prior to the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. The new law provides exceptions for women who are pregnant because of rape, incest, or human trafficking. It requires that medications for a medical abortion be dispensed in person by a physician.
Supporters say the bill is literally a lifesaver. It's not. As opponents point out, it's just the opposite: Not only does it replace a woman's private right to choose with a government mandate but it endangers women by denying access to safe abortions. Setting the limit at six weeks essentially bans abortion in Florida, as many women don't even know they're pregnant that early on. But in the state's Republican majority Legislature, it passed 70-40 in the House; and 26-13 in the Senate, with one senator not voting. Some Republicans in the Palm Beach County delegation strayed from the party line. Here's how your lawmakers voted:
YES
Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart.
Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart.
NO
Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach
Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton
Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach
Rep. Mike Caruso, R-West Palm
Rep. Joe Casello, D-Boynton Beach.
Rep. Jervonte "Tae" Edmonds, D-West Palm Beach.
Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach.
Rep. Rick Roth, R-West Palm Beach.
Rep. David Silvers, D-Lake Clarke Shores.
Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton.
Rep. Katherine Waldron, D-Wellington.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Strict abortion limits divide Palm Beach legislative delegation
