7 May 2010
Representative Kevin Rader (D-Boynton Beach), who sent Governor Charlie Crist a letter asking him to veto House Bill 1143, issued the following statement:
“Today, I sent a letter and called Governor Crist’s office to urge him to veto the most invasive legislation passed in the Florida legislature in recent years, HB 1143.
“This bill is a thinly-veiled attempt at interfering with a woman’s right to choose. It includes an anti-abortion amendment that requires a woman to pay for an ultrasound and hear a medical update of the fetus before having an abortion, without regard to the woman’s ability to pay for such a procedure.
“The bill does not differentiate between women who wish to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and women who may have been victims of sexual violence or who may be endangering their lives by continuing the pregnancy. I consider this the most flagrant attack on women’s health rights to be introduced and passed in the Florida legislature. Our last hope lies in Governor Crist’s good judgment and his ability to veto bad legislation.
“Governor Crist has shown a willingness to listen to the will of the people (Senate Bill 6) and I believe he can do it again. I encourage every Floridian to call his office immediately and urge him to veto HB 1143.”
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