An abortion resolution is on the October 28th Tallahassee City Commission agenda after being pulled from the agenda of a previous meeting. The resolution supports abortion rights and is critical of abortion restrictions and pregnancy centers.
The text of the resolution is provided below.
Origin of Abortion Resolution
At the September 8, city commission meeting, the city commission directed the city attorney to prepare a resolution supporting legislative efforts to protect citizens’ right to reproductive healthcare including abortion.
Specifically, the minutes from the meeting indicate commissioners wanted “to take a formal stance on attempts to erode or outlaw Roe v. Wade via a Texas-style anti-abortion law.”
The Texas law bans abortion as soon as a heartbeat is detectable, which usually occurs around six weeks.
The action by the city commission is significant because, like other local governments, the Tallahassee City Commission is composed of non-partisan officials and has no statutory role related to abortion laws.
City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, who proposed the resolution at the September meeting, said that an official with the Florida National Organization for Women (NOW) asked him to introduce the resolution.
Richardson also indicated that Florida NOW is seeking local governments to take a position on abortion as a strategy to put pressure on statewide officials.
The resolution goes beyond supporting the right to an abortion detailed in Roe vs. Wade by addressing Florida’s laws related to “restricting young people’s access to abortion.”
In addition, the resolution is critical of state funding to what the resolution calls “anti-abortion pregnancy centers.”
Pregnancy centers usually provide a range of pregnancy services. For example, A Women’s Pregnancy Center has been serving the Tallahassee area since 1985 with a variety of services. The services include early-detection pregnancy tests, non-diagnostic ultrasounds, information on abortion and associated risks, referral to adoption services, and post-abortion counseling and education.
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Steve Stewart is the Managing Editor and a contributor at The Florida Capital Star. Email tips to [email protected].
