Planned Parenthood Applauds the Senate for Leaving Health Care Decisions to Doctors and Patients

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the Florida Senate rejected legislation that would have stripped doctors of their ability to act in the best interest of their patients by a vote of 20-20. SB 2400 by Senator Daniel Webster (R-9) would have forced physicians to perform ultrasounds even when it is not medically-appropriate to the patient’s situation or goes against the professional judgment of the physician. A similar bill, HB 257 by Rep. Traviesa (R-56), passed in the House.

“The defeat of this mandate shows loud and clear that Floridians want health care, not politics as usual,” said Adrienne Kimmell, Executive Director of Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “Private health care decisions are best made by a doctor and their patient, not by the legislature.”

SB 2400 dictated what medical doctors say to their patients and takes medicine and medical advice away from the professionals by requiring ultrasounds prior to an abortion, regardless of the medical situation of the patient. The decision about what medical procedures or information a patient needs is best left to women and their doctors to determine on a case-by-case basis.

Planned Parenthood invites Senator Webster and every member who voted for his bill to support commonsense legislation that will get to the root of the unintended pregnancy problem; specifically, the Prevention First Act, which expands access to birth control, and Healthy Teens Act, which improves access to comprehensive sex education that provides teens with the information they need to stay safe and healthy.

“Thanks to the reasonable voices in the Senate, the doctor-patient relationship will remain free from government interference,” said Kimmell. “Next session, I hope the focus is on real solutions, instead of politics as usual.”

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The Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates (FAPPA) is the state public policy office representing Florida’s six Planned Parenthood affiliates with 22 health care centers across the state. FAPPA works to advance public policy in areas of reproductive health care, family planning and medically-accurate sex education in order to make comprehensive reproductive health care available to all.