TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Members of left-leaning groups including Progress Florida, the National Organization for Women and the League of Women Voters delivered more than 5,500 petitions to Governor Rick Scott’s capitol office Tuesday.
The petitions ask Scott and the Florida Department of Health to aggressively regulate controversial centers that counsel woman against having abortions.
The facilities, commonly known as crisis pregnancy centers, now receive dedicated state money annually, following legislation passed during the 2018 legislative session that was signed into law by Scott.
In the past, funding for the clinics was approved on a year-by-year basis. Progress Florida’s Amy Weintraub feels the crisis pregnancy centers offer few, if any, of the services many women are actually seeking during an unplanned pregnancy.
“These fake clinics, that we’re here today turning petitions in for, have become ground zero for the anti-abortion movement," said Weintraub. "They are basically the center of operation for our opposition. With more than 190 fake clinics in Florida, they appear to be organizing in every county and every community.”
Supporters of crisis pregnancy centers say the clinics offer support for women, while encouraging them to carry pregnancies to term, rather than have abortions.
Those delivering the petitions Tuesday feel the clinics often pressure vulnerable young women, while offering advice they say may not be medically accurate.
