TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A bill restricting Florida abortion providers is heading for a vote on the floor of the state House.
The bill (HB 1411) passed its final House committee Tuesday on a party-line vote.
The bill takes aim at Planned Parenthood by prohibiting Medicaid from paying for any health care services at any clinic that also provides abortions and forbidding research use of fetal tissue that results from an abortion.
It also requires doctors who perform abortions to have local hospital admitting privileges and sets stricter licensing standards for clinics similar to those for walk-in surgery centers.
Backers say the bill intends to protect the safety of women patients, but opponents say it's aimed simply at restricting the right to an abortion.
A companion bill is moving more slowly in the state Senate.
