Gov. Charlie Crist has vetoed HB 1143, a bill that would have required women seeking an abortion during the first trimester to undergo an ultrasound exam and pay for it. Crist explains his veto on Facebook:
This bill placed an inappropriate burden on women seeking to terminate a pregnancy, and I have always believed that personal views should not result in laws that unwisely expand the role of government and coerce people to obtain medical tests or procedures that are not medically necessary. In this case, such action would violate a woman’s right to privacy. There are many medical or fiscal barriers that could be placed upon a woman in order to prevent her from following through on her constitutionally protected decision to end a pregnancy. However, such measures do not change hearts, which is the only true and effective way to ensure that a new life coming into the world is loved, cherished and receives the care that is deserved.
Marco Rubio responds:
“Once again, Charlie Crist has put politics ahead of principled policy-making. Not only would this commonsense measure have provided women with vital information as they make a critical decision, but now Governor Crist’s veto also clears the way for taxpayer funding of abortion in Florida. This veto will now make it harder for Florida to fight ObamaCare, since the bill would have enabled our state to opt out of the abortion coverage mandate in the federal health care law.”