The Reproductive Freedom Act<\/a>” and it is largely symbolic, because Democrats do not have the votes to pass it.<\/p>\nEven so, the Florida ACLU is calling on lawmakers to pass it, saying the current 6-week ban is unacceptable.<\/p>\n
Democratic lawmakers held a press conference about the proposed bill on Thursday, which was the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.<\/p>\n
Floridians did have a chance to protect abortion rights, up to the 24th week of pregnancy.<\/p>\n
The issue was on the 2024 ballot.<\/p>\n
However, it got 57% of the vote, but needed 60% to pass.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Republican leaders hailed their many pro-life accomplishments since President Donald Trump first took office during the annual March for Life rally in Washington.<\/p>\n
From investment accounts for babies to tax credits for parents, they promised to continue pushing legislation that strengthens their agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have made unprecedented strides to protect innocent life and support the institution of the family like never before,\u201d Trump said in a video message played on the National Mall during the event, where he highlighted the Supreme Court justice appointments he made during his first term that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow the work to rebuild the culture that supports life continues in every state, every community and every part of our beautiful land,\u201d he said. \u201c(It\u2019s) a battle that must be fought, must be won.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s comments came one day after his administration expanded its ban on U.S. foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services to include assistance going to international and domestic organizations and agencies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion and gender identity programs. The expanded policy would apply to at least $30 billion in U.S. foreign aid.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vision is simple,\u201d Vice President JD Vance said at the event. \u201cWe want life to thrive in the United States. We want every American from all walks of life to have happy, healthy children. And we want them to raise those kids with confidence that their kids are going to do well and grow up in safety and prosperity \u2014 that they\u2019ll have access to good jobs, great schools, safe streets and warm houses in which to raise their kids.”<\/p>\n
Vance joked that his appearance Friday was \u201cputting his money where his mouth is.\u201d Earlier this week, he announced that he and his wife, Usha, were expecting their fourth child.<\/p>\n
He credited Trump with ending taxpayer-funded abortions, set in motion through an executive order he signed last year, and expanding conscience protections for health care workers who refuse to participate in abortion care for religious or moral reasons. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to convince more Americans to choose life, we must also choose policies that make family life possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At the rally, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised the tax and spending bill Trump signed last summer for several pro-life policies, including restrictions on Medicaid funding for abortions, as well as an expansion of the child tax credit, an enhanced adoption tax credit, Trump investment accounts that provide $1,000 for newborn Americans and middle- and working-class tax cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the first time since Roe v. Wade was reversed, we have the White House, the Senate and the House all working together to deliver meaningful and historic pro-life victories,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cRepublicans are working hard to deliver on the mandate that you gave us in the last election to make it easier than ever before to raise a family in this great country of ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson was one of more than a dozen Republican lawmakers who attended the March for Life. Also attending was Rep. Michelle Fishback, R-Minn., who introduced a bill this year to ensure federal assistance can be used to support pregnancy resource centers that counsel individuals against abortion. The House passed the bill Thursday.<\/p>\n
Another pro-life bill, the Pregnant Students\u2019 Rights Act, also passed in the House this week. The bill would amend the Higher Education Act to require colleges inform pregnant students of their rights to available accommodations, including modified class schedules.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pledge to you that, as majority leader of the United States Senate, I and my pro-life colleagues will continue to do everything we can in Congress to support moms and protect pre-born children,\u201d Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said in a pre-recorded video that played at the event. \u201cWe may not always be successful, but we will never stop trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
March for Life Education and Defense Fund President Jennie Bradley Lichter encouraged attendees to call their senators and ask them to ensure that any government funding for health care be protected by the Hyde Amendment \u2014 a longstanding U.S. law that bans federal funds to pay for most abortions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Florida leaders protest offshore drilling<\/p>\n
Some Florida leaders gathered in Clearwater on Friday to share their opposition to expanding offshore drilling about a hundred miles off the coast of the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration raised the proposal last year, saying it will benefit the industry.<\/p>\n
Capt. Captain Dustin Pack, owner of Flytide Charters, represents small business owners, beach goers, wildlife and tourism. All things that Pinellas County leaders say will be at stake if the Trump administration\u2019s plan for offshore drilling in the Gulf, about a hundred miles offshore.<\/p>\n
\u201cSixteen months ago, we saw the devastation that a hurricane could cause 100 miles off the coast. Destroying not just property but people\u2019s lives, working people. Many of the people out here on the beach,\u201d said Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector.<\/p>\n
In a press conference on Clearwater Beach, Rector and other local leaders made it clear that drilling off the coast of Florida is a danger and a lesson they\u2019ve already learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a few months after that debate in 2009, we had the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and it proved that even when a spill is 100s of miles offshore, it can be devastating to our local environment and our economy in Pinellas County and across the Gulf Coast of Florida,\u201d said Ken Welch, St. Petersburg mayor.<\/p>\n
Environmentalists and business owners joined leaders to stress the potential dangers of drilling in the Gulf and what a spill would cost the entire state.<\/p>\n
“There\u2019s not a Republican or Democrat way to fix a pothole and we pull together as a community regardless of our party affiliation to get things done. And I can\u2019t think of a more important nonpartisan, bi partisan effort than to protect this beautiful body of water behind us,” said Rector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Members of the two political spheres are talking, and protesting, about reproductive healthcare rights, while Florida leaders protest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131880,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2198,28,30,29,2200,2204,115,139,2206,2199,2201,4368,275,135,2032,835],"class_list":{"0":"post-131879","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-app-political-connections","9":"tag-florida","10":"tag-florida-headlines","11":"tag-florida-news","12":"tag-instagram-bn9","13":"tag-instagram-n13","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-orlando","16":"tag-political-connections","17":"tag-political-connections-full-episode-ctv","18":"tag-political-connections-in-line-video-player","19":"tag-saundra-weathers","20":"tag-spectrum-news-staff","21":"tag-tampa","22":"tag-trending-topics","23":"tag-vod"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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