More than a dozen amendments to Florida’s proposed 15-week abortion ban were filed Tuesday, one which would require fathers to begin paying child support as soon as abortions are no longer legal in the state.
According to Tampa-based local outlet WFLA, the amendment as written would also include health insurance coverage for the mother and child for the duration of the pregnancy and any postpartum care needs after the baby is born.
“In cases where the paternity of an unborn child is contested, the court would have to wait to enforce child support payments until the biological father has been confirmed,” the report stated. “Payments would then be required, to include retroactive payments to the date 15 weeks of pregnancy were reached.”
One amendment added by a Democratic lawmaker would require that men cannot receive a vasectomy until two physicians certify in writing that he has received counseling on the procedure, knowing that it “will prevent future life from being created.” Other Democratic lawmakers focused on adding “abortion options” for women who are victims of rape, incest, human trafficking, or pregnant minors seeking judicial waivers for an abortion.
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A separate amendment filed by a Democratic state legislator would also make women who become pregnant eligible for Medicaid coverage, which could “help as many as 700,000 Floridians.”
The 15-week abortion ban will return to the state Senate for a question and answer session and debate on the amendments Wednesday. Then, the proposed legislation will go to a full floor vote, WFLA noted.
In December, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments for the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which surrounds a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi. Dobbs is the first Supreme Court case in years that could overturn landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States. A decision is expected this summer.
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