Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed $2 million program last week intended to help low-income girls and young women have more access to long-acting reversible contraception or LARCs, and was backed by Senate President Wilton Simpson (R).
According to The News Service of Florida, the $2 million was “sprinkled” into the budget by Simpson, part of what is known as a “sprinkle list” of projects that were not publicly discussed, but agreed upon by legislative leaders.
During the most recent Legislative session, Simpson focused on issues that would improve opportunities for children in foster homes or out-of-home care by prioritizing the revamp of a law about “placement and transfer decisions for foster children, with a goal of providing permanent living situations;” something that is the framework for Simpson’s attempt to help low-income girls and young women with access to LARCs.
Along with Simpson, Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairman, Aaron Bean, was the lead man on the issue while Simpson was “behind the scenes” contributing to the proposed program. Bean told The News Service that the program was “a lightning rod,” referring to the opposition he faced from the Governor’s office and the state House.
LARCs include intrauterine devices, contraceptive implants, and contraceptive injections. Because LARCs are types of birth control that are medically inserted, meant to last longer, and do not require the responsibility of remembering to take a pill or patch, they are 20 times better at reducing unwanted pregnancies.
Simpson told The News Service that his proposal is meant to “give these young women an opportunity to live a life that otherwise is not available to them” where he then described himself as a “pro-life Senator” and that “this actually prevents a lot of abortions from happening.”
While Simpson and Bean believed in the idea that LARCs would cause fewer abortions, the Florida Catholic Conference also opposed the program by saying that it actually causes more abortions because it unnaturally blocks the flow of embryos in a female’s uterus. Since May 12th, the Catholic Conference and its members wrote over 2,000 letters to Governor DeSantis requesting a veto of the proposed funding.
Although the program was vetoed this year, Simpson and Bean look to bring forth the same program in next year’s Legislative session. Â
– – –
Casey Owens is a contributing writer at The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ron DeSantis” by Gage Skidmore CC 2.0.
Apart from the LUDICROUS notion from the catholic conference that birth control is abortion; I can’t see him doing it for that alone; I am unclear as to, specifically, why it was vetoed. The program does exist now and low income females have access.
Once again funded programs/ legislative language gets lost in the political quicksand and politically infected journalism.
Nothing like the Catholic Church deciding what is best for the youth of America.
Nothing Dictator Desantis does surprises me. Especially where the rights of Americans is concerned. I believe he is the only governor that flew his cabinet and lobbyists to Israel, a FORIEGN COUNTRY, to hold a cabinet meeting!! He claims to be pro-life. yet never protests sending over 10 million US tax dollars every day to Israel, which provides education and health care to it’s citizens, including state paid full term abortions. He cuts off the Federal unemployment checks knowing his state unemployment system has been screwed up for months meaning many have not recieved a State unemployment check for months !
While he claims there is no money for the majority of programs that apply to the less fortunate citizens, he volunteers to pay for the explosion of the condos that partially collapsed due to it’s wealthy owners arguing for years about paying for the repairs . I fully expect him to fund their replacement of household goods & homes. The Florida Dictator signed executive orders against protests against corrupt cops, including protecting anyone that drives over protestors, if they are in the road! Gee, I bet it never crossed the Dictator’s mind that Pro-life and pro police protestors are also known to be in the roadways at times.
Desantis is a carbon copy of the majority of the hypocrites calling themselves ” Chrustians” and “Patriots ” today. They fight against birth control, abortions & health care & financial help to unwed mothers. It is as if they have a reason for having so many children in the care of the state, where many end up missing or being trafficked.
Would forcing your daughter to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term be an example of the government making a medical decision for your family?
Pregnancy is not a medical condition. It is a choice male and female make when they have unprotected sex and get pregnant. Stop spreading those legs and conception won’t happen. Easy, least, problem solved.
It absolutely does!! There are many ways to keep from getting pregnant unless that person was Raped and chose to carry the child rather than abort it. Birth control is available to any woman or child who may be sexually active. In the event the child who is molested by anyone including family should not be MADE to carry the Fetus to term because delivering a baby is too tramatic for an adult woman much less an adolescent Girl of 12 or a little younger who has started her Menstrual Cycle and becomes pregnant. Being raped/molested IS Serious Enough for ANY FEMALE!
Nothing makes me happier than the government making unwanted medical decisions for my family! Thank you for ensuring my daughters aren’t able to do what’s best for their health and well being! *Whew* that was a close one…
You want the Government to Take my tax money and pay for your children’s poor choices? How considerate of you. Not the Governments Job to take my money and provide health services so your children can go screw around. It’s called personal Responsibility, Get some.