John,

Florida’s 2025 Legislative Session is in full swing, and we want to share with you the bills that we are currently tracking in our State House and Senate. Check out below the good, bad, and ugly bills of this Session, and find out how you can take action! 

The Good: SB 870/HB 1139 (This bill needs your support!)

This bill would repeal the ban on abortions after 6-weeks of gestation, instead allowing abortions until the fetus reaches viability. The passage of this bill would widen the window for patients to receive an abortion, and has the potential to save countless lives. This bill is sponsored by House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Senate Democratic Leader Pro-Tempore Tracie Davis, with several of our pro-choice Democratic women joining them as co-sponsors. 

TAKE ACTION: Now that the bill has been referred to committees in both the House and Senate, it’s time to put the pressure on Committee Chairs to put this bill on their agendas:

- Senator Colleen Burton (Chair, Health Policy): Call or email Senator Burton’s office and demand that SB 870 is added to the next meeting agenda. 

- Representative Kaylee Tuck (Chair, Health Professions & Programs): Call or email Representative Tuck’s office and demand that HB 1139 is added to the next meeting agenda. 

The Bad: “Fetal Personhood” and Banning Birth Control

SB 1284: Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child would open the doors for civil lawsuits against health care providers for providing reproductive care. This overly broad bill is a solution looking for a problem, and a veiled attempt to establish “fetal personhood” and effectively ban all abortions in our state. As law, it would jeopardize access to fertility treatments like IVF and even chemotherapy. Interpretations of such laws can even go so far as to incite criminal charges against a woman for having a miscarriage. 

SB 1288: Parental Rights aims to prevent minors from safely accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare. By repealing existing statutes which allow minors to receive certain care without parental consent (like birth control and STI testing), this legislation would prohibit providers from giving such care to young patients who cannot procure parental consent. Like parental consent laws on abortion care, this bill would harm many young people who are trying to prevent pregnancy and illness, especially those that may already live in precarious situations.

The Ugly: Boldfaced Attacks on the Democratic Process

There are currently three bills filed that target the citizen-lead ballot initiative process: SB 1414, HB 1205, and HB 1381. These bills are part of a multi-pronged attack, ranging from increasing the Governor’s power to strike amendments from the ballot to mandating a $1,000,000 bond to begin the process. These bills thoroughly cover the petition gathering process in red tape, making it nearly impossible for real people to directly pass policies, such as constitutional protections for abortion rights. After 2024’s Amendment 4 narrowly failed to pass with 57% of the vote, Ron DeSantis and Republicans in the Legislature are making sure that no real citizen-led effort even comes close to passing in Florida ever again.

TAKE ACTION: Protect Citizen-Led Amendments: Coalition Sign Up!

If you’ve made it this far, you are probably deeply invested in Florida’s future. We’re glad that you’re staying informed with us, and we plan to keep you in the loop throughout this legislative session so that together we can take action. 

If you want to receive more information and newsletters like this, sign-up today to become an official Ruth's List Florida Member. This year, we're offering a new member sign-up special: donate $25/month to receive full member benefits! 

Thank you for staying with us in this fight.

In Solidarity,

Team Ruth's List Florida