Local Anti-Abortion Laws Considered In Manatee County

Updated: 9:30 a.m. Thursday

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Commissioner James Satcher received the green light to explore two pro-life initiatives he proposed during Tuesday’s Manatee County Board of County Commissioners meeting.

“Everyone knows where I stand as far as pro-life policies,” Satcher, a minister, said. “I have two that I wanted to just get some input from the board, things that I’ve been thinking about. So, this is permission for me to work and ask for more time from the attorney and the county administrator than the two hours they would normally give you on a thing.”

One proposal is similar to the controversial abortion ban passed in Lubbock, Texas, he said, which he acknowledged “might be a little bit tougher sell.”

Satcher told the commissioners he’s already discussed the matter with County Attorney Bill Clague.

“The county attorney tells me I can’t make a local health care ordinance that is any different from what the state requires,” Satcher said.

In Florida, women can legally get an abortion through 24 weeks of pregnancy. After that, abortions are only allowed in cases where a woman’s life or health is endangered.

He referenced Lubbock’s new abortion law as an example of how to move forward, though. When crafting their local law, leaders in Lubbock worked with the state legislature to ensure it was “not preempted by state law.”

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Lubbock voters passed a measure May 1 banning abortions in the city and declaring it “a sanctuary city for the unborn,” CBS News reported.

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to prevent the abortion ban, but the case was dismissed June 1, the same day the new law went into effect, the Texas Tribune reported.

Less than three weeks after this abortion ban was passed in Lubbock, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a statewide law, referred to as the “Heartbeat Bill,” May 19 prohibiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

A fetal heartbeat can sometimes be detected as early as the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy, according to Healthline.

Though there are some key differences between Lubbock’s voter-approved measure and the statewide “Heartbeat Bill” — that city’s law outright bans abortions — Texas’s new abortion bill allows municipalities to adopt their own restrictions, KCBD reported. And constitutional experts in the state said the two laws are similar enough to be “in harmony.”

Satcher said he’s already reached out to two Florida state leaders, Rep. Tommy Gregory and Sen. Jim Boyd, about creating a similar statewide provision that would allow cities and counties in the state to create their own abortion laws. These conversations are in their “infancy stages,” the commissioner added.

In his second proposed pro-life initiative, Satcher suggested the creation of a grant program for children whose mothers were served by the county’s crisis pregnancy programs.

“Basically, it works as an incentive or at least something to make things a little bit easier,” he said. “If you were in the position where you were seriously considering not having that baby, then we would have something that helps them keep that baby and take care of it.”

Commissioners gave Satcher permission to explore these initiatives and use county resources. Several also expressed future support for these measures.

When he asked if he would have votes for such an initiative, Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said, “I would give you two if I could.”

“I would support that as well,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said.

Commissioner Reggie Bellamy added, “I think that’s unanimous.”