Power

Florida To Be Sued For Everything They Passed This Session — Including Abortion Restrictions

Hopefully Florida's budget deficit isn't too large -- it looks like there will be a lot of litigation to pay for.

Thanks to a new freshman governor in the state, anti-choice activists in Florida will finally get their mandatory ultrasound requirement that former Republican Governor Charlie Crist refused to sign into law.

But will it ever go into effect?  It’s hard to tell.  It appears that the bill, like a large number of the laws passed by the Florida state legislature, is going to be challenged in court.

Via the Orlando Sentinel:

The Florida chapter of the ACLU is also readying lawsuits. Executive director Howard Simon said the group has hired two new lawyers and is looking for a third to bring its legal staff to seven.

“We’re adjusting to the new political reality of Florida,” he said. “We’re adding lawyers because the new governor and Legislature are giving us lots of legal work to do.”

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The ACLU may also challenge abortion restrictions – requiring pregnant women to get ultrasounds before an abortion and narrowing a teenager’s right to get an abortion without telling her parents — and a proposed constitutional amendment that would erase a ban on state funds going to religious institutions.

But when it comes to picking challenges, the ACLU may have to put the abortion restrictions on a back burner.  They already are talking about challenging drug test for welfare recipients, and the state is looking at being sued over election law changes, attempting to break the teachers union, and changing voter registration and access, too.