TALHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The custody bill moving through the state legislature has sparked heated debate over access to reproductive care for minors and whether parents should have a say.
If passed, the bill will require written parental consent for all medical procedures for minors, except in emergencies or approved by the court.
Supporters of the bill say the move will help children make critical decisions with their parents about their health care. Opponents argue that not all children have ideal parental guidance, but they worry that this will only limit children’s seeking care.
Senate Bill 1288 continues through Congress after his death from the first committee stop, approaching the Senate floor for a final vote.
The bill seeks to change current laws that allow minors under the age of 18 to access certain medical services without parental consent.
After hearing public comments, bill sponsors can make changes to the language and work on the bill further as the bill continues to progress.
“I work closely with many children. My visitors are often young and often victims of incest, so my parents are perpetrators, not trustworthy adults,” Chloe Bereswitt said in opposition to the bill.
On the other side of the argument, parents and Republicans who support the law say we can’t have the idea that every parent is a bad actor.
“To put everything we do, it’s not fundamentally true that every parent is a bad thing and that every parent is a bad actor,” state Sen. Clay Yalborough (R-Jacksonville).
“I don’t want to continue trading personal freedoms for a one-off. That doesn’t mean we don’t have those one-off empathy. My heart breaks, and I can promise that many of this committee will be there every day for you to protect you from those fears every day.”
