Florida House passes bill banning abortion based on disability
The bill passed 74-44 in the Republican-controlled House
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Florida House has passed a bill banning doctors from performing an abortion solely on the basis of a fetus’ disability.
House Bill 1221 passed the Republican-controlled House on Friday, 74-44.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD DISAVOWS MARGARET SANGER, BUT CRITICS SAY IT'S NOT ENOUGH
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The concept of ending a pregnancy based on a disability is modern day eugenics," Republican state Rep. Tyler Sirois said, according to FOX13. "In the 1930s, the Nazis worked to establish a master race. They sought to eliminate from the gene pool any trait or condition that they deemed unworthy."
Florida State House: Steven Frame/Shutterstock
It's unclear what will happen to the companion bill in the state Senate, which is also Republican-controlled. The legislative session ends April 30.
"The Florida House PASSED #HB1221!" House Republicans exulted on Twitter Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House Democrats argued that abortions in cases of fetal disabilities such as Down syndrome are an extremely personal matter in which government should play no role.
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood is attempting to disavow its founder, Margaret Sanger, for her views on race but is getting heat from those who say the abortion provider is perpetuating racism in its current practices.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a New York Times op-ed earlier in April, the organization acknowledged Sanger's past with eugenics and committed to having a "reckoning" with her legacy by, among other things, making her less prominent in their "present and future."
"We will no longer make excuses or apologize for Margaret Sanger's actions," Planned Parenthood CEO and president Alexis McGill Johnson wrote.
Fox News' Sam Dorman contributed to this report.