Florida Republicans' New Plan Is To Fine Abortion Clinics Into Bankruptcy

[In It to Win It]

Florida Republicans’ New Plan Is To Fine Abortion Clinics Into Bankruptcy

Florida health regulators have fined an Orlando abortion clinic nearly $200,000, a move that is purportedly for violating a state abortion law and would likely bankrupt the health center into closing.

Abortion is currently legal up to 15 weeks in Florida, but patients are required to wait 24 hours between the initial visit with their doctor and getting an abortion. The state legislature passed a law mandating the waiting period in 2015, but it did not go into effect until 2022.

Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration said that the Orlando Women’s Center has violated the waiting period 193 times since the law took effect, and on Monday ordered the abortion clinic to pay a $1,000 fine for each violation.

The total $193,000 total is nearly triple the fine that a judge recommended in the spring. Administrative law Judge J. Bruce Culpepper issued an order that said the clinic should only pay $350 per violation.

The clinic said in court filings that it repeatedly asked the AHCA, which is led by a Ron DeSantis appointee, when the waiting-period law went into effect, but they never heard back. The AHCA has made multiple efforts to fine abortion clinics for not complying with this particular law.

[Timeflyer]

1. Florida is DeSatan's authoritarian fiefdom now--how dare women try to control their bodies without

his permission and the approval of his lackeys? But control guns--hey, government interference!

[maxsolomon]

2. Some deep-pocket Dem donor needs to simply pay the fine.

And have a standing donation that can be used for future fines.

Think someone like Mackenzie Scott or Melinda Gates can afford 200K?

[dem4decades]

3. Why not imprison all women that refuse to do what the men want?

Wouldn't that just cut to the chase?