Florida legislator imports Texas abortion ban
Welcome back to Popular Information, a newsletter about politics and power. Today’s edition is written by Judd Legum, Tesnim Zekeria, and Rebecca Crosby. Texas' draconian abortion ban is headed to Florida. On Wednesday, Florida Representative Webster Barnaby (R), introduced legislation that tracks Texas' new law banning nearly all abortions. Like the Texas law, Barnaby's bill would ban all abortions after a "fetal heartbeat" is detected. That occurs about six weeks into pregnancy — before many women know they are pregnant. Barnaby's abortion ban, like Texas' law, would only be enforceable by private citizens, who can collect a $10,000 bounty by filing a lawsuit. Abortion providers or anyone who helps a woman receive an abortion after six weeks could be sued. And like the Texas law, Barnaby's bill contains no exception for rape or incest. The notion of a "fetal heartbeat," defined in the bill as "cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac," is itself controversial. An ultrasound can detect some activity at about six weeks of gestation. But "flickering that we're seeing on the ultrasound that early in the development of the pregnancy is actually electrical activity, and the sound that you 'hear' is actually manufactured by the ultrasound machine," Dr. Nisha Verma of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists explained. The sound does not "indicate the viability of a pregnancy." Nevertheless, Barnaby's bill has strong prospects in Florida. Earlier this month Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R) said the Florida Senate would consider a bill modeled after Texas' law in the upcoming legislative session. "When the Supreme Court goes out and makes a decision like this, it clearly is going to send a signal to all the states that are interested in banning abortions or making it more restrictive to have an abortion," Simpson said. Simpson did express some reservations, however, about the bounty system. The bounties are the only real distinguishing feature of the Texas ban, however. Florida House Speaker Chris Sprows (R) was less specific but said he considered himself "a national leader in developing pro-life legislation" and would support "a bill that saves every unborn life possible" as long as it could also withstand "judicial scrutiny." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) also signaled he was open to an abortion ban modeled after the Texas law. "We'll have to look, I'm going to look more significantly at it... I've always been somebody that really does support protections for life," DeSantis said on September 2. Nikki Fried (D), the Florida Agriculture Commissioner who is running for governor, was less enthusiastic. "This bill is dangerous, radical, and unconstitutional. The hypocrisy of this attempt by Governor (Ron) DeSantis and Republicans in the state legislature to take away our rights while at the same time preaching ’my body, my choice’ when it comes to wearing masks is absolutely disgusting," Fried said. Florida legislative committees are beginning to meet this week in preparation for the 2022 legislative session, which begins January 11, 2022. Who is Webster Barnaby?Barnaby is a freshman member with a thin legislative record. Prior to introducing the abortion bill on Wednesday, he was best known for speaking at three Trump rallies during the 2020 campaign. In October, Barnaby gave a remarkable invocation at Trump's first campaign after recovering from COVID:
In November, Barnaby won and Trump lost. During his first legislative session, Barnaby's most notable legislation would have granted "a speaker two minutes for public remarks over a loudspeaker before a high school championship game." He proposed the legislation "after the Florida High School Athletic Association prohibited the Cambridge Christian School of Tampa from offering a prayer over the public-address system before a football championship game at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium in 2016, sparking an ongoing legal battle." Under the bill, athletic associations would be "barred from controlling the school’s remarks or choice of speaker." The bill passed the Florida House but was not approved by the Senate. Comcast bankrolls Barnaby and other anti-abortion legislators in FloridaA review of Florida campaign finance filings reveals that prominent corporations have donated to Barnaby since 2019, including NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast. In 2019, when Georgia attempted to implement a six-week abortion ban, NBCUniversal signaled that it would reconsider producing content in Georgia if the law went into effect. "If any of these laws are upheld, it would strongly impact our decision-making on where we produce our content in the future,” the company said at the time. The bill was ultimately blocked by a federal judge. NBCUniversal has stayed silent about the Texas abortion ban. In 2020, Comcast and NBCUniversal donated $2,000 to Barnaby. In the 2020 cycle, Comcast donated $225,000 to anti-abortion legislators in Florida, according to a recent Popular Information investigation. Other corporate donors to Barnaby include Duke Energy ($1,000), Greenberg Traurig ($1,000), NextEra Energy ($2,000), McGuireWoods ($500), and StateFarm ($500). None of these companies responded to Popular Information’s requests for comment. Here is how social media works: Corporations collect as much personal information about you as possible and sell it to advertisers. To capture more personal data to sell to advertisers, they make their products addictive. The algorithms feed you content to try to keep you on the platform — whether or not it's true. Social networks are free, but you are the product. Here is how this newsletter works: We never collect or sell any personal information about you. We do not accept advertisements. We work hard to unearth factual information on issues that really matter. And we deliver it concisely, directly to your inbox. Popular Information is available free, but it only exists because of the support of readers like you. If the cost of this newsletter ($6/month or $50/year) would create a financial burden for you, please stay on this free list. But, if you can afford it, consider becoming a paid subscriber now. |
Older messages
AT&T abandons pledge, makes contributions supporting Republican objectors
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
After the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, AT&T announced that it was suspending contributions to all 147 Republicans who tried to overturn the election results: Employees on our Federal PAC Board
The Manchin industry
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which was released in August and represents the consensus of thousands of scientists, makes one thing abundantly clear: There is no
Apple's Texas problem
Monday, September 20, 2021
Since September 1, about one in ten women have effectively been stripped of their reproductive rights. That's when an extreme abortion ban went into effect in Texas — home to 7 million women aged
Very wealthy people can afford very good lobbyists
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Over the last three decades, there has been a dramatic concentration of wealth in the United States. Today, the top 0.1% of American families control nearly as much wealth as the bottom 90%. The Biden
The January 6 attack never ended
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
On January 6, a violent mob incited by President Trump attacked the US Capitol, attempting to overturn the results of the presidential election. Ultimately, the Capitol building was secured and Joe
You Might Also Like
What our travel expert brings on every trip
Sunday, November 24, 2024
M&Ms? View in browser Ad The Recommendation Ad Traveling is stressful for everyone, even travel writers Various travel gear items laid out on a yellow background. Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter
☕ The Brew’s Holiday Gift Guide
Sunday, November 24, 2024
What to get everyone in your family... Presented By Bose November 24, 2024 | View Online | Sign Up | Shop Sunny Eckerle NOTE FROM THE WRITERS Good morning! Cassandra and Matty here, Morning Brew's
How Friendsgiving became America's favorite made-up holiday
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Plus: The real story behind FX's "Say Nothing," the horrifying effects of air pollution in South Asia, and more. November 25, 2024 View in browser Friendsgiving is just what America
'The most serious telecom hack in our history'
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Elon Musk's problem with Microsoft | Can you lie to an AI chatbot? ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: Get your ticket for AWS re:Invent, happening Dec. 2–6 in Las Vegas: Register now for AWS
Bitcoin Nears $100,000 | Ledger’s Big Break
Saturday, November 23, 2024
A historic rally fueled by Trump's crypto agenda pushes bitcoin to new heights. Forbes START INVESTING • Newsletters • MyForbes Nina Bambysheva Staff Writer, Forbes Money & Markets Follow me on
The New MASTER PLAN
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Our second season will expose another hidden plot that has brought our world to the brink of collapse.
Guest Newsletter: Five Books
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Five Books features in-depth author interviews recommending five books on a theme Guest Newsletter: Five Books By Sylvia Bishop • 23 Nov 2024 View in browser View in browser Five Books features in-
Weekend Briefing No. 563
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Beyond the Bots -- The Lonely Technology Trap -- Africa's Healthcare Paradox ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Gladiators, vanity and self-restraint
Saturday, November 23, 2024
+ what's causing West Coast's drenching weather
Isabelle Huppert’s Uniqlo Socks and Paige DeSorbo’s White T-shirt
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Plus: Inside New York department stores of yore. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.