

Hillsborough GOP Representative Rachel Burgin

The Florida House today discussed measures to restrict abortion access in the Sunshine State — and lots and lots of questions were posed to GOP proponents of abortion-related measures by outnumbered Democrats.

Hillsborough County Representative Rachel Burgin was the recipient of half a dozen verbal shots from Democrats as she defended her bill (HB 1379), which would limit abortions if a fetus is "viable," which could be in the second trimester; require that abortion clinics be owned by physicians; and require doctors to receive ethics training. Democrats, including St. Petersburg's Rick Kriseman, blasted her for proposing such a bill, repeatedly asking what it had to do with creating jobs?

Burgin responded forcefully that the House voted on pill mill legislation last week that also didn't have anything to do with creating jobs, but they did so because it was an important issue, and said this one was as well.