HB 5 is available to be taken up by the full Senate after passing the House on February 17 (78-39) and the Senate Appropriations committee by a 13-6 vote on February 21.
An amendment filed by Senator Jason Pizzo would have funded an HLARC (Hormonal Long-acting Reversible Contraceptive) Program. Christie Arnold, associate for social concerns & respect life, testified in opposition to the amendment on behalf of the FCCB. HLARCs have detrimental effects on a woman's health and have abortifacient effects as they prevent embryos from implanting in the womb. "The mechanism of HLARCs renders a woman's womb so unhealthy that it cannot carry life forward," said Arnold. The amendment failed to pass.
$2 million in funding for HLARCs was included in the budget beginning July 1, 2021, but was vetoed by Governor DeSantis. A similar allocation is expected to emerge as part of the FY 22-23 budget conference process.
Arnold later indicated FCCB support for HB 5, which bans abortions after 15-weeks gestation with exceptions for saving the life of the mother, avoiding an irreversible and substantial impairment of a major bodily function of the mother, and fatal fetal abnormality.
The bill also includes provisions to analyze and reduce fetal and infant mortality, and require monthly mandatory reporting of the number of medication abortions.