The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the 2025 Florida Legislative Session

Passing along the summary below from Florida Right To Life. Please go to https://frtl.org to subscribe in order to receive their full updates.
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the 2025 Florida Legislative Session for Right to Life Advocates

1. Two Wins for Life: Florida Right to Life celebrates the passage of two key bills championed during the session.
   

2. Citizen Initiative Reform (CS/HB 1205): This bill brings much-needed reform to the citizen initiative process, especially after the issues surrounding the 2024 pro-abortion Amendment 4 signature gathering. Key changes include limiting initiative sponsorships, revising form requirements, setting petition submission deadlines, requiring petition circulator registration and training, and prohibiting certain individuals from circulating petitions.
   

3. Expansion of the Surrendered Infants Act (CS/HB 791): This act expands the locations where parents can anonymously surrender a baby to include specially equipped infant safety devices at hospitals, fire stations, and EMS stations. The bill also updates terminology, referring to a "surrendered child" instead of a "left minor."
   

4. Disappointment in Education Reform (HB 1255): Florida Right to Life expresses significant disappointment that a provision requiring a 3-minute video on fetal embryology for students in grades 6-12 was removed from the final version of the bill.
   

5. Setback for Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child (CS/SB 476): A bill that would have allowed parents of an unborn child to recover damages in a wrongful death case failed to reach the Senate floor. This bill, sponsored by Senator Erin Grall, was reportedly stopped by a Republican vote (Senator Kathlene Passidomo was named) for the second year in a row.
   

6. Parental Rights Bill Stalled (CS/HB 1288): Another bill sponsored by Senator Grall, which would have required parental consent for certain minor treatments and provided parents with information before schools administered specific questionnaires, also did not advance to the Senate floor, reportedly due to the same Republican opposition.
   

7. Success in Thwarting "End of Life" Bills: Despite the disappointments, Florida Right to Life successfully prevented the passage of what they considered "sketchy 'End of Life' bills" within the "Advance Directive" category, emphasizing their commitment to monitoring all life-related legislation.

Ongoing Commitment: Florida Right to Life reaffirms its dedication to defending all innocent life from conception to natural death and thanks supporters for their continued support.