There are no abortion clinics in Manatee County. Leaders begin seeking local ban anyway
Abortion clinics don’t operate in Manatee County and local leaders say they’re prepared to move forward with a plan to keep it that way.
County Commissioner James Satcher pitched a local abortion ban at Tuesday’s public meeting, pointing to a similar effort that found success in Lubbock, Texas. The ban would further restrict abortions within Manatee County, though there are no active abortion clinics within its jurisdiction.
Satcher found enough support from his fellow commissioners, who gave the nod of approval for him to use the County Attorney’s Office and County Administrator Scott Hopes as resources. Their research and assistance will be required to advance the idea.
“I would give you two if I could,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said, responding to Satcher’s request for four votes to move along with the process.
“I would support that as well,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge added.
Some of the elected officials in Manatee’s state legislative delegation have been briefed on the general aspects of the proposal, but the specifics haven’t been nailed down yet, according to state Sen. Jim Boyd.
“Let’s see what develops and what he presents. In the general sense, I’m a pro-life elected senator and I’m not ashamed of that,” said Boyd, R-Bradenton. “Before I would commit to voting or supporting, I would certainly want to know the details.”
The next steps in enacting the ban are unclear, Satcher said. The County Attorney’s Office has begun exploring legal options and will brief the board at a later date.
“Currently, the attorney tells me that we can’t make a local healthcare ordinance that’s any different than what the state requires. The same thing was true in Lubbock, Texas,” Satcher said. “They wanted to make a heartbeat law and so they went to the state legislature and the governor and had them carve out the preemption.”
Lawmakers in Texas recently approved legislation that allows municipalities to pass anti-abortion ordinances that are more restrictive than state law. In Lubbock, voters approved an abortion ban with 62 percent of the vote, the Texas Tribune reported.
While there are no abortion clinics in Manatee County, Satcher explained in an interview with the Bradenton Herald that this proposal would prevent new ones from opening in the area.
“I’m doing the ban because it’s the right thing,” said Satcher, a conservative Republican who ran on a pro-life platform in the 2020 election. “We don’t want to be a target that an abortion clinic would ever want to open up here.”
“If someone were to say this is a waste of time, I want to say that this commission has really made it a priority to spend unprecedented resources on catching up our infrastructure, making our county ready to deal with the growth coming our way,” he added, referring to the county’s proposed 2022 budget. “We’re not doing this at the expense of something else.”
Satcher’s proposal would likely require the blessing of the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida’s version of a heartbeat bill failed to gain enough traction to become law in 2019.
If approved, Manatee would be the first Florida county to place its own restrictions on abortions. It could also open the door for other municipalities to follow suit with their own limits on ending a pregnancy.
“I would suspect that if his proposal is allowed to be handled community by community, there might be other communities in Florida that would be interested in that,” Boyd said.
Giving local governments the ability to place tougher restrictions on abortion than the state would mark a departure from the Legislature’s previous preemptions. In the past, Tallahassee has barred cities and counties from setting their own rules when it comes to short-term rentals, regulation of firearms, smoking and other issues.
Satcher says county should ‘save babies’
According to Satcher, his abortion ban proposal was sparked by the county’s recent discussion regarding the ban of retail puppy sales. Several board members have indicated their support to move forward with that ban at an upcoming public hearing in July.
“If we have time to save puppies, I think that it would be shameful if we were to say we don’t have time to save babies,” Satcher explained. “The same thing goes with eagles’ nests, turtles, gopher tortoises — we’ve got all sorts of things that we’re taking time to protect. It’s high time we step up, do the right thing and protect these babies as well.”
The commission also gave Satcher the green light to pursue a separate “incentive” program that would allow the county to support women who are considering having an abortion or giving their baby away.
Speaking with the Bradenton Herald, reproductive health organizations predicted that a local anti-abortion restriction wouldn’t prevent someone from getting an abortion in a nearby town, but it would limit the options that families have available.
“A woman doesn’t wake up one day and say I want to do this – it’s usually her last resort,” said Hali Heasley, director of communications for Care Net Manasota, a local pregnancy support clinic that does not provide abortions or referrals.
“When people go through an abortion, whether it’s rape or another traumatic situation, there’s always going to be regret at the end of that process. It’s always a loss,” she said. “We want them to find support and healing. They’re not alone.”
Planned Parenthood urges Manatee to reject Satcher’s proposal
Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, urged Manatee leaders to reconsider their plans to follow through with the proposed ordinance. After closing the Bradenton location on State Road 70 near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Planned Parenthood’s nearest facility is in Sarasota.
“Any time you restrict access to healthcare, it’s just a dangerous thing to do. Manatee County commissioners ought to be focused on expanding access to healthcare, including reproductive and sexual healthcare,” said Fraim said, who noted that she isn’t aware of any clinics providing abortions in Manatee. “Specifically banning abortion is harmful to women and families who need a full range of medical care when they’re dealing with a pregnancy.”
“What we all ought to be working on collectively is a healthy Manatee County, not a restrictive Manatee County that is really a bunch of commissioners trying to score political points rather than actually looking and being concerned about the people who live there and need healthcare,” she added.
State Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, said he expects the proposal will draw out passionate pleas on both sides of the debate. He advised commissioners to keep an open mind as the discussion begins.
“This is such an emotional subject, based on my experience. Folks need to listen more and talk less,” said Robinson, who recalled impassioned testimony related to abortion bills that he co-sponsored in Tallahassee. “Make sure you treat this issue with respect or it just becomes a shouting match.”
As the proposal moves along, Satcher has advised his fellow commissioners to remain committed to the ban.
“Getting a major movement on statewide abortion law has been tough in the legislature, but this would be a perfect place for Republicans, conservatives and decent-minded people to come together and say we can let one county make a stand and see where it goes from there,” he said.
This story was originally published June 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
