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State Sen. Lori Berman to draft bill that would protect abortion in Florida, rollback 15-week ban

'I think that the leaked opinion has really woken a lot of people up,' State Sen. Lori Berman says
State Sen. Lori Berman discusses abortion rights legislation, May 5, 2022
Posted at 4:09 PM, May 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-05 18:06:17-04

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the expectation grows that the Supreme Court may allow states to ban abortions, at least one state senator in Florida is attempting to stop it.

State Sen. Lori Berman, D-Delray Beach, is looking to secure abortion access for women.

"I think that the leaked opinion has really woken a lot of people up, and I think we need to have this legislation out there," Berman said.

RELATED: Court's decision on abortion rights will impact states differently

She confirmed that a bill is being drawn up for next year that would not only undo the recently-passed 15-week abortion ban in Florida but also set in law the right to an abortion.

"The language guarantees that a woman can do what choice she wants, if she wants access to birth control, if she wants to have a child, if she wants to have an abortion, if she wants to put her child up for adoption," Berman said.

Abortion protests outside US Supreme Court, May 5, 2022
Demonstrators protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Washington. A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report released Monday. Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court's secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance.

The state senator has been here before.

This is very similar to a bill that she tried to push through earlier this year, but it never even got to a committee. It was stonewalled by Republican leadership in Tallahassee.

RELATED: US Senate to consider codifying abortion rights after SCOTUS draft leak

Many Republican-led states are enacting so-called trigger laws, designed to ban abortion immediately if and when the Supreme Court allows it.

This comes as Democratic-leaning states draw up bills like Berman's.

But in Florida, she admits her bill has a tough road to climb.

"I'm hopeful we can get some discussion, at least discussion in Tallahassee about this issue and a hearing," Berman said. "At least a hearing on the bill in the Senate would be great."