Former Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday announced he is supporting a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing a parental consent law before a minor has an abortion, while opponents announced a high profile voice on their side.
The “No on 6” campaign said Sandra Fluke, the Democratic activist and Georgetown law student who was famously called a “slut” by Rush Limbaugh for backing insurance coverage of birth control, will advocate against the amendment. She’s featured in a TV ad about it.
Bush, meanwhile, announced he was supporting the amendment, noting he backed passage of an earlier amendment that allowed legislation requiring parental notice when a girl is seeking an abortion.
“With Amendment 6, Florida has the opportunity to restore parental consent for an abortion involving a minor child,” Bush said.
The proposed amendment would say that the state constitution can’t be interpreted to create broader rights to an abortion than those in the U.S. constitution.
The Florida constitution has a right to privacy, while no such right exists in the federal constitution. That right is what led the courts to disallow an earlier parental consent for abortion law. The amendment would also prohibit public spending on abortions unless required by federal law or in certain exceptions, such as rape or incest.
