On second thought

St. Pete City Council votes against funding increased abortion access.

By Arielle Stevenson

Last week, St. Pete City Council voted against providing $50,000 in funding to the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund (TBAF) for practical services. The motion was made by council member Richie Floyd and seconded by council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders—who both cast the only yes votes to approve the funding.

“Abortions are not going to stop when they pass this ban,” Floyd said. “They’re not going to, science has shown it over and over again, that when abortion is illegal it happens at the same rates it does when it’s legal.”

According to the World Health Organization, unsafe abortion is the leading but preventable cause of most maternal deaths.

The council did vote 6-2 to approve a reproductive rights resolution, with councilmember Ed Montanari and Gina Driscoll opposing. The reproductive rights resolution was written with guidance from St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway. The resolution asks local law enforcement to not violate state or federal laws, but does ask to de-prioritize investigations into possible reproductive matters under the right to privacy. very clear that punitive issues will come down,” Gabbard said. “Disney is living through punitive leadership, [ousted Hillsborough State Attorney] Andrew Warren is living through punitive leadership. We saw Nikki Fried and Lauren Book get arrested early this week.”

Councilman Floyd introduced both items to the Health, Energy, Resiliency, and Sustainability (HERS) committee back in December. In February, the HERS committee approved both items to go to the full council for a vote. Even then, Welch’s administration had expressed concerns over the possible funding. That’s despite Chief Assistant City Attorney Jeannine Williams stating multiple times that her interpretation of current law is favorable to the funding. Council chair Brandi Gabbard had been in support of the proposal back in February. That changed after she went to Tallahassee this month.