Bill to reimburse city employees who travel for ‘treatment related to reproductive rights’ introduced at council meeting

ByRachelle R. Sowell

Jun 5, 2022 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Proposed laws that would develop a reimbursement choice for town staff members who vacation for “medical treatment plans connected to reproductive rights” was released at the Jacksonville Town Council conference on Tuesday.

Metropolis Councilman Reggie Gaffney’s bill has been assigned to numerous committees to assessment.

At a information convention Monday on the techniques of City Corridor, Gaffney, who is also operating for a point out Senate seat, talked about the bill. He stated he does not believe in abortion, but that is not stopping him from introducing the monthly bill.

“I appreciate Jesus like any one individual, but I just believe that that a woman has the appropriate to decide on what she wants to do with her body, and I really do not assume it is a man’s occupation to do that,” reported Gaffney.

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Examine: Gaffney’s bill on travel reimbursement for reproductive legal rights

News4JAX first described about this invoice on Friday, and at that time, even however he introduced the laws, Gaffney didn’t want to communicate about it on digicam.

On Friday afternoon, Gaffney produced a assertion expressing, “As a gentleman of faith, making use of this would not be my individual preference. However, as a legislator I symbolize all individuals and I will battle for their independence and their ideal to have possibilities, and each girl warrants this choice.”

Gaffney’s bill comes on the heels of a leaked original vast majority impression from the Supreme Court docket on Roe v. Wade that has abortion legal rights advocates scrambling.

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If the draft from the Supreme Court docket holds, it effectively sends the issue of abortion legal rights back again to the states — like it was ahead of 1973, when the Roe conclusion proven federally that a woman experienced the appropriate to have an abortion.

If states are in the driver’s seat for abortion rules, Florida and Georgia both equally have Republican-dominated legislatures that have been efforting tight abortion constraints. Florida just passed a 15-week abortion ban, and Georgia’s fetal heartbeat regulation has been fundamentally halted by a federal court docket.

That suggests a regional woman who required to have an abortion could have to vacation out of point out, beyond neighboring Georgia, to lawfully have one.

Gaffney’s invoice seems to be getting ready for that risk by creating that Jacksonville metropolis workforce who decide for this kind of therapy could be reimbursed for their travel charges.

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If handed, the bill would go into outcome July 1 and make it possible for up to $4,000 in travel bills yearly for a metropolis personnel for any medical treatment plans related to reproductive rights if that treatment is not obtainable within just 100 miles of the employee’s dwelling and virtual care is not attainable.

According to the monthly bill, individuals treatment options could consist of medication, techniques or functions — including terminating a being pregnant, using contraceptives, spouse and children scheduling or gaining access to reproductive overall health companies.

Republican users of the Town Council, like Town Councilman Rory Diamond, say the monthly bill will under no circumstances move.

As for the mayor’s office environment, this is 1 piece of legislation that it is not commenting on at this time.

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