For Immediate Release: January 13, 2026

  President Julie Kent, Florida NOW, president@flnow.org

Orlando, FL — As Floridians struggle to pay their bills, keep food on the table, and navigate a health‑care system that is kicking thousands off their insurance plans, extremist lawmakers in Tallahassee are choosing to spend the very first week of the legislative session attacking our fundamental right to control our own bodies.

Instead of addressing the real crises facing Florida families, legislative leaders are rushing House Bill 289 — already being called the “Abusers’ Bill of Rights” — to a final vote in the House.

HB 289 lays the legal groundwork to grant fertilized eggs and embryos the same rights as living people. If passed, this bill would open the door to a future where lawyers, not doctors, determine the medical care a pregnant Floridian can receive — even in an emergency.

“This bill is a direct threat to women’s health and safety,” said Julie Kent, President FL NOW. “It hands politicians and lawyers unprecedented power over pregnancy, medical decisions, and the lives of Florida families. This is an outrageous violation of women’s rights.”

But the danger doesn’t stop there. HB 289 creates a system that empowers and financially rewards abusers and rapists, allowing them to sue after a pregnancy loss or abortion — even when they are the ones who caused the harm. By inviting abusive partners to weaponize the courts, this bill puts survivors at even greater risk.

What could happen under HB 289?

• Abusive partners sue their ex-girlfriends’ friends, doctors, and anyone they believe helped her access an abortion.
• Pregnant patients struggle to find emergency care because doctors must consult with lawyers before intervening — if they intervene at all.
• IVF and fertility centers shut down as liability insurance becomes unaffordable.
• Patients are investigated for miscarriages and pregnancy losses, treated as suspects instead of patients.
• Cancer patients are denied life‑saving treatment solely because they are pregnant.
• Employers quietly lay off pregnant workers out of fear they could be sued if an employee miscarries.

Make no mistake: HB 289 is part of a long‑term strategy to make reproductive health care — including abortion, IVF, and emergency care — impossible to access in Florida.

FL NOW calls on lawmakers to:

• Reject HB 289 and any attempt to establish fetal personhood
• Protect survivors of domestic and sexual violence from legal retaliation
• Safeguard access to IVF, emergency care, and reproductive technologies
• Prioritize real issues facing Floridians — including healthcare access, maternal mortality, and economic stability

“Floridians deserve lawmakers who fight for their safety and freedom,” Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW, said. “HB 289 does the opposite. These extremist lawmakers don’t care about the lives of pregnant women. It is unconscionable. We urge every legislator who claims to care about women, families, and survivors to vote NO.”

Take Action

Call your legislator today and tell them we will not stand for giving abusers the legal right — and financial incentive — to harass pregnant patients and the people who support them. We will not stand for endangering pregnant women’s lives.

For Immediate Release: January 13, 2026

 President Julie Kent, Florida NOW, president@flnow.org

Orlando, FL — Just over a year ago, 57 percent of Florida voters cast their ballots in support of a constitutional amendment that would have overturned the state’s near-total abortion ban and protected reproductive freedom. Despite winning a clear majority, the amendment fell just short of the 60 percent supermajority required — after Governor Ron DeSantis spent nearly $40 million in taxpayer funds campaigning against it.

Today, Florida women are living with the consequences of that narrow loss.

As early as this week, the Florida House of Representatives is poised to pass legislation that would grant fertilized eggs and embryos some of the same legal rights as living children (SB 164, HB 289). This is part of a long-term strategy to establish fetal personhood — a legal theory designed to eliminate abortion access under any circumstance.

“Lawmakers are attempting to rewrite science, medicine, and constitutional rights to control women’s bodies,” said Julie Kent, President FL NOW. “This is an assault on personal freedom.”

Even if the personhood bills stall in the Senate, a wave of additional anti‑abortion legislation is already moving:

• $100,000 bounties on doctors, helpers, or anyone who assists a woman in obtaining abortion medication by mail (HB 663, SB 1374)
• Expansion of the abortion ban to include fetal‑reduction procedures used in IVF (HB 993, SB 1044)
• New restrictions on surrogacy and assisted reproduction, threatening access to IVF for thousands of Florida families (HB 1487, SB 1680)
• Bills blocking teens from accessing birth control or STI treatment without parental approval (SB 166, HB 173)
• Legislation making it harder for schools to teach safe sex and HIV prevention, while forcing them to show anti‑abortion propaganda cartoons (HB 1071, SB 1090)

“These bills are not isolated,” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW stated. “They are part of a coordinated, extremist agenda to strip away reproductive freedom, undermine bodily autonomy, and impose government control over the most personal decisions a person can make.”

FL NOW calls on lawmakers to:

• Reject all personhood legislation
• Oppose bounty-style enforcement schemes targeting doctors and women
• Protect IVF, surrogacy, and reproductive technologies
• Ensure teens have access to essential health care
• Keep medically accurate, evidence-based sex education in Florida schools

“Florida voters have already made their values clear,” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW. “Most Floridians support reproductive freedom. It’s time for lawmakers to listen — not launch a legislative crusade against women.”

Media Contact: Debbie Deland, 407 234-6408, vp@flnow.org

Orlando, FL — The Florida National Organization for Women (FL NOW) strongly condemns the administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from 66 international organizations, a sweeping move that accelerates the nation’s retreat from global cooperation at a moment when international collaboration is essential to addressing shared challenges.

According to public reporting, the United States is initiating withdrawal from organizations including the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and numerous UN‑related bodies. These organizations play critical roles in strengthening democratic institutions, coordinating global security efforts, advancing human rights, and fostering international problem‑solving.

“Walking away from institutions designed to promote cooperation, stability, and shared responsibility is a profound step backward for the United States and for the world,” said Julie Kent, President of Florida NOW. “These withdrawals undermine decades of bipartisan commitment to international engagement and weaken the global partnerships that protect women, families, and communities.”

FL NOW warns that abandoning these organizations will have far‑reaching consequences, including:

• Reduced global coordination on terrorism, migration, climate change, and public health
• Weakened democratic norms and diminished U.S. credibility in defending human rights
• Greater instability in regions where multilateral cooperation is essential
• Loss of U.S. influence in shaping global standards and policies
• Increased isolation at a time when interconnected crises demand collective solutions

“International cooperation is not optional in the twenty‑first century,” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW. “From climate disasters to global security threats, no nation can solve these challenges alone. Retreating from the world does not make the United States safer — it makes us more vulnerable. Without participation in world forums, women’s issues and oppression will not get addressed. We can’t allow this isolationism!”

FL NOW calls on Congress, civil society, and allied organizations to oppose this mass withdrawal and to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to global engagement, democratic values, and multilateral problem-solving.

“Women and families in Florida and across the country are directly affected by global instability,” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW. “We need leadership that strengthens international cooperation, not dismantles it.”

### Media Contact: Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW, vp@flnow.org, 407 234-6408