1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

This proposed fetal personhood legislation in Florida is deeply concerning and poses risks of criminalizing women who experience miscarriages or seek abortions, even in cases of sexual assault. As a therapist working with survivors of sexual violence, including child sexual abuse, I am troubled by the profound disregard this bill shows for victims. Passing this law would be an unconscionable act on the first day of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Pregnancy resulting from sexual assault is already an unimaginable trauma; compounding that with threats of legal consequences for abortion access is cruel and re-victimizing. From a medical standpoint, the vague language around "injury" could lead to the criminalization of any behavior potentially harmful to a fetus, intentional or not - even before someone is aware they are pregnant. This undermines personal freedoms and inserts the state into private medical decisions that should remain between a patient and their doctor. I urge you to consider the negative repercussions this regressive legislation would have, particularly on victims of sexual violence, and reject this extreme overreach that jeopardizes women's healthcare and bodily autonomy.