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Bush plan proposes abortion counseling

Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings is promoting the program, which is modeled after one in Pennsylvania.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published March 1, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Seeking to reduce abortions in Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush wants to spend $4-million in tax money to counsel pregnant women and promote alternatives, such as adoption.

The proposal was unveiled Monday by Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, the most visible woman in the Bush administration and a likely candidate for governor in a 2006 Republican contest in which abortion could play a big role.

Under the proposal, Bush's office would control how the money is spent, not state agencies that focus on health or children.

The proposal received no attention when it was included in the governor's budget plan in January. Jennings went to Jacksonville on Monday to promote it in a visit to the Women's Help Center, a pregnancy counseling service.

Accompanying Jennings were Robin Hoffman, president of Florida Right to Life, and Sheila Hopkins of the Florida Catholic Conference, among others.

As Senate president from 1996 to 2000, Jennings received high marks from the Christian Coalition of Florida, but a moderate Senate sometimes disappointed conservatives by not pushing abortion restrictions more aggressively.

Bush rejected the notion that politics played a role in Jennings getting a prominent role on an issue that could improve her standing with Republican primary voters.

"She volunteered for the duty, and I'm glad she did," Bush said. "I do believe that women, when confronted with this very traumatic choice when they're pregnant, need to have options available to them."

John Dowless, a political strategist and former executive director of the Christian Coalition of Florida, said Jennings' involvement makes it more likely the program will be approved.

"As one of three leading candidates for governor, that gives it a lot more momentum, that's for sure," Dowless said.

J.M. "Mac" Stipanovich, a lobbyist and GOP strategist, called Jennings the logical choice.

"From now on, anything the governor does that gives a high profile to the lieutenant governor is going to result in accusations of politics," said Stipanovich, who supports Attorney General Charlie Crist for governor. "She is the lieutenant governor and she's capable. The governor would be remiss if he didn't use her skills."

Clarice Pollock, president of the National Organization for Women in Florida, criticized Bush's proposal for not emphasizing birth control to prevent pregnancy.

"It's not about preventing pregnancy, of course. It's about making women walking wombs," Pollock said. "That is no help at all to make women have children that they do not want or can't afford."

Under the proposal to be considered by the Republican-led Legislature, the $4-million would be awarded to a single private vendor for the first year.

The program includes a toll-free hot line to direct pregnant women to counseling programs, better training of counselors, teaching of parenting skills and other help for up to a year after a child is born, and a mass-media outreach program to offer alternatives to abortion, such as adoption.

The Pregnancy Support Services Program is patterned after one in Pennsylvania, a heavily Catholic state that has long been at the center of the pitched battle over abortion.

Known as Real Alternatives, the program operates 126 centers and has served more than 85,000 women since it began in 1996, according to its Web site (www.realternatives.org) The site tells women it's illegal in Pennsylvania to force a woman to have an abortion.

As Bush noted, the program was begun by a governor who opposed abortion but grew under two governors who favor abortion rights.

"It shows that the abortion issue does not have to be a political one, that giving women counseling on such an important decision is worthy of public dollars," Bush said.

The program is part of a second-term agenda by Bush to strengthen families in Florida.

Bush's office said that more than 217,000 babies were born in Florida last year, while the number of abortions reached nearly 92,000. Since 2001, Bush said, the number of abortions has increased by nearly 7 percent while the number of newborns has increased by 5.4 percent.

About four of every 10 pregnancies in Florida are covered by Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor and disabled.

Bush, a Catholic who opposes abortion, acknowledged that abortion is legal: "Of course, we know the law. They can make the decision that they see fit," he said.

[Last modified March 1, 2005, 01:11:12]