Senate panel advances bill to defund abortion providers

After nearly an hour of at times emotional debate on Wednesday, a Senate budget panel approved a controversial proposal to prohibit public funds from going to any facility that provides abortions. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Health & Human Services passed SB 1722 by a party-line vote Wednesday morning, with the eight-member panel’s three Democrats voting in opposition. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, targets state funding for family planning and women’s health. While Florida already has a ban on publicly financed abortions on…