¶ Overview
- Lee has long been an anti-choice extremist, starting from her first campaign for Congress in 2022 when she praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which led to Florida instituting a near-total abortion ban. She also supported Florida’s 15-week abortion ban that endangered Floridians. After she was elected to Congress, she voiced opposition to a ballot amendment to enshrine the right to abortion in Florida’s constitution that received support from 57 percent of Floridians.
¶ Lee Supported Abortion Ban That Endangered Floridians
¶ 2022: lee supported florida’s 15-week abortion ban that endangered floridians
10/14/22: Lee Supported A 15-Week Abortion Ban With No Exceptions For Rape And Incest. According to Florida Politics, “Lee, for her part, told WFLA during an extensive interview during the Republican Primary campaign that she supported abortion restrictions but with exceptions for rape and incest. But she also reiterated she supported a 15-week ban in Florida with no such exceptions. ‘The most appropriate place for any sort of analysis or decision-making about abortion, and about many things, is in the state Legislatures, where the people have access and the ability to go and petition their members and representatives and have that conversation,’ Lee said. Lee’s campaign reaffirmed that support to WFLA this week. ‘Florida already has a 15-week limitation, and Secretary Lee was very clear in her support of that as well,’ Lee spokesperson Sarah Bascom told the station.” [Florida Politics, 10/14/22]
- A Florida OBGYN Recounted How They Had To Deny Care To Suffering Patients Due To The 15-Week Abortion Ban. According to Physicians for Human Rights, “Another Florida obstetrician-gynecologist told PHR about having to wait weeks until a patient’s ‘kidneys [were] about to fail’ until they could offer pregnancy termination under the state’s previous 15-week ban: ‘I strongly remember a patient who had severe kidney disease … She was getting sicker and sicker….[We] had to bring it to the head people of the hospital and be like, ‘What are we allowed to do?’ And they were like, ‘She’s not sick enough yet.’ … …I think it took over two weeks for us to get an answer from the hospital administrators. …So that hit very strongly, because it was kind of insane that we had to wait for her to become sicker. We had to wait for her creatinine to bump and her kidneys to be about to fail before we were allowed to even offer her [termination]. Then we had to jump through so many hoops to be able to do it. It really changed everything that we did in our practice.’” [Physicians for Human Rights, 9/17/24]
¶ Lee Refused To Say Whether She Would Support A Federal 15-Week Abortion Ban
September 2022: Lee Refused To Say Whether She Would Support A Federal 15-Week Abortion Ban. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Like many Republican candidates in contested races, Lee won’t say directly whether she favors a bill like the one proposed by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham for a nationwide ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Instead, Lee says she favors the 15-week ban imposed in Florida and that the states should decide the issue. But she won’t say whether that means she would oppose a federal law. […] Lee has declined several times to give a direct answer on the question of a federal law, including in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times last week. In a July interview with Tampa TV station WFLA-Ch. 8, Lee didn’t directly answer about a federal law but said, ‘I am pro-life. I do support exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.’ Her campaign said in the statement to the Times that she supports Florida’s 15-week ban, even though it doesn’t include rape and incest exceptions, but again didn’t comment specifically on a federal law. Her campaign denied she was being evasive, saying, ‘It is not evasive to refuse to engage in an endless game of speculation on proposals not yet released.’” [Tampa Bay Times, 9/17/22]
¶ Lee opposed enshrining the right to choose in florida’s constitution
10/22/24: Lee Opposed Florida Constitutional Amendment 4, Which Sought To Enshrine The Right To Abortion In Florida’s Constitution. Laurel Lee tweeted, “Abortions for minors without parental consent is just one of the reasons I oppose Amendment 4. I urge you to join me in voting no on Amendment 4, so parents can help ensure our kids are safe.”
[Twitter, @Vote_Laurel, 10/22/24]
- 2024: 57 Percent Of Floridians Voted For A Constitutional Amendment That Would Protect Abortion Access. According to NPR, "SCOTT SIMON, HOST: On Election Day, more than 57% of Floridians voted in favor of a state constitutional amendment that would protect access to abortion. But the proposal still failed, and a law that bans most abortions after six weeks remains in place. Regan McCarthy of member Station WFSU explains why." [NPR, 11/9/24]
¶ lee supported the supreme court overturning roe v. wade, which lead to a near-total abortion ban being instituted in florida
10/21/22: Lee Supported The Supreme Court Decision To Overturn Roe V. Wade And Said The Court Was “Engaging In Policymaking” In Its Original Decision On The Case. According to Florida Politics, “Lee said she supports the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and tossing decisions on regulating abortion to the states. ‘The original Roe decision was the court engaging in policymaking and it goes back to a basic question of separation of powers,’ she said. ‘The Legislature is the place where policy should be created, and laws should be passed.’ Lee called herself pro-life but supports exceptions for cases of rape and incest. But Cohn called that hypocritical, as Lee also voiced support for a 15-week ban in Florida with no such exceptions.” [Florida Politics, 10/21/22]
- The Overturning Of Roe V. Wade Allowed Florida To Institute A Six-Week Abortion Ban. According to Physicians for Human Rights, "In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the federal constitutional right to abortion.[1] In July 2022, Florida enacted a ban on abortion care after 15 weeks of gestation from the first day of a pregnant person’s last menstrual period, with only limited exceptions.[2] Two years later, in April 2024 the Florida Supreme Court followed suit and overturned decades of precedent that the Florida Constitution’s Privacy Clause protects the right to abortion. This judgment cleared the way for a new, far more restrictive six-week abortion ban to take effect on May 1, 2024.[3] This ban shifted the legal limit for abortion from 15 weeks to six weeks from the first day of a pregnant person’s last menstrual period and included only very narrow exceptions that differed from those in the 15-week ban. The penalties for those who violate the ban are severe, including imprisonment, fines, and loss of medical licenses.[4]" [Physicians for Human Rights, 9/17/24]
¶ lee received an A+ rating from the anti-choice susan b. anthony’s list
118th Congress: Lee Received An “A+” Rating From Anti-Abortion Organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. According to the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America website,
[Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, “Scorecard,” Viewed 1/6/26]
- Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Sought To “End Abortion.” According to the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America website, “SBA Pro-Life America's mission is to end abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.” [Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Website, “About,” Viewed 1/6/26]