Bill to reimburse city employees who travel for ‘treatment related to reproductive rights’ introduced at council meeting

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Proposed laws that would develop a reimbursement choice for city staff members who journey for “medical treatment options linked to reproductive rights” was introduced at the Jacksonville Town Council meeting on Tuesday.

Metropolis Councilman Reggie Gaffney’s bill has been assigned to many committees to review.

At a information convention Monday on the measures of City Hall, Gaffney, who is also working for a condition Senate seat, talked about the invoice. He reported he does not think in abortion, but that is not halting him from introducing the invoice.

“I love Jesus like any 1 man or woman, but I just consider that a lady has the ideal to opt for what she wishes to do with her body, and I do not imagine it is a man’s task to do that,” claimed Gaffney.

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Browse: Gaffney’s monthly bill on travel reimbursement for reproductive legal rights

Information4JAX to start with reported about this invoice on Friday, and at that time, even while he released the legislation, Gaffney did not want to communicate about it on digital camera.

On Friday afternoon, Gaffney launched a assertion saying, “As a guy of religion, making use of this would not be my personalized desire. Having said that, as a legislator I symbolize all folks and I will battle for their liberty and their appropriate to have solutions, and each woman warrants this solution.”

Gaffney’s invoice arrives on the heels of a leaked original majority impression from the Supreme Courtroom on Roe v. Wade that has abortion legal rights advocates scrambling.

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If the draft from the Supreme Courtroom holds, it essentially sends the situation of abortion rights back to the states — like it was right before 1973, when the Roe selection set up federally that a girl experienced the appropriate to have an abortion.

If states are in the driver’s seat for abortion rules, Florida and Georgia both of those have Republican-dominated legislatures that have been efforting limited abortion limitations. Florida just passed a 15-week abortion ban, and Georgia’s fetal heartbeat regulation has been basically halted by a federal courtroom.

That signifies a neighborhood girl who desired to have an abortion may possibly have to vacation out of condition, outside of neighboring Ga, to legally have a person.

Gaffney’s invoice appears to be preparing for that likelihood by creating that Jacksonville metropolis workers who decide for these cure could be reimbursed for their vacation bills.

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If handed, the bill would go into influence July 1 and enable up to $4,000 in vacation expenses yearly for a town staff for any health-related treatments relevant to reproductive rights if that cure is not available in 100 miles of the employee’s house and digital care is not possible.

According to the bill, individuals remedies could contain medicine, procedures or functions — together with terminating a pregnancy, utilizing contraceptives, family preparing or gaining entry to reproductive health and fitness providers.

Republican members of the Town Council, like Metropolis Councilman Rory Diamond, say the monthly bill will by no means pass.

As for the mayor’s office environment, this is 1 piece of legislation that it is not commenting on at this time.