Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who left the Republican Party more than a month ago, and is running for the US Senate as an Independent, took one last swipe at his former colleagues in the extremely conservative GOP legislature yesterday, when he vetoed an abortion bill that would have mandated that all women wanting an abortion must pay and go through an ultra sound test, and see and hear the results, unless they signed a refusal form after paying and going through the procedure.
The only women who would have been able to avoid the procedure would be those who could prove rape, incest, human trafficking, or domestic violence.
The bill would also have banned abortion coverage from health insurance plans in any way supported by taxpayer funding.
Also, it would have been legally easier for Attorney General Bill McCollum, who is running for the GOP nomination for governor, to pursue his plan to sue President Obama over the new Health Care Reform plan passed by Congress in April.
Crist received more emails supporting the bill than opposing the bill, so he went against that trend, but at the same time, he probably has gained greater support from women, Democrats, and Independents, as he battles in the three way race shaping up this fall for the US Senate.
Crist had earlier angered Republicans when he vetoed the proposed teacher tenure bill back in April!
The ultrasound abortion bill will come up in the Florida legislature next year with a new governor, and if either Rick Scott or Bill McCollum is elected, it will certainly be signed into law. If Democratic nominee Alex Sink, however, is elected, she would clearly veto the legislation as Charlie Crist has done!