Thanks to your help, SB 1184 was approved in a hearing by the Florida State Senate Committee on Health Policy, and the Florida House subcommittee on Professions & Public Health approved the House companion bill, HB 687.
Despite these wins, the deadlines for completing the committee process have come and gone without achieving the approvals needed for the standalone bills to receive votes by the full chambers.
However there is still hope. The protections in these bills can be added to other bills further along in the legislative process. One thing weighing in favor of approval is that Governor DeSantis is strongly advocating for the legislature to get these measures to protect physician free speech across the finish line.
You won’t want to miss watching the “prescribe freedom”press conference Gov. DeSantis held March 3 with physicians who are leaders in this effort, including Dr. Jon Ward, Dr. Ellen McKnight, Dr. Raj Bendre, and Florida’s Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo.
As a reminder, Senate Bill 1184, and its companion bill in the Florida House, HB 687, contain measures, that if passed, will help protect physicians from sanction based on free speech on social media or elsewhere.
The bottom line is this: the push to punish our profession for expressing ideas like there are only two genders, that early treatment for Covid-19 saves lives, and that cloth masks don’t prevent transmission of respiratory viruses must end!
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP!
Please send the Speaker of the House and Senate President a note telling them why you support these protections and encouraging them to work with Gov. DeSantis and bring the measures to the floor of the legislature!
You can get messages on the way to them with just a couple clicks using this link: https://p2a.co/2cOFOX5
Thank you for speaking out! Your voice makes a difference!
