ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — In a 2-6 vote, the St. Petersburg City Council voted against providing $50,000 in additional funding for the Tampa Bay Abortion Fun for travel-related expenses.
The Tampa Bay Abortion Fund helps Floridians who are more than 15 weeks pregnant with travel-related expenses for abortions at out-of-state clinics.
State lawmakers threatened to pull funding from the city if the proposal was approved.
One city council member said she voted against giving the funds to the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund because “it has the potential to make many more problems than it can solve.”
Last year, the nonprofit funded over 1,000 abortions for women in the Tampa Bay area.
After the vote, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch shared the following statement:
In St. Petersburg, the State of Florida and nationwide, there are passionate beliefs and advocates on both sides of this important debate. It is our duty as Americans to protect the process of democracy and ensure that all voices have an opportunity to be heard, as was just carried out in our Council Chambers.
