Senate Chief Wary Of Fetus Guardian Bill

[CShine]

TALLAHASSEE -- Hesitant to open a new battle over abortion rights, Senate President Jim King said Tuesday that he is "very reluctant" to consider legislation to allow legal guardians to be appointed for fetuses whose mothers are incapacitated. But Gov. Jeb Bush, who lost a recent court decision asking to name a guardian for the fetus of a developmentally disabled rape victim from Orlando, is not backing down and already has lined up a key House leader to help him.

"It's an important issue," said Rep. Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, who plans to sponsor the bill. "They came and talked to me and gave me some legislation. It's pretty straightforward. It just says there would be a guardian appointed for an unborn child."

The move could again plunge Bush into the middle of controversy like last year's battle over legislation to halt the removal of feeding tubes from brain-damaged Terri Schiavo.

Bush asked for the legislation this week in the wake of a recent 5th District Court of Appeal ruling that the fetus of the developmentally disabled woman known as J.D.S. was not entitled to a guardian. Such a move, the court ruled, could "confer rights on the unborn."

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