Crist has steadily avoided saying what he thinks of this latest proposal, which would require a clinic to provide an ultrasound -- and an explanation of it -- to a woman seeking an abortion in the first trimester.
But in comments last month to the National Review magazine, Crist was asked if he favored any change to abortion laws. He responded: ``No. I'm comfortable with the status quo. So are most Floridians.''
A slim majority of the Senate might be as well.
Senators on both sides of the issue say the vote could be as close as 21-19 -- and go either way. They say the vote will be a test of the Senate, which has long been a more moderate chamber than the House.
But if the legislation passes, it could also raise questions about Crist's anti-abortion credentials.
The governor supported abortion rights in the past, but now calls himself ''pro-life.'' He doesn't, however, support overturning the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that permitted abortion.
Noting those and other positions, the National Review labeled Crist an ''ambiguous conservative'' who's ``no Jeb Bush.''
Crist said Monday that the magazine accurately quoted about him favoring the ''status quo'' on abortions.
But if he supports the status quo, The Miami Herald asked, then doesn't it mean he opposes the legislation designed to change the status quo?
''I wouldn't accept your premise,'' Crist said Monday. ``Is the status quo acceptable? Well, there's one that's actually being discussed here in Tallahassee now. It deals with the ultrasound issue. And as I last read, the Senate has yet to vote on it. And let's see if it happens, then we'll comment on it.''
The Senate bill is less expansive than the House version and limits itself to requiring a woman to see and learn about an ultrasound image of the fetus. The woman could opt out of the provision in writing. Rape, incest and domestic violence victims would be exempt.
Opponents like Jacksonville Republican Sen. Jim King and Cooper City Democratic Sen. Steve Geller say the legislation intrudes on a woman's privacy rights. They also question whether poor women could afford to pay for the ultrasound.
''It's divisive,'' King said of the issue. But the bill sponsor, Republican leader Dan Webster of Winter Garden, said the ultrasound procedure is not too expensive, and would only cause concern in the fewer than 20 percent of clinics that don't use ultrasounds now.
Webster said he wasn't worried that the bill, in addition to putting Crist in a tough spot, could add unwanted pressure on Senate President-designate Jeff Atwater, who faces a potentially tight reelection bid for his Broward-Palm Beach seat.
Miami Herald staff writer Breanne Gilpatrick contributed to this report.
