BY BETH REINHARD
State lawmakers failed this week to pass a law requiring women to pay for and look at ultrasounds before getting abortions, allowing them to continue ending their pregnancies about as whimsically as they get pedicures, right?
Wrong.
In fact, NARAL Pro-Choice America handed Florida a ''D'' last year for its limited access to abortion: a badge of shame for abortion rights activists, a medal of honor for opponents.
One reason for the low mark is that more than two-thirds of Florida counties lack abortion doctors, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
Putting it another way, one out of five women lives in an area where getting an abortion demands crossing county lines. That's typically not a problem for women with money, cars and nannies. But for women who are poor and take the bus, getting an abortion can be an ordeal on top of an ordeal.
The number of abortion providers in Florida has dropped precipitously, from a high of 150 in 1980 to 103 in 2005, the most recent year for which data was available. Fewer medical schools are teaching the procedure, and fewer doctors are willing to risk the potential harassment and violence from abortion opponents.
''Just a couple of weeks ago I had a patient who came all the way from Key West because there's no abortion provider down there,'' said Dr. Christopher Estes, who performs abortions at a University of Miami clinic. ``She was a young lady, new to the state, and her relationship with her boyfriend didn't work out like she planned. By the time she got together enough money, she realized there was no abortion provider around. Then she had to drive three and a half hours.''
Estes said doing an ultrasound is standard protocol, but he resents politicians telling him how to practice medicine, especially when it comes to a surgical procedure more common than a C-section.
Already, Florida has a number of abortion restrictions on the books. Minors have to tell their parents or get a pass from a judge. Doctors have to give out state-approved fliers about risks and alternatives. Abortion clinics have to heed regulations that don't apply to other medical offices.
''I wish I could say that regulation has worked to improve the lives of women,'' Estes said. ``It has done nothing to improve their care. It has not made them healthier. All it has done is make it harder for them to get into the clinic to see me.''
It's gotten to the point where getting an abortion in Florida is about as challenging as, well, casting a ballot.
Election experts warn that Florida is becoming one of the hardest places to vote in the country. One state law imposes fines on voter registration groups if they fail to immediately turn in their paperwork, prompting the League of Women Voters to quit recruiting voters and go to court instead. Another law thwarts voters whose registration applications don't exactly match government databases. A typo in a Social Security number or a misspelled name means no ''I voted'' sticker for you.
''They're putting extreme penalties on honest, human mistakes,'' said Diannne Wheatley-Giliotti, president of the Florida League of Women Voters. ``These laws make it harder for people to exercise their franchise, and it disproportionately impacts people who are typically not involved in the voting process.''
The young and the poor. Blacks and Hispanics. The same people for whom ending an unwanted pregnancy can seem next to impossible.
Beth Reinhard is the political writer for The Miami Herald.
