Abortion bill brings ‘family’ feud to House Democratic Caucus
The political fight over a set of bills that would require minors seeking abortions to get parental consent has been a fiery one.
Pro-life and pro-choice activists have packed committee rooms to hear bills in both chambers, advocates have held press conferences and candlelight vigils at the Capitol and lawmakers have taken their stances in passionate debate.
But Wednesday a different type of debate popped up, as Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, held a press conference supporting the bills that ended in lobbing personal attacks against her own colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus.
The caucus has discussed taking a position on the parental consent bill, which means the entire caucus would agree to vote no. That decision has not yet been made.
Daniels, who is religious and had an abortion of her own at 15, said she is informed in her position and that the debate over a caucus position is attempting “to shut my mouth for what I know is right.”
She said she is being “bullied” by members of the caucus, discriminated against on the basis of her religion and forced to work in a “continually hostile environment” among members who don’t agree with her stance on abortion. She then called out some members of the caucus by name.
“I will not back down from people who are merely activist motivated and not true policy makers in my opinion,” she said. “This is a message to the Anna Eskamanis and the Cindy Polos, who are so far left they have been left behind ... the best thing they can do is tweet and get likes and undermine other elected officials with bogus media attempts.”
Later, House Minority Leader Kionne McGhee, of Miami, addressed the caucus, calling for unity among members. He said Wednesday’s event was a “teachable moment.”
“We can either learn from each other or continuously divide,” he said. “If we shall have issue with one of our brothers or sisters, we shouldn’t have to call them out by their name. We ought to have a brief conversation behind closed doors.”
Daniels did not attend the meeting.
In texts to the Herald/Times, Eskamani said the call for a caucus position came from multiple members, who are aware that not everyone agrees. She said she appreciated that the leader is looking for common ground inside the caucus, instead of letting Daniels’ comments divide it.
“This issue is really important and goes beyond individual members,” said Eskamani, a former regional director for Planned Parenthood. “We’re talking about reproductive rights being at risk for all Floridians.”
Polo wrote via text that as a woman of faith, she understands how personal issues like reproductive rights can be, and that she appreciates the diversity of thought within the party. She’s never spoken about the issue to Daniels personally, she added.
“Rep. Daniels’ vote is something I respect and have never tried to sway,” she wrote. “I know my position. I am comfortable with mine.”
Eskamani and Polo both said McGhee has not contacted either of them on the issue.
After the caucus meeting, McGhee told the Herald/Times that he doesn’t think there is a rift in the caucus, but rather a “rift in personalities.”
“The members are going to have a conversation, they’re going to honor the differences if there are any,” he said. “This is what happens when you have a big family.”
He said there will be a discussion of whether the caucus will take a position on the parental consent bill after the Senate votes on its version.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 4:58 PM.