The Guttmacher Institute reported that state legislators nationwide introduced approximately 1,100 provisions concerning reproductive health and rights during 2011. Of the proposals that became law, 92 restricted abortion access across 24 states.

That total exceeded the earlier annual record of 34 restrictions adopted in 2005, according to the institute’s year-end review.

Measures documented in the review

  • Bans affecting abortion at particular stages or in specified circumstances
  • Mandatory waiting periods
  • Ultrasound requirements
  • Restrictions on insurance coverage
  • New rules governing clinics
  • Limits affecting medication abortion

Florida was among the 24 states where restrictions were enacted. The state adopted an ultrasound requirement and barred abortion coverage in certain insurance plans established through the federal health-care law.

The report also identified Florida among states that reduced family-planning funding. Such programs provide preventive care and services intended to help people plan pregnancies.

At the beginning of the following legislative session, Florida lawmakers had introduced seven bills involving abortion or reproductive rights. Those proposals formed part of the broader state-level policy activity documented in this archived report.