As previously reported in an ongoing Florida Trident investigative series, the state’s Florida Pregnancy Support Services Program, which provides taxpayers’ money to more than 100 anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs)” around the state, including Grace House, are Christian-based organizations and often identify themselves as “ministries” and “missions.” Several legal experts have said the program runs afoul of the U.S. and Florida constitutions, the latter of which expressly forbids the state from aiding religious organizations. The stated goal of the program is to convince clients to carry their pregnancies to term rather than having abortions.Despite its inherent problems, the program is now bursting at the seams in Florida. Its annual budget has ballooned from $4 million to $25 million a year, an increase written into the controversial six-week abortion ban legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April.
Former President Donald Trump ramped up attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week following recent tumult in the camp of his main Republican rival, […]