Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined a list of five others as potential VP contenders for former President Donald Trump's run for the White House. In Tallahassee, lawmakers advanced a bill that would provide for civil liabilities involving the death of a fetus. 

DeSantis joins list of potential VP candidates for Trump

The latest developments in the Republican presidential primary, and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest actions.

About a month after he ended his presidential campaign, DeSantis traveled to South Carolina.

Tuesday’s visit was official state business for the governor, but it also didn’t stop him from commenting on the race for president.

“And there’s no question that South Carolina is going to be a big victory for Donald Trump because he appeals to core Republicans in a way that Nikki Haley just does not or is not trying to,” DeSantis said in South Carolina.

Former President Donald Trump was also in South Carolina last night. He participated in a town hall event with Fox News.

During this, Trump confirmed a list of names floated to be on his shortlist for vice president. The list includes three former GOP candidates, including DeSantis.

Laura Ingraham asked Trump if the rumored names were true, and the former president said that the list was full of good people.

“You would like to get someone who could help you from the voter's standpoint. And honestly, all of those people are good. They are all good, all solid,” Trump said.

A civil liabilities bill advances despite opposition

Negligence can land someone in some serious legal trouble. But Florida doesn’t recognize negligence against an unborn child in civil court.

House Bill 651 is trying to change that. Or at least, that’s what the bill sponsor is saying.

What is House Bill 651? Is it an abortion bill? Or is this about the law and grieving families?

That’s a question that divided Florida lawmakers Wednesday.

“This bill is about giving parents the opportunity to seek recovery when a wrong has been committed that took away their child and that child has value,” Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulika said.

Proponents say this bill makes grieving parents whole.

After the wrongful death of an unborn child, the bill empowers parents to sue for damages. As of now, Florida is just one of six states without such protections.

“If you commit a negligent act or a wrongful act, you should be liable. We are protecting the very most vulnerable and those that should be able to recover from those situations,” Rep. Will Robinson Jr. said.

Indeed, it sounds good on the surface. But for Democrats, this bill is a concern.

They say it’s too broad and too vague. Critics also say the bill is dangerous to abortion providers in Florida.

“The most dangerous 60 days in the state of Florida is a legislative session for creating fear in the hearts and minds of the people in Florida. I’m so tired of it. If you really want to stop abortions, get a vasectomy,” Rep. Yvonna Hinson said.

Under the bill, mothers are immune to any sort of prosecution. That comes as good news to critics.

But it’s not enough for those who want Florida to rethink its laws on abortion, sex and much more.

This bill passed Wednesday along party lines. It goes next to the House floor.

"Momnibus" package seeks to bolster parents

Studies have found that Black women in the U.S. are far more likely than white women to die during or soon after childbirth. Several members of Congress are seeking to pass more than a dozen bills to address this disparity. A package of bills in Congress is normally called an “Omnibus.” The maternal health legislation is being called the “momnibus.”

Giving birth to a child is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in a parent’s life, but for some women, and especially Black women in America, it can be a different story.

“It has actively gotten more dangerous in the United States for women to give birth in our country. And that should never be the case,” Rep. Lauren Underwood said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1,205 women died from pregnancy-related complications in the United States in 2021, up from 861 in 2020. The problem is especially acute for Black women, who are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.

“There’s no genetic issue or there’s something about Black women where we can’t survive childbirth, absolutely not. This is about, you know, what’s going on with our health care system and the lack of providers,” Underwood said.

Reps. Underwood and Alma Adams launched the Black Maternal Health Caucus four years ago to address the problem.

“We have a lot of insensitivity toward women who look like me. I recall my daughter telling me that she was having, experiencing some difficulty. This was before she even wanted to give birth. And so they said, well go home and lie down on your side,” Adams said.

Experts blame the racial disparity in maternal death rates on everything from bias in the health care system to a lack of equal access to quality care.

Adams and Underwood have created a package of 13 bills they call the “momnibus.” They collectively aim to address every aspect of maternal health.

One of those bills would provide funding to community-based organizations like Mamatoto Village in Washington, D.C.

“We found ourselves on this motherhood journey, pretty lonely and needing community meeting women who were navigating motherhood in similar ways. And so this space for us became a sanctuary and a refuge,” Mamatoto Village co-founder Aza Nedhari said.

Mamatoto Village supports women during their pregnancies and into postpartum with a range of services from childbirth education to lactation consultations.

“We have to address the root causes of what is leading to maternal death, whether that is housing, whether that is safety, education, economics, all of these things that intersect and culminate into the maternal health crisis that we are seeing today,” Nedhari said.

Many of the “momnibus” bills have bipartisan support. But so far, only one has passed.

“We’re looking for legislative vehicles that are moving right. Let’s get this attached to a federal funding package or another must pass bill. So we can get this signed into law this year,” Underwood said.

For community organizations working with women every day, the “momnibus” is a measure that can’t wait.

“We can’t compel congress anymore. We can no longer beg for our lives, or beg for our futures. But there has to be that same urgency and will and desire to make it right for Black women,” Nedhari said.

Underwood and Adams are also encouraging people to contact their representatives in Congress to urge them to support the momnibus package.