In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Attorney General James Uthmeier (R-Florida) said that his goal is to make Florida the safest state to raise a family.
"As a father of three little ones my wife Jean and I know that there is no greater blessing from God than to have children," said the attorney general. "There's also no greater responsibility and to bring up good citizens."
While he understands that "there are many couples out there that are unable to have kids," and that "many are turning to technology and various resources in the hopes of aiding their quest for parenthood, surrogacy being one of these options," Uthmeier (shown above) said that Floridians in office have a responsibility as leaders to protect families.
"We've seen situations lately where surrogacy has exposed kids to dangerous harm," said Uthmeier. "In Pennsylvania, we recently saw a homosexual couple including a registered sex offender celebrate bringing home a newborn. In other states we've seen situations where parents have obtained children through surrogacy or adoption only to then subject them to repeated sexual abuse. This cannot and will not happen in Florida."
Uthmeier is now proposing the Protecting Kids From Predators Pursuing Parenthood Act, a bill he hopes to work on with the legislature to "ensure that registered sex offenders, people that have preyed upon kids are in no way eligible to obtain children through surrogacy, adoption, or foster care." This will also apply to people that abuse animals.
This would be another step for protection of children in Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis in June signed legislation aimed at protecting children from sexual crimes which includes provisions to protect victims of digital sexual abuse by ensuring authorities have a clear, enforceable process to remove damaging material.
Previously the State of Florida enacted measures to combat child sexual offenses and grooming, including bills that increase criminal penalties for adults who lure or entice children under 12. The legislation also requires manufacturers of tables and smartphones to enable filters upon device activation.
Uthmeier’s proposal would also penalize animal abuse.
"If you abuse animals, you have no purpose becoming a new parent," said Uthmeier. "We cannot endanger our kids."
