The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature adopted a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, a plan later signed into law by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for a possible presidential bid.
The prohibition provides DeSantis with a significant electoral gain among Republican primary voters as he prepares to begin a presidential campaign based on his national brand as a conservative standard bearer.
The governor’s office said late Thursday that he had signed the bill. The six-week restriction will go into effect only if the state’s current 15-week prohibition is sustained in an ongoing legal dispute before the conservative-controlled state Supreme Court.
Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave abortion access decisions to states, the policy would have broader consequences for abortion access throughout the South. Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi have all outlawed abortion at any stage of pregnancy, while Georgia prohibits it after heart activity is found, which is usually about six weeks.
“We have the opportunity to lead the national debate about the importance of protecting life and giving every child the opportunity to be born and find his or her purpose,” said Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, who carried the bill in the House.
Democrats and abortion rights advocates have slammed Florida’s proposal as excessive.
“This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks — before many women even know they’re pregnant,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement issued after Thursday’s vote. “This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care.”
Exceptions to Florida’s abortion ban and restrictions on medication-induced abortions
The legislation allows for some exceptions, including saving the woman’s life. Abortions for rape or incest pregnancies would be permitted until 15 weeks of pregnancy, providing the woman had proof such as a restraining order or police record. The rape and incest provisions have been deemed reasonable by DeSantis.
Under Florida law, drugs used in medication-induced abortions — which account for the vast majority of those performed nationwide — could be delivered only in person or by a physician. Separately, the abortion drug mifepristone is being challenged in court across the country.
“I can’t think of any bill that’s going to provide more protections to more people who are more vulnerable than this piece of legislation,” said Republican Rep. Mike Beltran, who said the bill’s exceptions and six-week timeframe represented a compromise.
Abortion restrictions draw political consequences, prompting voter backlash against Republicans
Abortion restrictions are popular among certain religious conservatives who make up the GOP voting base, but the topic has prompted many others to vote Democratic. Republicans have suffered blows in recent weeks and months in elections centered on abortion access in states such as Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
“Have we learned nothing?” House Democratic Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said of recent elections in other states. “Do we not listen to our constituents and to the people of Florida and what they are asking for?”
DeSantis, who frequently places himself on the front lines of cultural war issues, has stated he supports the six-week moratorium but has been unusually hesitant on the bill. When pressed about the policy, he has frequently stated, “We welcome pro-life legislation.”
