Florida House passes six-week abortion ban with support from DeSantis

The Florida House of Representatives passed on Thursday legislation this would ban most abortions after six weeks, when many women do not know they are pregnant.

The bill passed by 70 votes to 40, mostly along party lines. The measure now goes to the governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign the bill.

He confirmed his support for tightening restrictions on abortion just last month, stating: “We welcome the law to protect life.”

The bill will only go into effect if the state’s existing 15-week ban is maintained in place. ongoing legal problem that is, before the State Supreme Court. Republican Governor signed in February last year this prohibition, which has no exceptions for rape, incest, or human trafficking.

legislation perform an abortion after six weeks is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

But it does include exceptions for cases of rape and incest before the 15th week of pregnancy, at the discretion of a physician. In these cases, the woman will have to provide documents such as a medical record, a restraining order, or a police report to prove that she is a victim.

Last month, DeSantis called those provisions, as well as the rape and incest provisions, “delicate.”

The bill also allows abortions in severe cases of medical emergencies. But only on the condition that two doctors confirm in writing that the abortion is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of significant and “irreversible physical damage” to body functions. One doctor can make this call if the other is not available for a consultation.

Abortion is also permitted before the third trimester in cases where the fetus has a fatal anomaly, but two physicians must confirm this in writing.

The six-week limit ties the state more closely to abortion restrictions in other GOP-controlled states. This would effectively end Florida’s reputation as asylum for people from other southern states who want an abortion.

The move could also give DeSantis potential political support among Republican voters ahead of the election. possible presidential race in 2024.

Ahead of the vote, Republican lawmakers backed longtime conservative views on abortion.

Rep. Jenna Persons-Malika said the bill would save lives, pointing to over 82,000 abortions recorded in Florida last year.

“Today we stand for life, we stand for mothers, and we stand for Florida families,” Persons-Malika said. “We can change the culture of abortion to a culture of life.”

State Democrats have criticized the bill since it was introduced at the beginning of last month. The Florida Senate’s vote last week to pass the bill sparked demonstrations outside the State Capitol in Tallahassee that resulted in arrest two Democratic MPs.

Other representatives of the Democratic Party threw the bill into the House of Representatives before the vote.

“Abortion is a health concern,” said the Rep. Kelly Skidmore said three times in a row. “This bill denies that to millions of Florida residents. This is a dangerous bill. We will never agree to this.”

“What you’re doing is telling every Floridian that they should live the way you want them to live, not the way they want to live,” she continued. “Stay out of my business.”

Rep. Robin Bartleman also said, “The right to bodily autonomy is an innate right.”

“My body belongs to me. We don’t need unclear laws and muddy waters,” Bartleman said.

A recent poll shows that a six-week abortion ban is not popular among Florida residents. According to the University of North Florida, roughly 75% of the more than 1,400 people said they oppose the ban to some extent or strongly. vote released in March.

The bill comes amid a tangled legal battle over mifepristone in the form of an abortion pill. Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overnight frozen part of an order by a Texas judge that would have suspended FDA approval of mifepristone.

The Biden administration will ask the Supreme Court to intervene, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.

Florida’s measure also represents a broader shift in the U.S. legal fight for abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned the 50-year-old Roe v. case last June. Wade’s ruling. After this decision, abortion rights largely remained with the individual states.

Some states rushed to completely ban the procedure, while others gradually introduced new restrictions. Most abortions even now banned in more than a dozen states, including Idaho, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Oklahoma.