Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs 15-week abortion ban into law without exceptions for rape or incest
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Advocates are calling today a dark day in Florida. Making Florida the latest to restrict abortion access, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. The move comes two days after Oklahoma’s governor signed a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony in cases that do not risk a woman’s life.
”House Bill 5 protects babies in the womb who have beating hearts, who can move, who can taste, who can see, and who can feel pain,” DeSantis said in a statement Wednesday. “Life is a sacred gift worthy of our protection, and I am proud to sign this great piece of legislation which represents the most significant protections for life in the state’s modern history.”
Florida’s new law, which takes effects July 1, replaces a previous ban that allowed abortions until 24 weeks. It does not make exceptions for incest, rape, or human trafficking.
“As a woman it is my right to make decisions about my body and what is in the best interest of my family,” Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Democrat, said earlier this year, according to NBC News. “God forbid your 11-year-old is raped and pregnant and you find out after 15 weeks, you don’t get to get your daughter that abortion, that’s what this law says.”
Similar to Oklahoma, it does allow abortion in the case of saving a pregnant person’s life or preventing serious injury to them. Fetal abnormalities are also an exception; however, in those cases, at least two doctors must confirm the baby would die shortly after birth for the abortion to happen.
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Modeled after the Mississippi law that is making its way to the Supreme Court in an attempt to reverse Roe v. Wade, Florida’s abortion law was passed by the House in February.
The Mississippi Supreme Court decision could reverse the landmark Roe case and impact abortion rights nationally. GOP states across the country are moving quickly to pass laws as it makes its way to the Supreme Court. Alongside Florida, Kentucky voted Wednesday to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest, effective immediately.
Various advocacy groups including Planned Parenthood have warned that marginalized communities, including Black and Latino residents, will be impacted most.
“We’ve entered a dangerous time for Floridians’ reproductive freedom. In just a few months, thousands of pregnant people in Florida will no longer be able to access the care they need without leaving their state,” Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement. “The supporters of this bill have put their own political ambitions and beliefs before the health and futures of their constituents.”
As our very own Jen Hayden sums it up: “Women need federal protection. Congress must act.”