Florida poised to restrict abortions at 15 weeks
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said he would sign a 15-week abortion ban into law after Florida’s Legislature joined the trend of Republicanled states anticipating a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could sharply limit abortion rights.
“I think that we’ll be able to sign that in short order,” DeSantis, a Republican, told reporters at a news conference in Jacksonville a day after the GOP-controlled statehouse approved the bill following a series of emotional debates that often veered into painful, personal stories.
Republicans across the country are moving to replicate a 15week abortion ban in Mississippi that the Supreme Court seems poised to uphold this summer. If the court weakens or overturns Roe v. Wade, Florida could be less of a destination for women throughout the South whose states have more restrictive abortion laws.
“Access to care in the South is being decimated,” said Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, adding that the passage of the bill signals that “your right to bodily autonomy depends on where you live.”
The state currently allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions thereafter for victims of rape or incest, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The Florida bill contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life or prevent serious injury to the mother, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality confirmed by two doctors. It would go into effect July 1, 2022.
The passage of the legislation has drawn attention from the White House, with Democratic President Joe Biden responding in a tweet that said “My administration will not stand for the continued erosion of women’s constitutional rights.”
Republicans rejected several attempts by Democrats to add exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking. Supporters said it’s not a total ban and still gives women enough time to consider whether to get an abortion. They also called it reasonably limited, saying state statistics show only 6 percent of Florida’s abortions last year occurred after the first trimester, or after the 11th week. Of these, 17 women and girls had been impregnated through rape or incest.
“The only thing that we’re asking in this bill is that whatever decision you make, you do it before the 15 weeks,” said Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia.
GOP lawmakers in West Virginia and Arizona have introduced 15week abortion bans similar to the Mississippi law. Republicans in other states have modeled legislation after a Texas law, which the Supreme Court allowed to stand pending appeals, that effectively bans abortions after six weeks.
White House officials hosted a roundtable discussion with abortion rights advocates and Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday expressing a commitment to “exploring every option to protect reproductive health care.”