Bill represents “the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said.
QUICK FACTS:
- Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law on Thursday a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks, Forbes reports.
- DeSantis was joined by pro-life advocates and community leaders to sign HB 5, the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act, to protect the lives of Florida’s most vulnerable by prohibiting all abortions after 15 weeks of gestation, according to the governor’s website.
- “HB 5 represents the most significant protections for life in Florida’s modern history,” the site reads.
- “This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill at an evangelical church in the city of Kissimmee.
- HB 5 deals a significant blow to overall abortion access in the South, where Florida had provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.
- The new law, which takes effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
- However, it does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest, or human trafficking.
- Democrats criticized the new law following the signing, arguing, “Politicians have no business getting between a patient and her doctor,” said House Democratic Leader Evan Jenne. “This 15-week abortion ban takes away every woman’s right to make personal decisions that should only be made by themselves, with their family, their doctor, and their faith.”
READ THE HB 5:
WHAT PRO-LIFE FLORIDA LEADERS ARE SAYING:
- “Life is precious and children are a God-given gift,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “That is why House Bill 5 is so important, as it provides added protections for the unborn child. Governor DeSantis and I remain steadfast in our commitment to defending the sanctity of innocent human life and protecting the unborn.”
- “Every abortion kills a special and unique human being who deserves protection under the laws of this state and the chance to grow up in a loving family,” said Senate President Wilton Simpson. “As an adopted child in a family that took in foster children, it has always been important to me that our state do everything we can to promote adoption as an alternative to abortion. Floridians can be proud that we live in a state that not only protects innocent, unborn life, but also supports children and parents. I commend Governor DeSantis for making strong pro-life, pro-child, and pro-family legislation the centerpiece of his administration.”
- “With Governor DeSantis’ signature on our bill that respects and protects life before and after birth, we are well on our way to saving thousands of babies — and it doesn’t stop there,” said House Speaker Chris Sprowls. “Through provisions in our bill, we will continue to support babies and new moms to ensure they have the best opportunities to be healthy and safe for years to come. I could not be more proud of the tenacity, courage and resilience displayed by Representatives Grall and Persons-Mulicka in their fight for this bill and the lives of Florida’s next generation.”
- “In the half century since the Roe v. Wade decision, science has shown us that an unborn baby rapidly develops the functions and form of a child long before viability. Having once been a scared teenage mother myself, I understand the challenge and anguish of a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, but we have a duty to protect life,” said Senator Kelli Stargel. “This bill safeguards innocent, unborn children with beating hearts, who can move, taste, see, feel pain, and whose lives should be protected under the laws of this state. Governor DeSantis is a champion for life, and I am grateful to him for signing this bill into law and protecting the right to life for unborn children across our state.”
- “Today, Florida takes a big step forward in creating a culture that values, defends, and protects life,” said Representative Erin Grall. “I am proud to have worked alongside so many great leaders, including Governor DeSantis, to pass HB 5 because I know our state values the rights of the unborn and ensures that a life remains a life, whether planned or unplanned, wanted or unwanted, in the womb or outside of the womb.”
BACKGROUND:
- Gov. DeSantis signed the pro-life bill just days after Oklahoma enacted a near-total ban on abortions that made performing the procedure a felony.
- Republicans nationwide have moved to place new restrictions on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks, The Associated Press notes. The high court’s decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.
