Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a 15-week abortion ban as the state joined a growing conservative push to restrict access ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could limit the procedure to the whole country.
The new law is a major blow to access to abortion in the South, where Florida has provided broader access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.
The new law, which comes into force on July 1, contains exceptions if abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow exemptions in cases where the pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Under current law, Florida allows abortions for up to 24 weeks.
“This will represent the most important protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill to the “Nation of Faith,” an evangelical church in the city. of Kissimmee serving members of the Latino population.
DeSantis, a rising Republican star and potential candidate for the 2024 presidency, signed the measure after several women gave speeches about how they chose not to have an abortion or, in one case, regretted doing so.
Some of the attendees, including young children, stood behind the speakers with signs that read “Choose Life,” while those who spoke stood in front of a podium on which was placed a sign showing the feet of a baby and a beat that said “Protect life.” “
The debate over the proposal grew deeply personal and revealing in the Florida legislature, and lawmakers recalled their own abortions and sexual assault experiences in often tearful speeches in the House and Senate.
Elsewhere in the United States, Republican lawmakers have introduced new restrictions on abortion, some similar to a Texas law that bans abortion after about six weeks and leaves the application to private citizens, which the Supreme Court of the US decided to leave it in force.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed a bill to make abortion a crime, punishable by up to a decade in prison. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law in March to ban abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds Mississippi law.
If Roe is overturned, it is certain or likely that 26 states will ban or severely restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights. During the debate on Florida law, Republicans have said they want the state to be in a good position to limit access to abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds Mississippi law.
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- ron desantis
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