The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would ban most abortions after six weeks, when many women don’t know they are pregnant.
The bill passed by a vote of 70 to 40, largely along party lines. The measure now goes to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.
He reiterated his support for tighter abortion restrictions just last month, saying, “We welcome pro-life legislation.”
The bill would only take effect if the state’s existing 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court. The Republican governor last February signed that ban, which has no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.
The legislation would make performing an abortion after the six-week limit a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
But it includes exceptions for cases of rape and incest up to the 15th week of pregnancy as determined by a physician. In those cases, a woman would have to provide documentation such as a medical record, a restraining order or a police report to prove she is a victim.
DeSantis last month called those and rape and incest provisions “sensible.”
The bill also allows abortion in severe medical emergencies. But only on the condition that two physicians certify in writing that an abortion is necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life or avoid a serious risk of substantial and “irreversible physical impairment” to a bodily function. A single physician can make that call if a second isn’t available for consultation.
Abortion is also allowed up to the third trimester in cases where a fetus has a fatal abnormality, but two physicians must certify that in writing.
A six-week limit would more closely align the state with the abortion restrictions of other GOP-controlled states. It would effectively end Florida’s reputation as a safe haven for people from other Southern states who are seeking an abortion.
The measure could also give DeSantis a…
Read the full article here