The Republican-led Florida House approved a bill to ban most abortions after six weeks’ gestation on April 13, sending the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.
HB 7, which passed the Senate on April 4, would reduce the state’s current gestational limit on abortion—15 weeks—by more than half.
However, the bill does allow for certain exceptions, such as if the mother’s life is deemed to be at risk. Additionally, in cases where the mother is a victim of rape, incest, or human trafficking, abortion will be legal up until 15 weeks of pregnancy. And, if a fatal fetal anomaly is detected, abortion will remain an option up until 27 weeks.
The law also specifies that drugs for a medical abortion could only be dispensed in person or by a physician.
“We have the opportunity to lead the national debate about the importance of protecting life and giving every child the opportunity to be born and find his or her purpose,” said Republican state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, who carried the bill in the House.
Democrats, however, have criticized the measure as extreme.
“This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks—before many women even know they’re pregnant,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said after the bill’s passage.
“This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care.”
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that abortion is not a constitutional right, many states have moved to tighten restrictions on abortion within their borders.
For instance, in nearby Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the procedure has been banned completely, and in Georgia, abortion is prohibited after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which usually occurs at around six weeks.
However, in more liberal areas of the country, the opposite has been the case. In California, for example, the state recently passed a spate of abortion-friendly laws to solidify its stance on the issue and voted to amend its constitution to prohibit the state from denying or interfering with residents’ “reproductive freedom.”
Florida’s law will only take effect if the state’s embattled 15-week ban is upheld by the Florida Supreme Court.
DeSantis is expected to sign the bill.
