Ron DeSantis Signs 15 Week Abortion Ban
April 14, 2022 Updated 11:43 A.M. ET
KISSIMMEE (FCV) – Governor Ron DeSantis Thursday signed a bill that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks in Florida.
“This is a time where these babies have beating hearts. They can move. They can taste,” DeSantis said. “We are here today to protect life. We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves.”
The bill signing ceremony was held at a church in Kissimmee where several people shared their personal testimonies.
“Hopefully in the future there will be no abortions. That babies will be wanted no matter when they are conceived,” Senator Kelli Stargel (R) said at the ceremony.
One mother shared how her adopted daughter survived an abortion. Another speaker urged others not to have an abortion after finding herself regretting the decision she made to have an abortion decades ago.
The law says abortions are banned after 15 weeks unless two physicians certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgement, the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life or stop her from facing irreversible physical impairment other than a psychological condition.
Other exceptions are allowed if two physicians certify in writing that in reasonable medical judgment the fetus has not achieved viability (defined under Florida Statute 390.01112) or that the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
A single physician can certify an abortion in an emergency if the above criteria is followed and another physician is not available.
Democrats said the law restricts women’s access to reproductive health care.
Planned Parenthood said on twitter that “This is gross political interference into a personal and private medical decision.”
State Democrats tried to add rape or incest exceptions when the bill was being debated but were not successful.
“This is about young girls who need a little bit more time and a little bit more grace to heal physically and emotionally to make this decision,” Democratic Senator Lauren Book said during debate on the bill earlier this year.
Florida State Representative Erin Grall (R) is the author of Florida’s new law. The Act is set to go into effect July 1, 2022.
“Life remains a life whether planned or unplanned,” Grall said. “Life remains a life whether in the womb or outside the womb.”
Florida law currently bans abortions in the third trimester unless the pregnant woman’s life is in danger. It is a 3rd degree felony for a physician who performs the abortion.
Florida’s new law is similar to Mississippi’s law that bans almost all abortions after 15 weeks. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Mississippi’s case in December of 2021 that challenges Roe v. Wade. The court is expected to issue a decision on the case this summer.
States across the country have made similar moves over the last years to restrict abortions. Oklahoma’s governor signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes abortion illegal.
During the ceremony Thursday, the Governor also pointed to the new Florida law that encourages fathers to stay in the home.
“We’re promoting fatherhood in Florida,” DeSantis continued, harkening to his recent slew of pro-fatherhood legislation.
