Florida Republicans file six week abortion ban

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Florida lawmakers filed legislation on the first day of the 2023 Legislative Session that would ban abortions after six weeks.

Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, and Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, filed similar abortion related bills. Current state law, which is being litigated in court, bans abortions after 15 weeks.

Both bills prohibit abortions after six weeks unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest and the fetus is not more than 15 weeks, according to the bill.

The bill requires the woman who scheduled the abortion to provide a restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court document proving she is a victim of rape or incest.

If the woman is a minor, the bill said the physician must report the rape or incest incident to the central abuse hotline.

Other exceptions to the abortion ban includes if the mother’s life at risk or if the pregnancy has not progressed to the third trimester and physicians believe the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters after the State of the State Address that he had not seen what was filed Tuesday.

“I think the issue is less the week than the fact that there’s a detectable heartbeat,” the governor said.

As the state awaits a decision from the Florida Supreme Court regarding the 15-week abortion ban, Renner said there will be “trigger language” in the bill to put the six-week ban in effect if the court rules in favor of the 15-week ban.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she supports the legislation because it included exceptions for rape and incest.

“Senator Grall agreed to put that in her bill and that’s why I’m supporting it,” Passidomo said.

The legislation also prohibits public dollars from being used for a person to travel to another state for abortions, unless it would save a mother’s life.

Doctors would not be allowed to use telehealth to provide an abortion, even through prescribing abortion-inducing drugs. It requires a physician be physically present when the termination of a pregnancy is performed or when dispensing abortion-inducing drugs.

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Plantation, released a statement condemning the legislation.

“Today, Florida Republicans have gone scorched earth with what is effectively an all-out abortion ban – with threats to criminalize women and their doctors,” Book said. “The health, freedom, and dignity of women, girls, doctors, mothers, and yes — even sexual assault survivors — is about to be stolen, and no over-simplified carve out included to appease Republicans’ guilty consciences is enough to save us.”

Rep. Anna Eskamani, who worked at Planned Parenthood, said abortion should be a decision between family and doctors.

“Florida Republicans have once again demonstrated a complete disregard for the women of our state and for our collective freedoms,” Eskamani said. “As we’ve already seen in other states, a six week ban is extreme, dangerous, and will force millions of people out of state to seek care and others will be forced into pregnancy.”