TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republicans moved Tuesday to restrict abortion even more by proposing bills to ban the procedure with few exceptions after six weeks of pregnancy.
The legislation would expand on a 15-week ban passed by the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.
The Republican governor said Tuesday he welcomes the proposal, echoing previous statements that he would sign additional anti-abortion legislation.
State Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, and state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, filed the bills as DeSantis prepared to deliver his State of the State address on the opening day of the session.
Grall said the legislation would “make Florida a beacon of hope for those who understand that life is sacred and must be protected.”
The proposal includes exceptions for rape and incest up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. It also allows for exceptions for medical emergencies that threaten the life or serious harm to the mother.
Rape and incest victims would need to present a restraining order, police report, medical record or other court order or documentation as proof when obtaining an abortion. Minors would need to report incest or rape to a central abuse hotline.
The six-week ban would take effect 30 days after the state Supreme Court weighs in on whether there is a right to an abortion within the Florida Constitution. The court, which has gotten more conservative, is considering an earlier ruling that established the state constitution’s privacy clause establishes abortion rights.
A six-week abortion ban could mean many would be unable to get an abortion at all, said Dr. Robyn Schickler, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
“If our wait times stayed the way they are now, they wouldn’t get in before six weeks,” Schickler said.
People typically don’t realize they are pregnant until at least a week after they miss their first period, by which point they’re already five weeks along due to the way gestational age is calculated, she said.
This would give patients one week to make two visits to an abortion clinic, at least 24 hours apart. Florida’s 24-hour waiting period requirement took effect in April.
Schickler said in the Central Florida area, it currently takes about 20 days for a Planned Parenthood patient to complete both of their appointments.
For medical emergencies, the legislation stipulates that “two physicians certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgment, the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman other than a psychological condition.”
Abortions would also allow abortions if a “fatal fetal abnormality” is detected, and the pregnancy has not progressed to the third trimester.
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo signaled her support, saying the legislation “builds on Florida’s strong track record of protecting the most vulnerable, especially the unborn.” House Speaker Paul Renner called for defending “the right to life.”
Vastly outnumbered Democratic lawmakers said the bill amounts to an all-out abortion ban and vowed to fight it. Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book said victims should not be forced to report a rape or a sexual assault to get an abortion.
“We should not be forcing or asking people to disclose things they are not ready to do,” said Book, who is a survivor of sexual assault.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the ban “will force millions of people out of state to seek care and others will be forced into pregnancy.”
“No one wants Ron DeSantis in the exam room with us; personal medical decisions should be between me, my family, my doctor and my faith — not politicians,” Eskamani said in a prepared statement.
Florida is poised to join other Republican-led states in restricting abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion.
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