Ron DeSantis – the potential Republican presidential nominee – has approved a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy in Florida.
The Republican-run state legislature approved the legislation yesterday, which gives the governor a key political victory ahead of an expected GOP presidential battle against Donald Trump.
DeSantis said in a statement that “we are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida” – the state currently prohibits abortion after 15 weeks.
Signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which expands pro-life protections and devotes resources to help young mothers and families. pic.twitter.com/quZpSj1ZPk
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 14, 2023
The Republican governor has also launched numerous attacks on LGBTQ minority groups during his time in politics.
Florida is known as a swing state in presidential elections and Republicans will hope that the ban will win over conservative voters in a key battleground state.
The new law in Florida will also boost DeSantis’s hopes among Republican primary voters, as he tries to brand himself as a protector of conservative values – a drastic contrast with Donald Trump, whose controversial personal life contradicts beliefs held by many Republicans.
Many people – including Democrats and abortion-rights groups – see Florida’s proposal as extreme as many women do not yet realize they are pregnant until after six weeks.
The medication abortion decision didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Extremist Republicans are doing everything they can to ban abortion everywhere in America. Abortion care affects millions of women. We need to stay vigilant in protecting abortion rights. pic.twitter.com/lCKOvsLM1b
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) April 13, 2023
This controversial decision will have a knock-on effect throughout the country in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade – which ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion – meaning that abortion access is decided by individual states.
Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have banned abortion at all stages of pregnancy, while Georgia forbids the procedure after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks.
Florida’s new six-week ban will take effect only if the state’s current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge – however, as the Supreme Court is conservative controlled, it is unlikely the legal challenge will be successful.
In instances where a woman’s life is under threat abortion is allowed, as well as in instances involving rape or incest until 15 weeks of pregnancy – provided a woman has documentation such as a restraining order or police report.
Abortion bans are vote-winners among some religious conservatives, but anti-abortion legislation has united previously divided progressives in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin – where focus on abortion access has resulted in electoral victory for Democrats.
