The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has signed a bill that bans abortions after six weeks, hours after the measure was labelled “extreme and dangerous” by White House.
In a statement, Desantis said: “We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida.”
The bill prohibits women from having an abortion in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy unless the pregnancy is induced by rape or incest and does not exceed 15 weeks, puts the health of the mother in danger or the fetus is not viable.
The White House condemned the move, saying it “flies in the face of fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority” of Americans.
In a recent statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “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.”
Florida’s legislature passed the text hours earlier with 70 votes to 40.
This is the second time Florida will cut the legal term for abortion in a year.
In April 2022, DeSantis signed a bill that reduced it from 24 to 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
The new bill’s text will not take effect until the Florida Supreme Court rules on an appeal filed by many associations against the 15-week limit, arguing that the law contravenes a state privacy clause.
DeSantis is denting his conservative credentials with the bill as he considers a run for his party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
Advocates of the new abortion deadline claim it is important to protect the lives of innocent children.
The Democratic opposition and activists in support of abortion rights say Florida should not interfere in private decisions and warn about the negative effects of the limit for many women.
“This bill bans abortion legally, but it will not ban it in reality,” said Democratic Congresswoman Lindsay Cross during the debate in the Lower House.
“Abortions will be performed in private, without medical supervision and with increased risk to women’s health, physical and mental well-being.”
According to a survey by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute, sixty-four percent of Floridians feel abortion should be permitted in all or most cases.
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