Last night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new, restrictive abortion bill into law after the state House, which has a Republican supermajority, passed the bill. Senate Bill 300, titled the “Heartbeat Protection Act,” which passed 70 to 40 earlier that day, restricts abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
The only exceptions to the new law are abortions that risk the life of a mother and abortions up to 15 weeks for pregnancies caused by instances of rape, incest or human trafficking.
“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families.”
The legislation includes a $25 million budget for clinics and organizations which provide counseling and educational resources for pregnant women and families.
Following the signing, the White House issued a statement denouncing the “extreme and dangerous” decree.
“Today, Florida’s Republican supermajority-controlled legislature sent an extreme and dangerous new abortion ban to Governor DeSantis’s desk for signature. The ban flies in the face of fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and of all the United States,” White House press secretary Karine-Jean Pierre said in a statement.
Other Democrats weighed in.
“DeSantis signed the extremist 6-week abortion ban into law just before 12 am, hoping Floridians won’t notice he stripped away a right most people agree with. Retweet & amplify. If we don’t want FL’s present to become America’s future, we must stop him in ’24,” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell tweeted.
