Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a law banning abortions beyond the 15th week, joining a Republican campaign seeking to limit termination of pregnancy ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that would extend restrictions to all USA.
Florida allowed abortion up to the 24th week. The new law means a strong setback for access to abortion in the south of the country, where it was higher in Florida than in neighboring states.
“This will represent the most important protection of life that has been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said at the signing ceremony held at “Nation of Faith,” an evangelical church in the city of Kissimmee that serves the Hispanic population.
DeSantis, a rising star in the Republican Party and a possible 2024 presidential candidate, signed the law after several speakers said in their speeches why they chose not to have abortions and another expressed remorse for doing so.
Some of the attendees, among whom there were children, carried signs with the legend “Choose life”. The speakers’ podium was decorated with a banner showing a baby’s feet and the caption “protect life.”
Legislative debate at times turned highly personal, with lawmakers tearfully reminiscing about their own abortions and episodes of sexual assault.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, allows abortion if it is necessary to save the mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not include exemptions for cases of incest, rape or human trafficking.
Elsewhere in the United States, Republican lawmakers have introduced new restrictions on abortion. The Texas law, ratified by the federal Supreme Court, prohibits abortion after six weeks and leaves the application in the hands of citizens.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a law that makes performing an abortion punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a law in March that outlaws abortion after the 15th week if the Supreme Court upholds a similar Mississippi law.
If Roe v. Wade, it is highly likely that 26 states will ban abortion or apply strong restrictions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights. During the debate over the Florida law, Republican lawmakers said they want the state to limit abortion access if the Supreme Court upholds the Mississippi law.