Miami, Apr 13 (EFE).- The bill to limit legal abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy in Florida was approved this Thursday by the Republican-dominated Lower House, and now all that remains is the signature of the governor, Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, to make it effective.
With 70 votes in favor and 40 against, the House of Representatives today approved this controversial bill against which the Democrats presented numerous amendments, all of which were rejected.
The Senate, for its part, had already given its approval on April 3 to the initiative (the bill SB 300) presented last March by Senator Erin Grall.
DeSantis, who has supported this proposal, is expected to sign the measure that further tightens the deadlines for abortion, since until now abortion was allowed up to 15 weeks.
As of July 1, 2022, you can only legally abort in Florida up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, instead of the 24 weeks established until then.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the approval and imminent enactment marks a “new, extreme and dangerous ban on abortion.”
“The ban goes against fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and across the United States.”
LEADING THE NATION IN “THE PROTECTION OF LIFE”
“We have the opportunity to lead the nation in protecting life and giving every child the opportunity to be born and find their purpose,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, at the end of a debate that lasted more than seven hours, according to the Sun Sentinel newspaper.
However, critics of the measure argue that many women do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks gestation.
Following the Senate’s passage of the bill in early April, Democratic Senator Linda Stewart charged against the measure, saying in a statement that “many women may not be able to confirm their pregnancy until the fourth week.”
So, Stewart wondered, now the state of Florida expects (women thinking about abortion) to get appointments with two doctors and make this important decision in just a couple of weeks?
Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which advocates for reproductive and health care, said today that “abortion bans have doubled down to deprive millions of people of essential health care,” a “political decision ” that hurt “black and Latino, LGBTQ+ and low-income people” above all.
Democrats warned in session that the six-week ban puts women in danger by forcing them to potentially suffer sepsis or bleed to death because they cannot get an abortion any time soon, as well as pushing them to risk their lives by having illegal abortions.
“Abortion is a moral right left to the woman alone,” said Rep. Rita Harris, D-Orlando.
“ONE OF THE STRICTEST PROHIBITIONS” IN THE US
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison stated that DeSantis, “in his relentless quest to win over the MAGA base, Ron DeSantis is about to make good on his promise to take away women’s freedom to make their own decisions. of medical attention”.
“DeSantis has vowed to sign this even more extreme ban that applies to a point before many women even know they are pregnant. This ban will be one of the strictest in the country and is just the latest bout of anti-abortion extremism,” Harris said.
The measure includes exemptions in the case of rape, incest or human trafficking for up to 15 weeks, but the victim must provide “a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record or other court order or documentation” that provides evidence of the crime. .
It also includes exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger or to avoid “serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical deterioration.”
But two doctors are required to approve medical abortion exception cases, a difficult requirement for people living in rural areas and other parts of the state where there is a shortage of doctors, according to critics of the measure.
If effective, the proposal will again limit the right to abortion in this state governed by the conservative DeSantis, who was re-elected in 2022 and apparently seeks to compete for the White House in 2024.
