Florida Republicans passed legislation on Thursday banning abortion after 6 weeks, according to reports.
The bill bans abortions after 6 weeks with exceptions, including to save the life of the mother. Abortions for pregnancies involving rape or incest would be allowed until 15 weeks of pregnancy, but only if the woman can provide proof such as a restraining order or police report, according to the Associated Press.
The measure passed the House on a 70-40 vote days after it passed the Senate.
“This is a dark day for our state. Women in Ron DeSantis’ Florida are now less safe and will be forced to live under what effectively will be an outright abortion ban,” Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said. “As we said over and over, six weeks is before most women even know they’re pregnant, and it’s long before many tests for the viability, safety, and health of both the mother and fetus.”
The measure now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis'(R) desk where he’s expected to sign it into law. However, he might still face some legal hurdles when he signs it because the state Supreme Court is currently deciding the constitutionality of a 15-week abortion ban DeSantis signed into law after the state’s 2022 legislative session, NBC reports.
