On the Proposed Republican-Governor Correspondence on Abortion in Florida, Late-time Incests and Medications
State capital of Florida, TALLAHASSEE The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal signed into law later in the day by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run.
The silent part is that you don’t want women to have choice, according to House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell.
The law contains some exceptions, including to save the woman’s life. A rape or Incest baby would not be able to be terminated until 15 weeks of the baby’s age if the woman has a restraining order or police report. The rape and incest provisions were called sensible by DeSantis.
The bill would also ban doctors from prescribing an abortion via telehealth and require medication for abortion be dispensed by a physician, not by mail.
“A woman’s right to choose, I’ve heard people talk about that. Well, that right to choose begins before you have sex,” state Rep. Kiyan Michael, a Jacksonville Republican, said Thursday. “It should not be after you have sex. “
After a judge in Texas ordered the suspension of the FDA’s approval of a medication for abortion, the national debate on abortion once again intensified. The Department of Justice is attempting to have the US Supreme Court intervene in the case after parts of the order were frozen. The Wisconsin Supreme Court race was at the center of the current debate on abortion access, and resulted in a surge in Democratic turnout.
Following the bill’s passage by the state Senate last week, demonstrations broke out at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, leading to the arrest of Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried and Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book.
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Over time those protections made Florida a sanctuary for women looking to get abortions throughout the South, as neighboring states moved to restrict the procedure. Florida had the highest rate of legal abortions per 1,000 women in the country in 2020.
The makeup of the Florida Supreme Court has shifted in recent times, and it’s now heavily shaped by the conservative influence of new governor Ron DeSantis. He will name a fifth justice to replace Justice Ricky Polston, who resigned last month.
The state does not publish data on the number of pregnancies terminated during the first six weeks. There were more than 82,000 abortions in Florida in 2022, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, and the overwhelming majority took place during the first trimester.
The ban is a major win for him as he prepares to launch his presidential candidacy built on his national brand as a conservative standard bearer.
The six-week ban will take effect only if the state’s current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by conservatives.
The Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn a 35-year-old policy on abortion will have far reaching implications for abortion access throughout the South. Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia have all banned abortion at any point in time, while Georgia does not allow the procedure after six weeks.
The bill was carried in the House by Republican Representative-in-residence, Jenna Persons-Mulicka.
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The law in Florida states that the drugs used in abortions could only be purchased in person or by a physician. The nationwide access to the abortion pill is under challenge.
“I can’t think of any bill that’s going to provide more protections to more people who are more vulnerable than this piece of legislation,” said Republican Rep. Mike Beltran, who said the bill’s exceptions and six-week timeframe represented a compromise.
Abortion bans are popular among some religious conservatives who are part of the GOP voting base, but the issue has motivated many others to vote for Democrats. In the last few weeks and months, Republicans have suffered losses in elections in states where access to abortion is unpopular.
“Have we learned nothing?” Driskell talked about the recent elections in other states. “Do we not listen to our constituents and to the people of Florida and what they are asking for?”
DeSantis, who often places himself on the front lines of culture war issues, had said he backs the six-week ban but had appeared uncharacteristically tepid on the bill. He has often said, “We welcome pro-life legislation,” when asked about the policy.
DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential candidacy after the session ends in May, with his potential White House run in part buoyed by the conservative policies approved by the Republican supermajority in the Statehouse this year.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/14/1169933395/florida-gov-desantis-signs-6-week-abortion-ban-bill
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Democrats, without power at any level of state government, had mostly turned to stall tactics and protests to oppose the bill, which easily passed both chambers on largely party-line votes. Last week the Senate approved it, and on Thursday the House did the same.
“They’re taking women’s health and their right to choose away from them,” said Robinson. Is Florida a free state?