The White House denounced the decision and said the administration will take the case to the Supreme Court.
Miami, United States:
Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature on Thursday passed a ban on most abortions after six weeks — before many women even know they’re pregnant — a measure immediately attacked by the White House as “extreme and dangerous.”
The bill passed by a vote of 70 to 40 in the state’s lower house — one week after passing in the Senate — and will be sent to Governor Ron DeSantis for signature.
It was the second time in a year that the legislature in the southeastern US state voted to shorten the deadline for legal abortion. Last April, DeSantis signed a law shortening the period from 24 weeks to 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The White House denounced the move, saying it “goes against fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority” of Americans.
“This ban would prevent four million women of childbearing age in Florida from accessing abortion care after six weeks — before many women know they are pregnant,” Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, said in a statement.
The new bill stipulates that women in Florida cannot have an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy unless the fetus is not viable, the pregnancy endangers the mother’s health, or is the result of rape or incest and lasts no longer than 15 years . to soften.
DeSantis, a rising star among Republicans, is further polishing his conservative credentials with the bill as he considers running for his party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
Even with DeSantis’ signature on the bill, it won’t pass until the state Supreme Court rules on appeals filed by several groups against the 15-week limit, arguing that the law violates a state privacy clause.
According to a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, about 64 percent of Florida residents believe that abortion should be allowed in most or all cases.
Even with the 15-week limit, Florida is one of the more tolerant states in the southeastern U.S., and many women have traveled there from neighboring states to get abortions in recent months.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
