Florida lawmakers advance 15-week abortion ban

A bill that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy was passed on Wednesday by the Florida state House of Representatives, Reuters reported.

The bill was approved by the state legislative body by a 78-39 vote, which was split on party lines. It will now head to the state Senate, which is expected to pass the bill soon.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has already said he supports the bill, giving the bill an expected green light.

If the bill gets signed into law, many women in the Sunshine State would lose abortion access, making the closest access to abortion for many several hours away by car, as a number of other states surrounding Florida also have tight abortion restrictions, Reuters noted.

Florida’s bill has some exceptions listed in its 15-week ban, including cases where the mother’s life is at risk or there is a risk of “irreversible physical impairment,” or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality; however, the bill has no exception for rape or incest, according to Reuters. 

The bill would go into effect on July 1 if it is approved by the Senate and governor.

The bill was modeled after the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban, which was put into law in 2018 and designed intentionally to challenge Roe v. Wade. The bill may now end up being a landmark case, as a Supreme Court ruling on its constitutionality is expected later this year.

Similar bills that restrict abortion access and are mirrored after Mississippi’s law have been passed and proposed in many other Republican-led states.

The Arizona Senate passed a similar bill Tuesday that would penalize medical officials who conduct abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, allowing them to face a year in prison and lose their medical licenses.

Bills, which are similar or identical to a controversial Texas abortion ban that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, have also been introduced in Alabama, Missouri and Ohio this year.