Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Heartbeat Protection Act on Thursday evening, banning abortions after 6 weeks gestation in the state, with some rare exceptions.
The law makes exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking (up to 15 weeks gestation), and fatal fetal conditions that go beyond 15 weeks, according to WFLA.
“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said.
Previously, Florida was the abortion safe haven of the south, as surrounding states moved quickly to ban abortion following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last year. Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi all have abortion bans in place, with exceptions for the life of the mother. Georgia bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around the 5-6 week gestation period.
Until now, Florida allowed women to receive abortions until the 15-week mark — which is after most doctors agree that a fetus can feel pain. Pro-abortion organizations, however, found that limitation too rigid, and are in the process of legally challenging the ban in the state’s Supreme Court.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of nearly a dozen abortion centers throughout the state of Florida. The organizations argue that the 15-week ban undermine Florida’s state constitution, which they claim gives citizens a “right to privacy.” This is similar to the argument made in the US Supreme Court in 1973 when Federal Supreme Court Justices voted in favor of Roe, a decision that has since been ruled fallible.
If Florida’s Supreme Court upholds the 15-week ban or decides that the privacy clause in the state constitution does not apply to abortion, the new 6-week ban would go into effect 30 days after the ruling.
This piece originally appeared on TPUSA.
