The six-week abortion ban will not go into effect until the Florida Supreme Court rules on the 15-week abortion ban case
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Last night, Gov. DeSantis signed Senate Bill 300 into law, a bill that bans access to abortion after six weeks from the person’s last menstrual period and criminalizes doctors who offer abortion care to patients after six weeks — before many patients will even know that they are pregnant. This near-total abortion ban would go into effect this summer when the Florida Supreme Court issues a ruling in the legal challenge against House Bill 5 — last year’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Tiffani Lennon, ACLU of Florida’s executive director responded with the following:
“This is a dark moment for our democracy.
“Gov. DeSantis just signed a near-total abortion ban into law, even though Floridians overwhelmingly support safe, legal, and accessible abortion care. Governor DeSantis has chosen to ignore the will of the people and science and to continue harming Floridians by further restricting their access to care, despite the fact that two-thirds of Floridians support the right to this necessary medical care.
“Just to be very clear: this is a ban on abortion past six weeks from the first day of the person’s last menstrual period, which means it bans abortions merely four weeks after conception. The medical community has made clear that an embryo at this early stage of development does not have a heartbeat, despite the deceitful marketing of this bill. Many people will not even know they are pregnant at that stage. For those who do, it is unlikely they will be able to obtain the two state-mandated OBGYN appointments within that strict time frame.
“These types of anti-abortion bans particularly target young people, Black and Latinx people, as well as anyone trying to make ends meet, people who are hit the hardest due to decades of racism and structural inequality within the health care system. This has left Black and brown communities with few alternatives to the cruel reality that Florida politicians are trying to create. It will force hundreds of thousands of pregnant people to have to travel out of state to seek the care they need. Others will be forced to remain pregnant against their will and endure labor and delivery and all of the significant medical risks associated with pregnancy and birth.
“Signing this bill into law is a grave governmental intrusion into people’s personal lives. Floridians, not politicians, should have the freedom to decide what’s best for ourselves, our families, and our futures. That means the freedom to choose if, when, and with whom to start or grow a family. It is a freedom we will continue to fight for no matter what happens.”
