Senate Bill 300 is now headed to Governor DeSantis' desk to be signed into law
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the House voted to pass Senate Bill 300, a bill that would ban access to abortion after six weeks from the person’s last menstrual period and criminalize doctors who offer abortion care to patients after six weeks — before many patients even know they are pregnant. This near-total abortion ban could go into effect this summer if the Florida Supreme Court denies the legal challenge against House Bill 5 — last year’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Kara Gross, ACLU of Florida’s legislative director and senior policy counsel, responded to today’s vote with the following:
“The Florida legislature just passed a near-total abortion ban, even though Floridians overwhelmingly support safe, legal, and accessible abortion care. Floridians have consistently voted for the freedom to make private healthcare decisions without governmental intrusion into their personal lives. Governor DeSantis has made it clear that he intends to ignore the will of the people and continue to harm pregnant 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: many people will not even know they are pregnant by six weeks, and for those who do, it is unlikely they will be able to obtain the two state-mandated OBGYN appointments within that strict time frame. The bill’s exceptions are so onerous and impracticable that they are virtually meaningless.
“This near-total abortion ban will effectively eliminate legal abortion care in Florida. 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.
“In a state that prides itself on being free, this is an unprecedented and unacceptable level of government overreach and intrusion.
“How many more people will Governor DeSantis and extremist legislators harm this legislative session?
“Floridians deserve better from their elected leaders who are responsible for representing their voices and protecting their freedoms. The government should never be able to force anyone to carry a pregnancy against their will. Every Floridian deserves access to health care and the right to make personal decisions about their own lives, families, and futures.”
