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Senate passes 6-week abortion limit

By Jim Saunders
Published  April 4, 2023 7:50am EDT
Florida
The News Service of Florida

Florida Senate to take up new abortion bill

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: A bill that would ban abortion after six-weeks of pregnancy with only a few exceptions is expected to pass the Senate on Monday.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In what would be a monumental change, the Florida Senate on Monday passed a proposal aimed at preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 26-13 to approve the bill (SB 300), which will go to the House, where it is expected to pass. It comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling and left abortion decisions to the states.

The bill touched off heavy debate Monday that was interrupted by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, ordering the clearing of the Senate seating gallery because of repeated outbursts from audience members opposed to the bill.

Bill sponsor Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, said the bill supports a "culture of life" and that fetal heartbeats can be detected at six weeks of pregnancy.

"We have to rely on science, and what we know is that there is a heartbeat, there is a human life that exists, and we are either going to stand for life or not," Grall said. "And this life deserves protecting."

But Democrats said the bill would effectively ban abortion in Florida, in part because many women don’t know they are pregnant at six weeks. Opponents said it jeopardizes the health of women and that the government shouldn’t be involved in abortion decisions.

READ: Despite lethal diagnoses, Florida abortion law blocks families from termination

"We need to stop stigmatizing and shaming women for having an abortion. The vast majority of those abortions are very thought out. The women don’t have regrets. They do what they need to do to move on with their lives." Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, said. "This bill is cruel and inhumane to the families of Florida."

The vote was along almost straight party lines, with Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, joining Democrats in opposing the bill.

Lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis last year passed a 15-week abortion limit But that came before the June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

The proposed six-week limit includes a major caveat: Seven abortion clinics and a physician filed a constitutional challenge to the 15-week limit. A key issue in that case is whether the limit violates a privacy clause in the Florida Constitution that has helped protect abortion rights in the state for more than three decades.

Under the Senate bill, moving to a six-week limit would be contingent on the Florida Supreme Court effectively upholding the 15-week law. It is unclear when the court will rule on the challenge, though it probably will be after the legislative session.