CV NEWS FEED // A bill that would protect preborn children after 15 weeks of gestation will receive a hearing by the State House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee in Florida Thursday.
HB 5, modeled after the Mississippi law currently before the Supreme Court, has faced considerable opposition from Democrats and abortion groups, and is more robust than many other bills of its kind. It does not include exceptions to allow the killing of preborn children conceived in acts of rape or incest.
The bill does include an exception for cases in which the life of the mother is at risk or in which there is a “serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman other than a psychological condition.”
There is also an exception in the bill for cases in which a non-viable preborn child is found to have a fatal abnormality.
As CatholicVote reported shortly after the bill was first introduced, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-FL, has signaled that he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk:
Asked by reporters about a possible 15-week abortion ban, he said: “Having protections is something that makes a lot of sense,” according to Business Insider:
He didn’t endorse a particular bill, however, saying that “a lot of pro-life legislation” would be introduced in the legislature and that “we are going to be welcoming it.” …Two lawmakers on Tuesday introduced 15-week abortion bans that did not include exemptions for rape or incest but did allow exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities or when a pregnancy would cause “irreversible physical impairment.”
HB5 is “sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, and Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, will go before the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee after passing the Judiciary Committee last week,” Florida Weekly reported.
The Florida bill is one of many such bills under consideration in states as the Supreme Court considers the case of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health, which many believe could result in a landmark ruling that would return the question of legal abortion to the States.
CatholicVote reported earlier this month that lawmakers in Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma, had introduced bills restricting abortions.
