CV NEWS FEED // Republican lawmakers in Florida have filed a pro-life bill similar to a recently-enacted Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of gestation.
Like the Texas law, Florida’s would criminalize most abortions and also empower citizens to file suit against doctors who break the law by aborting children.
Over the years, many lawmakers have attempted to pass such robust protections of the unborn without success. However, pro-life advocates believe Florida is more likely to succeed than past legislatures.
The reason for the pro-life movement’s newfound optimism is the recent decision by the Supreme Court to allow Texas’ abortion ban to go into effect, denying emergency requests from abortion groups to stop its enforcement while they mustered legal cases against it.
In addition, the Supreme Court is now slated to hear a case in December that will decide whether a Mississippi pro-life law which bans abortions after 15 weeks is constitutionally sound. Many pro-life observers believe the Supreme Court could rule in favor of Mississippi, and if it does, the ruling would largely void the enforceability of landmark pro-abortion rulings starting with Roe v. Wade itself, and give permission to red states to begin banning abortions even earlier than 15 weeks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-FL, told the Associated Press through a staffer that he will review the new bill. “Governor DeSantis is pro-life,” said spokesperson Taryn Fenske. “The Governor’s office is aware that the bill was filed today and like all legislation, we will be monitoring it as it moves through the legislative process in the coming months.”
“Besides banning abortions after cardiac activity is detected, the bill would change all references to “fetus” in the state’s abortion laws to ‘unborn child,’” AP reported:
The bill calls for $10,000 civil awards per abortion for the doctor who performs the procedure or any defendants that “aided or abetted” the procedure. People would have six years to file a lawsuit after an illegal abortion is performed.
