Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he supports a bill banning abortions after fifteen weeks in Florida.
The bill has been introduced by Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Erin Grall and would prevent physicians from terminating a pregnancy if it has reached 15 weeks.
When asked about the bill at a press conference Wednesday, DeSantis said “I have not seen that particular one, but obviously I’m supportive of 15 weeks. I mean, I think that’s very reasonable, and I think that’s very consistent with, you know, being supportive of protecting life”.
“We’ll work with them as they kind of get through that process, but I think that will be something that we’ll be able to sign, and I think a lot of people would be happy with that,” he added.
A Mississippi abortion law that would ban abortion procedures after fifteen weeks is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court.
The Florida bill follows Texas’ Heartbeat Act, which was passed in September 2021 and prevents abortion procedures after a baby’s heartbeat is detectable.
DeSantis has previously said he would be open to other pro-life legislative proposals. “There’s a lot of pro-life legislation. We’re going to be welcoming it. I haven’t looked at every single bill,” he told reporters.
“I think if you look at what’s been done in some of these other states—I mean, when you start talking about 15 weeks where you have really serious pain and heartbeats and all this stuff—having protections I think is something that makes a lot of sense,” he added.
Florida state Senate President Wilton Simpson told Fox News “I think it’s a very good start and I think it’s something the committee process will vet out and perhaps be on the floor at some point”.
