Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives has approved a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, this tightening access to the procedure ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit abortion rights in America, where online casino sites thrive.
The GOP-controlled House passed the 15-week abortion ban after several hours of debate between Democrats who said the measure would impose an unnecessary burden on women and Republicans who said they were protecting the unborn.
The approval on a party-line 78-39 vote is expected to pass the measure in the near future. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has likewise signaled his support for the bill.
“This is the right to life and to give up life is unconscionable to me,” said Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy, who disclosed that she previously had an abortion but has “regretted it everyday since.”
The state currently permits abortions up to 24 weeks without a mandatory waiting period, meaning a woman can terminate her pregnancy the day she arrives at a clinic.
A 2017 survey by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy research group, counted 65 abortion-providing sites in Florida that year, more than triple the number of any other state in the South.
“So a 15-week abortion ban would have a very big impact on access to care for Floridians and those in the South,” Elizabeth Nash, a Guttmacher state policy expert, told Reuters.
Dr. Samantha Deans, an associate medical director with Planned Parenthood in Florida, says most fetal anomalies aren’t detected by 15 weeks.
“You cannot perform an amniocentesis until the second trimester and generally speaking, we don’t perform an amniocentesis until 16 to 20 weeks,” Deans says. “That’s just a medical fact.”
Under the bill, if a fetal abnormality is discovered after 15 weeks, two doctors would need to certify the baby wouldn’t survive long after birth before an abortion would be allowed.
Supporters of the bill concede it runs counter to the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade, but say that by passing this law, Florida would be ready if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, reports Allen and best south africa online casinos were pleased with the support.
Republicans have repeatedly rejected attempts from Democrats to add additional exceptions in the bill for pregnancies caused by rape, incest or human trafficking.
“As a woman it is my right to make decisions about my body and what is in the best interest of my family,” said Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Democrat. “God forbid your 11 year old is raped and pregnant and you find out after 15 weeks, you don’t get to get your daughter that abortion, that’s what this law says.”
Near the end of the House debate, a group of activists in the House gallery broke out into a chant of “my body, my choice,” forcing the chamber to pause before lawmakers cast their votes. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman said Capitol police gave 25 of the activists trespassing notices and banned them from the House for one year. One person was arrested and charged with giving a false name or identification, the spokeswoman said.