Republican members of the Florida State House and Senate Tuesday proposed parallel bills further restricting the abortion ban in the state from 15 weeks of pregnancy to six weeks of pregnancy.
The bills provide that physicians cannot perform abortions after six weeks of fetal gestation, tightening the state’s already existing 15-week ban, which was approved in 2022. The six-week ban includes exceptions for victims of rape and incest with restrictions on who can provide the abortion and prescribe medication.
In the House, republican legislators amended the proposed bill to prohibit the use of state funds for individuals seeking an abortion to travel outside of the state to receive such service. They also made a requirement for the Florida Department of Health to report to the governor and legislature any information regarding the Florida Pregnancy Care Network, the Department of Health’s alliance of pregnancy support organizations that “promote and encourage childbirth.”
The House also amended the bill to require physicians to only perform or induce pregnancy termination in-person and prohibit the use of telehealth services to provide abortion.
In his State of the State Address Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the state is “proud to be pro-family and proud to be pro-life,” after which he said he will sign the bill into law.