Florida’s Legislature passes a 6-week abortion ban

Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature on Thursday passed a ban on most abortions after six weeks, sending the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has said he would sign the measure into law.

Final passage came after a marathon floor hearing in the state House, which passed the proposal largely along party lines in a 70-40 vote after the state Senate passed the bill on April 3.

Democrats in the chamber forcefully opposed the legislation but were vastly outnumbered by Republican supermajorities in both chambers. GOP House Speaker Paul Renner had to close the public viewing galleries after protesters threw what appeared to be paper on the House floor.

It capped off what has been a hugely contentious process to pass the legislation, SB 300, which DeSantis has signaled support for, but it puts him in a tricky political position. He is considering a 2024 bid for president, but most public polling shows a six-week abortion ban is unpopular among both political parties.

Yet at the same time, entering a Republican presidential primary on the heels of vetoing or opposing legislation that would expand abortion restrictions risks running against a key tenant of the GOP platform.

The measure bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with new exceptions for rape and incest up until 15 weeks. The measure does not change the exceptions for the life and health of the mother up until 15 weeks that are in current law.

The new exemptions were sought by Republican state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and agreed to by other Republicans. The bill also includes $25 million to expand Florida Pregnancy Care Network Inc., a statewide network of nonprofits that offer pregnancy support services.

The proposal has been the subject of protests and outbursts since it was filed on March 7, shortly before DeSantis gave his State of the State address on the opening day of the 2023 legislative session.

As the Florida state Senate considered the proposal on the floor last week, Passidomo also had to clear the public gallery overlooking her chamber after a series of outbursts from opponents of the bill.

That night, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried and state Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book were among nearly a dozen people arrested while protesting the bill outside of Tallahassee City Hall, which neighbors the state Capitol. Leading up to the House vote, a group of protesters held a multiday protest of the bill in front of a courthouse across the street from the Capitol.

The more than seven-hour floor debate featured many of the arguments during the bill’s three previous committee stops.

“There is nothing I am saying that will change the hearts and minds of my friends on the other side of the aisle,” said Republican state Rep. Chase Tramont. “That’s not what this is about. This is about holding up the flagship commitment I made … which is to give voice to the voiceless.”

Democrats said the proposal further infringes on a person’s right to choose and will have negative impacts on their health care.

“The right to bodily autonomy is an innate right,” said Democratic Rep. Robin Bartleman. “My body is mine. We do not want unclear laws and muddy waters.”

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2022 that there is no constitutional right to an abortion — a legal challenge that stemmed from Mississippi passing a 15-week abortion ban — women throughout the Southeast have been going to Florida to get abortions after surrounding states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama banned the procedure.

Women seeking abortions in Florida from out-of-state increased from 3,988 in 2020 to 6,708 in 2022, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Overall, the number of abortions in the state grew from 74,868 to 82,192 over that same time frame.

“Here in Florida we take care of patients within the state of Florida, and many people traveling not only from nearby states but those much farther away,” said Shelly Tien, a doctor who works at Planned Parenthood Southeast.

“I have seen patients from places as far away as placed like Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi,” she added. “Those patients are living at or near poverty.”

She pushed back on any idea that Florida is an “abortion haven” just because the procedure is still allowed in the state, noting that there have been annual pieces of legislation eroding access.

“To me a haven is a place of protection and safety and justice,” she said.

Once signed into law, the six-week ban will be on hold pending a ruling from the Florida Supreme Court on the constitutionality of a 15-week abortion ban DeSantis signed into law after the state’s 2022 legislative session. It was challenged in court by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and a group of abortion providers. They argued that privacy provisions in the state constitution protect the right to an abortion.

“The 15-week abortion ban is still awaiting a hearing in the Florida Supreme Court to determine whether it is a legally-based bill,” said Democratic state Rep. Yvonne Hinson. “I wonder how much Florida money is being spent on legal fees attempting to defend that bill.”

Florida was among a handful of Republican-led states in 2022 to pass a 15-week abortion ban in anticipation of a potential Supreme Court ruling.

DeSantis signed the 15-week ban during a bill-signing ceremony near Orlando in April 2022, in an event that featured anti-abortion advocates and Republican lawmakers. In February, DeSantis said “we will sign” when asked at a news conference if he would approve the six-week abortion ban, but he has not been the face of the legislative effort.

That has been led, in large part, by state Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican who was the lead sponsor of both the six- and 15-week bans last session.

Recent polling shows the six-week abortion ban is not popular among Florida residents of either political party. A University of North Florida poll in March showed 75% of 1,452 respondents said they either somewhat or strongly opposed the six-week ban. That included 61% of Republicans.

The same poll had DeSantis leading former President Donald Trump among registered Republicans in a hypothetical 2024 presidential matchup, 52%-27%, with no other candidate getting out of single digits.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com