Florida GOP lawmakers propose six-week abortion ban bill 

Florida Republicans introduced parallel bills to the House and Senate on Tuesday seeking to restrict the state’s abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy.

Senate Bill 300 filed by Senator Erin Grall of Vero Beach and House Bill 7 filed by Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka of Fort Myers were submitted during the first day of the 2023 legislative session

If the bills pass and are signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, the current abortion ban of 15 weeks would be restricted to six weeks, a time when many women do not yet know they are pregnant. 

The bill, however, included the limited exception if the person getting the abortion was a victim of rape or incest. However, the exception would only be allowed up to 15 weeks of pregnancy and the victims would have to prove they were abused. 

“I think those exceptions are sensible,” Mr. DeSantis said about the bill. “We welcome pro-life legislation.”

Additionally, the bill would also ban medical abortion bills and consultations by telemedicine, insisting that doctors need to be "physically present in the same room as the woman when the termination of pregnancy is performed or when dispensing abortion-inducing drugs.” Healthcare providers who violate the ban could be charged with a third-degree felony. 

Several Florida Republicans, including Governor DeSantis, have expressed their willingness to further restrict abortions in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. Last year, DeSantis signed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, reducing it from 24 weeks, without exceptions for rape or incest.