DeSantis Desires to ‘Additional Advance Protections for Harmless Life’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who signed a 15-week abortion ban into legislation final yr, needs extra protections for Florida’s unborn infants.

“The upcoming 2023 Florida legislative session begins in March, and we stay up for working with the Florida Legislature to additional advance protections for harmless life,” press secretary Bryan Griffin shared with The Day by day Sign on Tuesday afternoon.

Griffin pointed to a December press convention the place the governor walked proper as much as the road of explicitly promising to help a invoice banning abortions after a child has a heartbeat.

“I’m prepared to signal nice life laws,” DeSantis mentioned, arms outstretched, requested if he would help a heartbeat invoice. “That’s what I’ve at all times mentioned I’d do.”

Florida Proper to Life President Lynda Bell hasn’t seen particular language on such a invoice, although she’s referred to as and contacted “fairly a number of” Florida legislators to debate it.

“Final session we had a 15-week invoice and we felt like that was just the start,” she shared hopefully on Tuesday morning. “After all, we hadn’t had the Dobbs determination but, and so we supported the 15-week invoice and it was very profitable.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to pro-life supporters earlier than signing Florida’s 15-week abortion ban into legislation at Nacion de Fe church in Kissimmee, Florida. (Picture: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Pictures/LightRocket/Getty Pictures)

HB 5, which DeSantis signed in April, bans late-term abortions after the unborn child has reached 15 weeks of age. It permits exceptions when the mom’s life is in danger or at risk of “irreversible bodily impairment,” or if the infant has a fetal abnormality, however doesn’t provide exceptions for rape.

“Home Invoice 5 protects infants within the womb who’ve beating hearts, who can transfer, who can style, who can see, and who can really feel ache,” DeSantis mentioned on the time. “Life is a sacred reward worthy of our safety, and I’m proud to signal this nice piece of laws which represents essentially the most vital protections for all times within the state’s trendy historical past.”

See also  Contra Typical Knowledge, There Is Little Proof Abortion Harm Republicans

Florida has seen an enormous drop in abortions previously yr — in 2022, abortions fell by 14.5% statewide, based on the state’s Company for Well being Care Administration.

Bell credit the toddler lives saved to the “robust pro-life majority” within the Legislature and “a governor who requested us to ship him pro-life laws to signal and enact into legislation.”

The Day by day Sign reached out to the DeSantis group after a spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, accused DeSantis of “hiding behind a 15-week ban” and claimed that Florida Proper to Life was embarrassed by the governor (Bell denied this to The Day by day Sign, praising each Noem and DeSantis for shielding life).

“Does he consider that 14-week-old infants don’t have a proper to dwell?” requested spokesman Ian Fury in an irate e mail to Nationwide Overview reporter Nate Hochman about Hochman’s “How Gender Ideology Conquered South Dakota.” Fury declined to remark additional on the matter to The Day by day Sign.

“To say that we’re embarrassed by DeSantis? That assertion alone is a humiliation. We’re thrilled with our governor,” Bell added.

DeSantis spokesman Griffin mentioned Tuesday that the governor’s workplace “has no response” to Fury’s allegations, wanting that conservative governors throughout America “work collectively for reform and the enactment of conservative insurance policies by way of our federalist system.”

Fury additionally accused DeSantis of firing former Company for Healthcare Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller, suggesting that Marstiller was fired for being pro-life. In response to Griffin, she merely retired.

“It’s completely false that Secretary Marstiller was ‘terminated’ for being pro-life,” Griffin mentioned Tuesday, pointing The Day by day Sign to the governor’s November tweet praising Marstiller upon her retirement. “Governor DeSantis is pro-life himself.”

“Thanks, Governor,” she responded at the time. “It has been a privilege and a blessing to work with you on such criticality vital points. Might God proceed to order your steps as you lead the nice FREE state of Florida.”

Fury’s accusations concerning the Florida governor’s abortion stances observe controversy over one other outstanding 2024 front-runner’s midterm abortion evaluation.

“It wasn’t my fault that the Republicans didn’t dwell as much as expectations within the MidTerms,” former President Donald Trump mentioned in a Reality Social publish in early January. “I used to be 233-20! It was the ‘abortion subject,’ poorly dealt with by many Republicans, particularly people who firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even within the case of Rape, Incest, or Lifetime of the Mom, that misplaced giant numbers of Voters.”

“Additionally, the those who pushed so arduous, for many years, towards abortion, acquired their want from the U.S. Supreme Court docket, & simply plain disappeared, to not be seen once more,” added the previous president, who has not responded to requests for remark. “Plus, Mitch silly $’s!”

Trump’s remarks prompted Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life America, one of many main pro-life teams within the nation, to subject an announcement noting that “the method to successful on abortion in federal races, confirmed for a decade is that this: state clearly the bold consensus pro-life place and distinction that with the intense view of Democrat opponents.”

“We stay up for listening to that place totally articulated by Mr. Trump and all presidential candidates,” the group mentioned, including, “There was ALSO a profound midterm lesson for future federal candidates: those that adopted the Ostrich Technique on abortion lose.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence applauded this stance.

“Nicely mentioned,” Pence tweeted.

Have an opinion about this text? To pontificate, please e mail [email protected] and we’ll think about publishing your edited remarks in our common “We Hear You” function. Keep in mind to incorporate the url or headline of the article plus your title and city and/or state.