By Dave Andrusko
The headline in the Florida Voice says it all: “Florida Abortions Fall 14.5% in 2022.” According to Eric Daugherty, “In 2022, the year Florida’s 15 week abortion ban was passed and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, abortions took a 14.5% nosedive, with 68,217 being reported – a decrease of more than 10,000.”
Florida reported 74,868 abortions in 2020, before the 15-week ban– HB 5, the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act—passed.
When Gov. DeSantis signed the bill on April 14, he said, “Life is a sacred gift worthy of our protection, and I am proud to sign this great piece of legislation which represents the most significant protections for life in the state’s modern history.”
At 15 weeks, ”these babies have beating hearts. They can move. They can taste.” DeSantis added, “We are here today to protect life. We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves.”
In June, when Dobbs v. Jackson was officially released by the Supreme Court, DeSantis went on to say, “Florida will continue to defend its recently-enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care and child welfare.” He told the pro-life audience, “By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restored the people’s role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts.”
Of course, the Miami Herald minimized the massive decline. “Excluding the last month of the year, Florida appears to be on track to see fewer abortions in 2022 than the year prior, according to data from the Agency for Health Care Administration.”
Appeared?!
Included in the April press release [https://www.flgov.com/2022/04/14/governor-ron-desantis-signs-bill-to-protect-the-lives-of-floridas-most-vulnerable], we learn of just some of the other major pro-life achievements by the DeSantis administration:
In June of 2020, Governor DeSantis signed SB 404, legislation which requires written consent from a minor’s parent or legal guardian for an abortion. Last year, Governor DeSantis signed SB 2518, which helps to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve health outcomes for new mothers and children by extending postpartum eligibility for Medicaid from 60 days to 12 months post-delivery. And after seven years of legal challenges by pro-abortion activists and activist judges, Florida’s 24-hour waiting period was upheld and reinstated by a circuit court judge earlier this week.