By Dave Andrusko
At a Wednesday news briefing discussing the 2023-24 state budget, Florida pro-life Gov. Ron DeSanctis said unambiguously that he would sign an abortion bill that protects unborn children at six weeks when their hearts begin to beat.
In response to a reporter’s question, DeSanctis said “We’re for pro-life. I urge the legislature to work, produce good stuff, and we will sign.”
Last December, at a press conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Gov. DeSantis was asked if he would “take the lead” on the “heartbeat bill,” which would protect unborn children from abortion once an unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected, approximately in the sixth week.
“I’m willing to sign great life legislation,” DeSantis responded. “That’s what I’ve always said I would do.” He added, “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
On Tuesday he was asked about Caleb Freestone, 27, and Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, who allegedly vandalized a pregnancy resource center in Winter Haven, Florida. DeSantis said he was “surprised” the case had moved forward since “the Department of Justice had not been willing to hold those types of perpetrators accountable.”
“Meanwhile, on the other side, you could have a pro-life advocate [with] a picket sign and they’re going to treat him like he’s some hardened criminal,” DeSantis added, saying there is a “massive imbalance” in how pro-life and pro-abortion activists are treated by federal law enforcement.
On April 14, 2022, Gov. DeSantis signed the “Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act” (House Bill 5) into law. DeSantis said “It’s a statement of our values that every life is important.” DeSantis said being able to sign the bill prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks was “really meaningful.”
“We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves,” DeSantis said on a stage in Kissimmee, surrounded by lawmakers, pro-life advocates, and children. “This will represent the most significant protections for life that we have seen in a generation.”
House Bill 5 “protects babies in the womb who have beating hearts, who can move, who can taste, who can see, and who can feel pain,” said Gov. DeSantis. “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.”
Naturally, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU took HB5 to court.
DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin said, “As Governor DeSantis said, we are better when everybody counts. The Florida Supreme Court denied both of Planned Parenthood’s emergency motions asking the Court to block Florida’s law from taking effect. The Court also accepted jurisdiction of the case and set a briefing schedule. From here, we will continue to defend our pro-life protections.”
According to reporter Chris Pandolfo, “The Declaration of Independence enumerates three unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – and we stand for all of them,” Griffin added, emphasizing the right to life, which Vice President Kamala Harris omitted in a speech delivered Sunday in Tallahassee defending abortion rights on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s overturned Roe v. Wade decision.”
Meanwhile, 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.”