By Dave Andrusko
When pro-life governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 300, Florida’s Heartbeat Protection Act, into law last night, the New York Times’s gloom and doom headline was “DeSantis Signs Six-Week Abortion Ban in Florida: The prohibition is among the most restrictive in the country, and Florida will no longer be a destination for women from across the Deep South seeking the procedure.”
Well…yes!
“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida,” said Gov. DeSantis. “I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families.”
According to Gov. DeSantis’s office, “While other states like California and New York have legalized infanticide up until birth, Governor DeSantis has enacted historic measures to defend the dignity of human life and transform Florida into a pro-family state.”
Earlier this month the state Senate approved the legislation on a vote of 26-13. Before yesterday’s 70-40 vote in the House, Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka captured the total alteration in the state’s abortion laws in the last year and what it means.
“For the past 50 years, we’ve had a culture grow in this nation — a culture of abortion for any reason at any time,” she said. “Today we lead. Today we stand for life. We stand with mothers, and we stand with Florida families. And by your vote today, we change the culture of abortion to a culture of life.”
“I can’t think of any bill that’s going to provide more protections to more people who are more vulnerable than this piece of legislation,” said Rep. Mike Beltran.
“This is a wonderful day for babies and their mothers in Florida,” said Lynda Bell, president of Florida Right to Life. “Pro-abortion groups lose the debate when they say we don’t care about women because this bill provides over $25 million in support for women and girls in an unexpected pregnancy. We Floridians value unborn children and their mothers.”
National Right to Life was effusive in its congratulations. “We praise pro-life Governor Ron DeSantis for signing this bill that will save countless lives,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “We thank the bill’s sponsors and the dedication of our Florida affiliate, Florida Right to Life, for its efforts to see this bill become law.”
Ingrid Duran, director of state legislation for National Right to Life, said the law “is going to make a huge impact.”
As NRL News Today reported in the six months after the June 24, 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe, an average of 5,377 fewer abortions were performed in the U.S. each month, or 32,260 fewer abortions altogether, a drop of 6%.
But showing the necessity of passing Florida’s new Heartbeat Protection Act, “Florida recorded the largest numerical increase of any state: 1,200 a month,” according to Patricia Mazzei, David W. Chen, and Alexandra Glorioso.
Bell, who attended the signing ceremony, said, “The bill signing ceremony was an awesome event. We thank our pro-life governor for swiftly signing our 6-week bill into law. We thank the bill’s sponsors for their dedication and advocacy for life. It’s a great day to be a Floridian.”