FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2022
Contact: Mallory Carroll,[email protected]
Legislation Backed by Gov. DeSantis Would Save 3,000+ Lives a Year
Washington, D.C. – The Florida House of Representatives is expected to vote today on legislation to stop late abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. H.B. 5 and S.B. 146, introduced by State Rep. Erin Grall and State Sen. Kelli Stargel respectively, would be the strongest protections for unborn children and their mothers in state history if enacted. Governor Ron DeSantis has stated that he supports a 15-week abortion limit.
Charlotte Lozier Institute, SBA List’s research arm, estimates that 3,334 abortions at 15 weeks’ gestation or later were performed in Florida in 2020, based on data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
“Stopping late abortions after 15 weeks, when unborn babies have fully formed fingers and toes, suck their thumb, and feel pain, would save well over 3,000 lives a year in the Sunshine State. Floridians agree it’s time to end this inhumane practice,” said SBA List State Policy Director Sue Liebel. “As we await the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case, lawmakers in Florida and across the nation are taking proactive steps to safeguard women and children. We commend SBA List National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus members Senator Kelli Stargel and Representative Erin Grall for their initiative, as well as Governor DeSantis for his bold leadership, and we urge the Legislature to send this commonsense bill swiftly to his desk.”
Polling released in 2019 shows 76% of Florida voters – including 64% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, 77% of women, and 53% of self-described pro-choice voters – support a law prohibiting late-term abortions (only 24% support allowing late-term abortions).
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case involving a Mississippi law that limits abortion after 15 weeks, the Supreme Court will address whether all pre-viability abortion limits are unconstitutional. A decision is expected in the spring or summer of 2022.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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