DeSantis to ‘Further Advance Protections For Innocent Life’

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

“The upcoming 2023 Florida legislative session begins in March, and we sit up for working with the Florida legislature to additional advance protections for harmless life,” press secretary Bryan Griffin shared with The Each 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 assist a invoice banning abortions after a child has a heartbeat.

“I’m keen to signal nice life laws,” DeSantis mentioned, arms outstretched, requested if he would assist 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 known as and contacted “fairly a couple of” Florida legislators to debate it.

“Final session we had a 15 week invoice and we felt like that was only the start,” she shared hopefully on Tuesday morning. “In fact, we hadn’t had the Dobbs choice 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 Floridaâ??s 15-week abortion ban into regulation at Nacion de Fe church in Kissimmee. (Picture:Paul Hennessy/SOPA Photographs/LightRocket/Getty Photographs)

HB 5, which DeSantis signed in April, bans late time period 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 newborn 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 probably the most important protections for all times within the state’s fashionable historical past.”

Florida has seen an enormous drop in abortions previously yr, based on Florida Proper to Life—in 2022, abortions fell by 14.5% statewide, Bell mentioned, citing the state’s Company for Well being Care Administration (AHCA). The AHCA didn’t instantly verify these numbers.

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 regulation.”

The Each day Sign reached out to the DeSantis staff after a spokesman for Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem 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 Each day Sign, praising each Noem and DeSantis for safeguarding life).

“Does he consider that 14-week-old infants don’t have a proper to reside?” requested spokesman Ian Fury in an irate e-mail to Nationwide Assessment reporter Nate Hochman about Hochman’s “How Gender Ideology Conquered South Dakota.” Fury declined to remark additional on the matter to The Each 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, needing that conservative governors throughout America “work collectively for reform and the enactment of conservative insurance policies via 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 line with Griffin, she merely retired.

“It’s completely false that Secretary Marstiller was ‘terminated’ for being pro-life,” Griffin mentioned Tuesday, pointing The Each 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 essential points. Could God proceed to order your steps as you lead the nice FREE state of Florida.”

Fury’s accusations in regards to the Florida governor’s abortion stances observe controversy over one other distinguished 2024 front-runner’s midterm abortion evaluation.

“It wasn’t my fault that the Republicans didn’t reside as much as expectations within the MidTerms,” Former President Donald Trump mentioned in a TruthSocial submit in early January. “I used to be 233-20! It was the ‘abortion concern,’ 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 people who pushed so exhausting, for many years, in opposition to abortion, bought 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 concern an announcement noting that the “the strategy 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 acute view of Democrat opponents.”

“We sit up for listening to that place absolutely 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.

“Properly mentioned,” Pence tweeted.

Have an opinion about this text? To hold forth, please e-mail letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll take into account publishing your edited remarks in our common “We Hear You” characteristic. Keep in mind to incorporate the url or headline of the article plus your title and city and/or state.