With the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on state abortion laws — such as the Texas Heartbeat Law and Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks — expected to reverse Roe v. Wade, states across the nation are rewriting laws regarding the practice. While some liberal states are doubling down on the “right” to murder the unborn, conservative states are headed in the other direction. Florida lawmakers have proposed two new bills that would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks. Since this accounts for a large portion of abortions, the bills — if passed — would save the lives of thousands of babies.
The two bills — House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 146 — are written in a manner similar to the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban, which is currently before the Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
Getting the bills passed in Florida, though, is not certain, according to Andrew Shirvell, founder and executive director of the pro-life organization Florida Voice for the Unborn.
As Catholic Vote reports:
“[State] Rep. Erin Grall (R–Indian River & St. Lucie Counties) and state Senator Kelli Stargel (R–Lake & Polk Counties) simultaneously filed bills that will effectively outlaw the vast majority of abortions that take place here in Florida after 15 weeks gestation,” according to an email from the pro-life organization Florida Voice for the Unborn.
The bills, House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 146, are “modeled after” the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban currently before the Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
While Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-FL, has indicated he would support such a move and the two bills have some support among the leadership of Florida’s legislature, “getting a 15-week abortion ban enacted into law here in Florida is far from a ‘slam-dunk,’” the email explained.
“I anticipate that pro-abortion legislators will do everything they can to stall and obstruct these bills — and try to convince the Republican, pro-life leadership that the bills should ultimately be ‘watered-down,’” warned Andrew Shirvell, founder and executive director of Florida Voice for the Unborn. “Our job is to encourage pro-life legislators to stand-up for the unborn by passing the 15-Week Abortion Bill — and to advocate for the inclusion of as many pro-life protections in the bill as possible.”
What is needed, according to Shirvell, is for pro-life voters to make their voices heard. His e-mail says, “Now that the subcommittee members have returned to their offices, they need to hear from pro-lifers (like YOU!) right away.”
As history has shown, the “silent majority” never got anything done. In fact, while the majority was busy being silent, the noisy minority took the ground in one public arena after another. The expected victorious overturn of Roe is no reason for sitting back and silently counting blessings that have yet to materialize.
While the Florida bills fall far short of the ideal (they allow for abortions when “necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman other than a psychological condition” and if “the fetus has not achieved viability under s. 390.01112 and two physicians certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgment, the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality”), the bills still move toward greater protection for the unborn.
The Catholic Vote article urges Floridians to “contact as many members of the House’s Professions & Public Health Subcommittee as possible” and includes the contact information for those members.
With Roe possibly on the chopping block, the pro-life community may be poised for the war for the states. These bills in Florida may serve as an early salvo in that war. If pro-life legislation comes to your state, do all in your power to support it, including calling your representatives. If there is no such legislation in your state, consider contacting your representatives and asking them to sponsor a pro-life bill.
