TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Just a few hours after Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida's 15-week abortion ban into law, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would pursue legal action in an attempt to keep the law from going into effect.
"Nobody should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will," said Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel of the ACLU of Florida. "We will take swift legal action to protect Floridians' rights and defend against this cruel attack on our bodily autonomy."
Gov. DeSantis signed House Bill 5 into law Thursday morning during a rally at a church in Kissimmee. During the rally, DeSantis called HB a, "statement of our values that every life is important."
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The law was passed by the Florida Legislature during the 2022 regular session. The ban is nearly a complete ban on abortion in the state after 15 weeks. Democrats tried to insert exceptions for rape, incest, and other instances, but the GOP-controlled legislature turned those amendments away.
Florida's law is the latest salvo fired by GOP-led states across the country limiting access to abortions. The flurry of bans has come as the Supreme Court appears poised to roll back legal protections for abortions contained in the Roe v. Wade decision from 1973.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling this year in the case of a Mississippi ban that could allow state-by-state rules on abortions. The case was argued last December and a ruling is likely by the time the court takes a break for the summer in June.
Currently, multiple states have abortion bans in place or have trigger laws that will enact bans immediately if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
