TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Tuesday that requires parental consent for those seeking an abortion.
Senator Kelli Stargel's (R. - Lakeland) Senate Bill 404 requires girls under 18 to need a parent's consent before allowing a physician to perform an abortion. The previous law only required minors to inform a parent or legal guardian of their decision.
The Florida Senate's office said the new bill "enhances protections for infants born alive," according to a press release.
“The serious and irrevocable decision to end a pregnancy involves undergoing a significant medical procedure that results, in many cases, in lifelong emotional and physical impacts. The parents of a minor child considering an abortion must be involved in such a substantial and permanent decision. For those who are in a situation of abuse or where parental consent is not in the child’s best interest, the bill provides a judicial waiver process that still involves the intervention of an adult,” said Senate President Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) in a press release.
According to the Florida Senate's office, the bill prohibits a physician from performing an abortion on a minor unless the physician has received a "notarized, written consent statement with specified language signed by the minor’s mother, father, or legal guardian and the physician has been presented with proof of identification by the parent or legal guardian."
The consent requirement does not apply if the abortion is performed during a medical emergency when there is insufficient time to obtain consent, or if the minor receives a judicial waiver of parental consent, the Florida Senate's office said in a press release.
The new bill increases the penalty for violating these requirements from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.
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