TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — With regular session right around the corner, Republican lawmakers are considering changes to Florida’s abortion laws.
Speculation of changes to Florida’s abortion laws has been circulating since the 15-week ban was signed into law last year.
When asked Thursday if there would be a bill addressing it this session, House Speaker Paul Renner said “we’re currently working toward it and taking input from everyone.”
Currently, Florida law bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy with few exceptions, but this could change as lawmakers consider stricter abortion bans
“We have a pro-life majority,” Renner said. “I expect that sometime this session we will – we may see that topic come up and I look forward to addressing it.”
When the 15-week ban was put in place last year, Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo made it clear she wanted exceptions for rape and incest. “I felt we should have included an exception for rape and incest in the 15-week bill that we passed,” she said.
Now Republicans are searching for a middle ground, “we have differences of opinion and we’ll find a landing spot that hopefully strikes a balance,” Renner said.
Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Democrats question how high of a GOP priority this is.
“I don’t think that women’s reproductive rights is incredibly urgent for him.” State Sen. Jason Pizzo said.
Despite widespread criticism, the governor has stayed relatively quiet on the issue. When asked if he would sign a heartbeat bill into law he left anti-abortion advocates unsatisfied saying, “I’m willing to sign great life legislation.”
A bill has yet to hit the books, but talk of a ban between six and twelve weeks is circulating. We could have more answers in a couple of weeks when lawmakers gavel in for the regularly scheduled session.
