Florida Senate discussing controversial abortion bill

The Florida Senate is talking about a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks. It’s similar to the one already being discussed by the Supreme Court.

Democrats are pushing for 12-amendments to change this bill. State Senate democrats are offering all those amendments because they know they don’t have the votes to stop the bill from passing. Their only hope is to lessen the impact on women who support abortion rights.

House Bill 5, or the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Bill, would ban nearly all abortions in Florida after 15 weeks. The only exceptions would be a threat to a mother’s life, if a mother loses a majority of bodily function, or if there is a fetal abnormality. That abnormality must be approved by two doctors. One of the amendments they debated Wednesday afternoon was reducing the number of doctors from two to one.

“For those who respect life and take the position that it’s a respect life from conception or that I should have a choice. You cannot argue that objectively the window has been moved from 24 to 15 weeks. We should do everything we can to give a woman the ability. And give her the resources and health and counseling she needs to make that decision,” said Democratic Senator Jason Pizzo from Miami-Dade County.

“This is the time and the place for Florida to really set down an example for the whole country, and we are a big state, and when we move on something it frequently moves across a lot of states,” said Republican Senator Dennis Baxley of Ocala.

The amendment to reduce the number of doctors needed to approve a fetal abnormality failed, so has every amendment offered so far.

On Thursday, the full Senate will vote on the abortion bill. If it passes, it goes to Governor DeSantis who has indicated he will sign it.