There was chaos at the Florida Capitol on Thursday as protesters flooded the building as the state assembly prepared to vote on a bill banning abortions in Florida after six weeks.
The law is essentially a blanket ban on abortion because most women do not realize they are pregnant until after six weeks.
Dozens of protesters were seen yelling and hurling handfuls of posters and small pieces of paper at lawmakers as they entered the House chamber.
The posters provided information on how to receive abortion pills in the mail, according to local reports.
Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, supports the bill and said he would sign it.
Protesters crowd the Capitol Building in Tallahassee amid a debate over a bill that would ban abortions after six weeks.
If it becomes law, it would give Florida one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.
The state has already imposed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, which is being challenged in the Florida Supreme Court. It is not clear when there will be a ruling in this case.
During the six-week ban debate, Democratic lawmakers proposed more than 50 amendments to the bill, but also acknowledged the uphill battle they faced in the Republican-controlled state legislature.
But House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, spent the afternoon rushing the process, giving each amendment about a minute of discussion before calling a vote, declaring the amendment a failure, and moving on to the next.
Some observers at the show booed and shouted at his actions. Someone exclaimed, “This is all just circus politics.”
Renner replied, warning the observers that it was an honor to watch the proceedings and reminding them that the galleries could be emptied.
By noon, those galleries had been emptied by the commotion.
House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, spent the afternoon rushing through the amendment process
Florida Rep. Anna Escamani, a Democrat (speaking in pink), proposed several amendments that failed
State Rep. Anna Escamani, a Democrat, has proposed an amendment that would delay the enactment of prohibition under the King Charles Clause.
The amendment will keep the current state law in effect until “Twenty-one years after the death of the last surviving descendant of King Charles III, King of England who lived as of the date of this proclamation.”
This “last survivor” is 1-year-old Princess Lilibet of Sussex, who lives in California.
Disney used the clause to circumvent DeSantis’ attempt to take control of its theme parks.
“If it works for Disney, maybe it will work for me,” Escamani said.
Modification failed.
She also proposed renaming the bill the “Forced Pregnancy Act”.
“Members, this amendment renames the bill the Forced Pregnancy Act, which it basically does,” she said. “This is the amendment.”
“It will force people to become pregnant before they realize they are pregnant,” she added.
Modification failed.
The bill, which was passed by the Florida Senate, contains exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of gestation.
There is an exception for the life of the mother if two physicians testify in writing that the woman will die if she continues the pregnancy.
House Rep. Allison Tant told a story about her mother nearly dying while pregnant while living in rural North Carolina, and the same outcome would happen to women in rural Florida if two doctors were needed to make a call about whether the pregnancy could be terminated.
The bill also allocates $25 million to non-medical anti-abortion clinics, which primarily promote pregnancy.
Florida funds rape crisis centers just $3 million a year.
As the debate continued throughout the afternoon, Democratic women lawmakers spoke out in opposition to the bill.
Republicans pushed white males to pass it.
“I’m going to say the silent part now out loud, to all the mistresses of wealthy men in Florida, sisters, don’t take this trip,” Rep. Ashley Gant said. “Is this child okay?”
“Make sure to turn down that flight,” she continued. Make sure you have a headache or something or you’re unavailable – put your phone in Do Not Disturb mode.
Gantt said the legislation would affect the “have-nots” more than the “haves” in the Sunshine State.
Republican Representative Shane Abbott, who has an adopted son, encouraged lawmakers to vote to pass the abortion ban.
It is a Class III felony to harm sea turtle eggs. It is a third degree felony to damage alligator eggs. So we’re willing to protect the unborn crocodile and the unborn sea turtle, but we’re sitting here today debating whether it’s worth protecting the unborn human.
He claimed that the nearly 80,000 abortions that occurred in Florida last year “were not related to heat care in any way.”
“They were about comfort,” he said. It was about quality of life.
More than a dozen states restricted access to abortions after Roe V. Wade’s coup
Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, supports the abortion ban and said he would sign it
As of January 2023, 24 states have enacted restriction bans or are in the process of doing so.
Twelve states have near-total bans on abortion with very limited exceptions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
In four states, laws prohibiting abortion after a certain period of pregnancy, which would have been unconstitutional under Roe’s rule, apply.
