Florida state senate passes a law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy

The Florida Senate voted 23-15 in favor of a bill that prevents doctors from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

• The Florida state senate has voted to pass a bill banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
• The bill, HB5, tightens access to abortion and bans physicians from performing the procedure after 15 weeks.
• The passage of this bill in Florida follows moves by other state legislatures to restrict abortions.

The Florida state senate has voted to pass a bill that bans abortions after the 15-week mark. 

The bill, HB5, passed in the Florida Senate on March 3 with 23 assenting votes and 15 nays. The bill bans doctors from performing abortions after the 15- week mark.

The wording of the bill, which has not been titled, calls it an "act relating to reducing fetal and infant mortality." It requires that directors of medical facilities submit monthly reports on the surgical procedures they perform. The report is required to include the number of abortions performed, the reasons for the abortion, and the period of gestation at the time of the abortion.

The bill is now headed to the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

The passage of the bill follows a trend of conservative efforts to restrict abortion access in states across the country, including South Dakota and Mississippi. Abortions in Texas plummeted after the passage in May 2021 of Senate Bill 8, the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, which limits pregnancy terminations after the six-week mark.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he will make provisions for California to be an abortion "sanctuary," and provide provisions for out-of-state individuals. 

The Supreme Court has signaled that it might be open to overturning the landmark ruling, Roe v. Wade, a move that abortion-rights supporters say will set the country — and women — back for decades.