Florida Governor Signs Heartbeat Bill, Expands Help for Pregnant Mothers

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a Heartbeat Bill into law, ensuring every baby with a heartbeat is protected from abortion under state law. The governor signed the bill just hours after the Florida legislature overwhelmingly passed the bill.

SB 300 prohibits abortions in the Sunshine State after six weeks gestation.

The Florida Senate approved the “Heartbeat Protection Act” in a landslide 26-13 vote on April 3, 2023. The Florida House then passed the bill on April 13, 2023, in a 70-40 vote.

In addition, the Heartbeat Protection Act provides $20 million for the Florida Pregnancy Care Network to help the state’s pregnancy resource centers assist pregnant women and new mothers, who become moms either by birth or adoption.

The money funds comprehensive care for women including pregnancy testing, counseling, mentoring and job training along with material assistance including clothing, car seats, cribs, formula and diapers.

The law also prohibits the mail-order abortions via the delivery of abortion pills, and prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used to transport mothers out of state to receive abortions.

The Florida Family Policy Council, a Focus on the Family-allied state organization, heralded the news in a press release.

“Many of us have worked all of our lives for a moment like this when Roe vs. Wade is reversed, and we can work to pass laws that provide real protections for the unborn and services for women to give them a real choice,” said Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger, who was present for the bill signing.

“As a state, we can learn to love children and not kill them. We applaud Speaker Renner, President Passadomo, and the Governor for their leadership in getting to this historic moment. … In Florida, we are fighting to protect children, both born and unborn, and today’s bill is a huge step toward making Florida a safer place for the little ones.”

SB 300 contains a trigger provision in which the bill takes effect upon the resolution of a case currently before the Florida Supreme Court, which is considering the constitutionality of the state’s 15-week abortion ban, which the state enacted last year.

The Florida Family Policy Council summarized the trigger provision as follows:

The bill becomes effective only upon one of several possible rulings by the Florida Supreme Court deciding that the state constitution has no abortion right and or the overturning of our state abortion case precedent, In Re: T.W., A Minor.

“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis after signing the bill.

“I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families,” he added.

The Heartbeat Bill ends Florida’s reputation as an “abortion-haven”; Thousands of women traveled to Florida since Roe v. Wade was overturned in order to abort their preborn babies, according to Politico.

The outlet notes, “In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, roughly 4,000 people traveled to Florida for the procedure, including from Texas and Alabama, where abortion is outlawed at any stage of pregnancy with some narrow exceptions when a patient’s life is in danger.”

But no longer.

Should SB 300 soon take effect, thousands of innocent preborn babies will likely be saved every year in the Sunshine State. That is truly news worth celebrating.

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, visit My Choice Network.

Focus on the Family offers a free, one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor. To request a counseling consultation, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) or fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.

Related articles and resources:

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