Biden and Harris condemn Florida bill that restricts abortion after 15 weeks
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Friday condemned Florida legislation that would restrict abortion after 15 weeks.
“Last night, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed a dangerous bill that will severely restrict women’s access to reproductive health care. My administration will not stand for the continued erosion of women’s constitutional rights,” Biden said on Twitter following the Florida Senate’s passage of the bill, which is expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Biden had spoken out against state-level efforts to restrict abortion access earlier in the week, but abortion rights advocates have long pushed for the president to take a more aggressive approach to the issue amid increasing uncertainty about whether the Supreme Court strikes down or weakens the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide, in the near future.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman to hold her role, issued her own statement later in the day that called the Florida legislation unconstitutional in anticipation of coming court fights. The Florida bill follows an even more aggressive law passed by Texas last year that restricts abortion after just six weeks.
“The right of women to make decisions about their own bodies is non-negotiable. If signed into law, Florida’s bill would violate the constitutional right to abortion that the Supreme Court has recognized for nearly 50 years. It will block access to crucial reproductive health care for Floridians, with a particular impact on low-income communities, communities of color, and rural communities,” Harris said in the statement.
“Unconstitutional abortion bans and other bills that will dramatically reduce access to reproductive care are pending in state legislatures across the country. These efforts only strengthen our resolve: The Biden-Harris administration will continue to do everything in our power to protect access to healthcare and defend a woman’s right to make decisions about her body and determine her future.”
Biden’s administration sued Texas over its law, but the Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect last year while other legal challenges remain pending.
It’s relatively rare for presidents to weigh in on state-level legislation, but Biden has grown increasingly outspoken in opposition to multiple Florida bills and policies. His decision to speak out on the abortion follows his condemnation of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill last month.
DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw defended the legislation in response to Biden on Twitter. She invoked fetal pain, a concept which often comes up in abortion debates.
”Why didn’t you mention that this bill is about protecting unborn babies AFTER 15 weeks? That is when they can already feel pain and they’re getting close to viability. Babies have been born at 20 weeks and survived. What you’re arguing for is unfettered LATE TERM abortion,” Pushaw said.
Contrary to Pushaw’s description of fetal pain at 15 weeks, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says on its website that a fetus does not develop “the physiological capacity to perceive pain until at least 24 weeks of gestation.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 3:11 PM.
