Florida poised to limit abortions as Supreme Court mulls Roe

Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will sign a 15-week abortion ban into law after Florida’s legislature joined the trend of Republican-led states anticipating a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could sharply limit abortion rights in America

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said he would sign a 15-week abortion ban into law after Florida's legislature joined the trend of Republican-led states anticipating a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could sharply limit abortion rights in America.

DeSantis, a Republican, told reporters at a news conference in Jacksonville that “I think that we'll be able to sign that in short order,” a day after the GOP-controlled statehouse approved the bill following a series of emotional debates that often veered into painful, personal stories.

Republicans across the country are moving to replicate a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi that the Supreme Court seems poised to uphold this summer. If the court weakens or overturns Roe v. Wade, Florida could be less of a destination for women throughout the South whose states have more restrictive abortion laws.

“Access to care in the South is being decimated,” said Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, adding that the passage of the bill signals that “your right to bodily autonomy depends on where you live."