TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, giving the Republican a major conservative policy victory as he prepares to launch an expected presidential candidacy.
DeSantis signed the measure late Thursday night in a private ceremony without fanfare, hours after the Republican-dominated statehouse approved the bill.
"We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida. I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families," DeSantis said in a statement.
The law contains some exceptions, including to save the woman's life.
Abortions for pregnancies involving rape or incest would be allowed until 15 weeks of pregnancy, provided a woman has documentation such as a restraining order or police report. DeSantis has called the rape and incest provisions sensible.
Drugs used in medication-induced abortions -- which make up the majority of those provided nationally -- could be dispensed only in person or by a physician under the Florida law. Separately, nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone is being challenged in court.
The law will take effect only if the state's current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by conservatives.
"This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks -- before many women even know they're pregnant," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement issued after the bill passed the Legislature. "This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care."
DeSantis had been tepid in his support for the six-week ban, typically only saying, "We welcome pro-life legislation," when asked about the measure.
"DeSantis signed the extremist 6-week abortion ban into law just before 12 am, hoping Floridians won't notice he stripped away a right most people agree with," House Democratic Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said on Twitter. "If we don't want FL's present to become America's future, we must stop him in '24."
FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media in the Florida Cabinet following his State of the State address during a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives on March 7, 2023, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday, April 13, approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal supported by DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)
A small crowd holding signs and waving as cars pass by the Leon County Courthouse, protests Sb 300, which bans abortions after six weeks, Thursday, April 13, 2023. in Tallahassee, Fla. The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on Thursday approved a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a proposal supported by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP)