Grrrrr. In the past, I would have hoped the FL Supreme Court would struck down something like this. But, see the end of the story.
As it is, it violates Roe v. Wade and its parameters. Does this guy know that means it will then possibly go all the way to SCOTUS? I'm sure he does.
"Fetal heartbeat" laws would prevent abortions in some cases before women even know they are pregnant.
Florida bill would ban abortions if fetal heartbeat detectedhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-mi ... heartbeat/A bill filed by a Florida state lawmaker aiming to ban abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected has led to public outcry from some progressive groups, with one advocate stating it's "among the most extreme" ever filed in the country.House Bill 235, filed by Republican Florida state Rep. Mike Hill, would make it illegal for women to get an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.[snip]
"It is definitely the most extreme proposal we've ever entertained in Florida and among the most extreme in the United States," Amy Weintraub, the reproductive rights program director for Progress Florida, told CBS News.Weintraub said this kind of restriction would make it difficult for most women to discover they are pregnant and arrange for an abortion procedure in time.Weintraub said the limitations would "require you to get the money together, to get the transportation together. It puts legal abortion out of reach for most people."
And, she said, it would disproportionately impact low-income women.
"People with resources can travel to other states if necessary. For sure it will affect low-income women more harshly," said Weintraub.
[snip]
The bill also strikes "fetus" from current abortion-related laws replacing the word with "unborn human being," defining it as "an individual organism of the species Homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth." (*)
[snip]
"There is a reason this bill has failed in many other states — that is because it is unconstitutional," Florida's Democratic Party chair Terrie Rizzo said in a statement Jan. 16. "We will fight to see that this legislation never becomes law in Florida."
However, the state's governor has indicated he would support such legislation in the past.
During now-Gov. Ron DeSantis' first gubernatorial debate, he pledged to sign legislation that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected, reports Politico.
Also, the state's Supreme Court, which has been viewed as a final barrier against attempts to decrease abortion access, is changing after three justices recently retired, The Gainesville Sun points out.
DeSantis has filled two of the seats with judges who are members of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group which supported the nomination and confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.[snip][end]
(*) Yes, Mr. Hill, let's replace scientific and medical terminology used by Ob-Gyn's and the medical profession with gobbledygook you believe instead.
One interesting point somebody made at DU -- you can actually take cardial tissue in a test tube and watch it beat on its own, even if not connected to a brain. IOW, the heartbeat does not indicate anything about the organism's sentience, ability to feel pain, awareness, etc.
It's called a fetus because, we do not call acorns, oak trees ... dumbass.