West Palm Beach, FL – Today, Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21) released the following statement after Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s dangerous 15-week abortion ban, H.B. 5, into law. This ban prohibits almost all abortions after 15 weeks, without exceptions for rape or incest.

“Today is a dark day for Florida,” said Rep. Frankel. “The personal decision about whether and when to bring a child into this world should be made by the pregnant individual, not their governor, local representative, or Member of Congress. I am deeply concerned about the consequences this extreme abortion ban will have on pregnant people across our state, especially low-income individuals and underserved communities. Abortion care shouldn’t be determined by your income level or zip code. We must continue to fight for reproductive justice in Florida and nationwide.”

Florida’s abortion ban is only the most recent of thousands of Republican-led attacks on reproductive care nationwide. The Supreme Court is currently considering a Mississippi law which also bans abortions after 15 weeks, in the most direct challenge to Roe v. Wade in years. Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate recently failed to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect access to abortion care across the country by stopping state laws like H.B. 5.

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