LIGHTHOUSE POINT, FLORIDA — Governor Ron DeSantis defended his support for Florida’s new six-week abortion ban and ripped former president Donald Trump for running from the controversial issue.
On Tuesday, the governor was asked about Trump’s recent criticism of the Heartbeat Protection Act.
“I signed the bill. I was proud to do it,” DeSantis told reporters at a press conference. “[Trump] won’t answer whether he would sign it or not.”
ICYMI: Watch as @GovRonDeSantis responds to Trump’s claim that “pro-lifers” think Florida’s abortion ban is too harsh: pic.twitter.com/oGboMkywKq
— The Florida Standard (@theflstandard) May 16, 2023
On Monday, The Messenger published an interview with Trump in which he claimed “pro-lifers” think Florida’s new six-week abortion ban is “too harsh.”
“Protecting an unborn child when there’s a detectable heartbeat is something that almost, probably 99 percent of pro-lifers support,” DeSantis said. “It’s something that other states like Iowa under Governor Kim Reynolds have enacted.”
On May 9, Trump refused to give a straight answer to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins questions about when abortion should be made illegal.
“As a Florida resident, you know, he didn’t give an answer about, ‘Would you have signed the heartbeat bill that Florida did?’” DeSantis added. “That [bill] had all the exceptions that people talk about, the legislature put [them] in.”
The Heartbeat Protection Act will increase abortion restrictions in Florida by prohibiting them after six weeks of pregnancy.
The new law provides mothers with exemptions for a fetus conceived via rape or incest, but requires proof of victimization – such as a “restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court order.” These exemptions apply to a fetus 15 weeks and under.
