Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried issued the following statement after the Florida Senate passed HB5, an extreme bill that would ban abortions in Florida after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. The bill now heads to Governor DeSantis’ desk to be signed into law.
“Today is a dark day for women in Florida. This extreme abortion ban is not only cruel, immoral, and inhumane – it violates both the Florida and the U.S. constitutions. It’s an insult to the dignity of women and our ability to make decisions about our own lives. It will punish women and girls who have endured traumas that the privileged white men who pushed this bill could never even imagine, and every single member who voted for it should be ashamed.
“I want every woman who feels scared or outraged about this bill to know that you are not alone. To every woman who has ever told her story and felt like no one was listening: I promise you that I am. For every survivor of rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking: we will keep fighting for you. I wish that the state that we love was better for all of us. We will stand on the shoulders of our mothers and grandmothers who have been fighting for our rights for generations and use the love we have for our sisters, daughters, and friends to give us the strength to continue this fight for as long as it takes.”
Florida law previously allowed abortions up to 24 weeks. Republicans in both the House and the Senate voted multiple times against creating exceptions for victims of rape, incest, and human trafficking.
