Florida Lawmaker Files Texas-Style Abortion Bill

It wasn’t long for a Florida State Legislator to file a “Texas-style” Abortion ban bill, as Rep. Webster Barnaby (R) just filed the third rail piece of legislation that several Republican lawmakers, including Conservative Rep. Anthony Sabatini, said would be filed after Texas’s anti-abortion measure to effect last month.

The bill is straightforward in that physicians are prohibited from performing an abortion if they detect a heartbeat at the 6-week mark of a pregnancy.

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) took exception with the bill, calling it “extreme” that “cruelly strips women of their right to choose what happens to their own bodies.”

"Women’s fears have been realized with the filing of an extreme Texas-style anti-abortion bill in the Florida House. Rooted in rhetoric instead of science, the bill cruelly strips women of their right to choose what happens to their own bodies. No exemption for rape and incest. Vigilante cause of action included,” said Sen. Book. The House bill will be fiercely opposed by our Caucus because this out-right attack on women will never be tolerated.”

The new Florida bill would also penalize doctors for performing such abortions, hitting them with  a $10,000 per incident fine

But while Republicans in the Florida Legislator are for the most part,” Pro-Life,” this will could be dead on arrival.

The word behind closed doors in Florida’s Capitol is that the bill may get tabled because signing the bill into law could wipe out the gains and advantage Republicans, namely Gov. Ron DeSantis, have over Democrats going into the 2022 Mid-Term elections.

Could a companion bill in the Senate see the light of day? If a companion bill does make it out of the Senate, expect Sen. Dennis Baxley (R) to be the author of it.