They aren’t playing any games.
On Friday (June 24), following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis revealed the state would be working to expand abortion restrictions.
DeSantis, in a statement published shortly after the ruling, said, “Florida will continue to defend its recently-enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenge” and would “work to expand pro-life protections” while standing for life by “promoting adoption, foster care, and child welfare.”
Florida, which currently has the third-highest abortion rate in the country, allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy; however, a new law that will come into effect next week will reduce the period abortions are legal from 24 weeks to 15 weeks, with no exception made for incest or rape.
In his statement, DeSanti acknowledged that “By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has answered the prayers of millions upon millions of Americans.”
DeSantis, who is up for re-election in Florida’s gubernatorial election, has long been touted as a formidable challenger to former President Donald Trump. His latest move to enact pro-life legislation is sure to garner him even more influence among conservative Republicans.
However, DeSantis wasn’t the GOP’s only potential 2024 Presidential nominee to praise the Supreme Court’s decision — Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence also did.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, which had been anticipated for weeks following a draft opinion leak, hadn’t only ruled on the case before them — a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi — but said it would be overruling previous rulings that enshrined abortion access across the U.S.
In the opinion, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote: “We hold that Roe [and Planned Parenthood v. Casey] must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.”
