In response to Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans introducing a more extreme ban on abortion, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison released the following statement: 

“Time and time again, Ron DeSantis has made it clear he will do anything in his race for the MAGA base, even if it means pushing for one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. For DeSantis and MAGA Republicans, last year’s extreme ban isn’t enough – they’re hellbent on going even further and ripping away the ability for women to make their own health care decisions with their doctors before many women even know they’re pregnant. Across the country, 2024 Republican hopefuls are desperate to prove their anti-choice bonafides, and the MAGA Republican Party will not rest until abortion is banned in every state.”

Going back to 2018, DeSantis has repeatedly committed to signing a 6-week abortion ban into law.

Tallahassee Democrat: “DeSantis in his 2018 campaign for governor said during the Republican primary that he would support a law banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat is thought to be detected, usually around six weeks.”

Relatable with Allie Stuckey: QUESTION: “What do you think is coming down the pipeline for pro-life legislation in Florida?” DESANTIS: “Well, I think there’s a lot of support in Florida for heartbeat legislation.”

Click Orlando: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would sign a six-week abortion ban if and when it came to fruition during a news briefing Wednesday discussing the proposed ‘Framework for Freedom’ 2023-24 state budget. ‘We’re for pro-life. I urge the legislature to work, produce good stuff, and we will sign,’ DeSantis said.”

Daily Signal: “‘The upcoming 2023 Florida legislative session starts in March, and we look forward to working with the Florida Legislature to further advance protections for innocent life,’ [DeSantis’s] press secretary Bryan Griffin shared with The Daily Signal on Tuesday afternoon.”

Florida Politics: “Gov. DeSantis ‘ready to sign’ abortion ‘heartbeat bill’”

Under the abortion ban DeSantis signed into law last year, a child incest victim and women across Florida have already been forced to leave the state to access care.

Orlando Weekly: “Middle school-aged incest victim was turned away from Florida abortion clinics under 15-week ban”

Washington Post: “But when the Florida resident tried to get an abortion last July, she was stonewalled by a state law that had gone into effect days earlier banning most abortions after 15 weeks. After she couldn’t find a doctor who would give her a medical exemption in fear of a potential lawsuit, Lopes said she was forced to fly more than 1,000 miles from South Florida to Washington, D.C., to get an abortion when she was 16 weeks and three days.”

Washington Post: “Nobody expected things to happen the way they did when halfway through their planned and seemingly healthy pregnancy, a routine ultrasound revealed the fetus had devastating abnormalities, pitching the dazed couple into the uncharted landscape of Florida’s new abortion law… Even though medical experts expect their baby to survive only 20 minutes to a couple of hours, the Dorberts say their doctors told them that because of the new legislation, they could not terminate the pregnancy.”