This week Kay Ivey, the Governor of Alabama, signed the most restrictive abortion legislation in the nation into law. If not stymied by higher courts, it will take effect in six months. This action will make abortions a felony, and if a doctor is found guilty, he or she could face up to 99 years in prison for performing an abortion, and up to 10 years for attempting to perform one. The only exception will be if the mother’s life is in danger.
Missouri has quickly followed suit with a law that bans abortion after eight weeks. Governor Parsons is eager to sign the legislation. One Tweet can be seen below, more at the end of the article.
SEE TWEET BELOW:
This year, 8 Republican-controlled states have passed bills to severely restrict abortion in one form or another. So far there is Ohio, Utah, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. There could be other red states to follow. Two in particular to keep an eye would be states with Republican leadership that seem to have pandered lately to their moderate or left-leaning base, a slap in the face to the conservatives who put the elected officials into office in the first place. One such example is the state of Texas, where Governor Abbott and others have been lukewarm on things such as historical monument protections and gun rights.
Another Republican state that has yet to pass major legislation, although it has been floated and failed, is Florida. The Governor, Ron DeSantis, has been a conservative stalwart on most issues since elected, seemingly looking to fulfill his campaign promises and also to further the agenda of President Trump. This has thus far been with disregard for pressure from the left wing and moderate critics, making DeSantis one of the most effective conservative Governors in the United States.
All this being said, Why isn’t the Governor jumping on board the train of other states pushing to ban or severely limit most abortions? Has he softened up a bit, or been influenced perhaps for various possible agendas?
Currently, Florida holds a 24-week Gestational abortion ban, much less restrictive than many other red states. The state also offers publicly funded abortions in certain cases. In 2016 legislation was enacted to require a woman to have an ultrasound before an abortion. She did not have to watch the ultrasound, however, she was required to sign off after having one and wait 24 hours before having the abortion. More than 70,000 abortions were performed in Florida in 2018 this was slightly up from 2017 69,064.
This is in comparison to the 2017 statistic where only 3,903 abortions were performed in Missouri, quite possibly because there is effectively only one abortion clinic left in that state. The non-profit group Missouri Right to Life has been extremely effective for the pro-life cause in recent years.
In 2019, Florida state house Representative Mike Hill introduced a bill that would limit abortion after 6 weeks. The bill died in a Subcommittee on May 3rd, 2019 and was never brought to a vote. Representative Hill States that he will be bringing the bill back next year, however, he will be removing exceptions for rape and incest that were in the previous bill.
SEE FACEBOOK POST MY MIKE HILL BELOW:
From the Tampa Bay Times:
“Here, lawmakers punted on the abortion debate, declining to take up a “heartbeat bill” that would have banned abortion after as early as six weeks, or as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. Another bill requiring teens get parental consent before an abortion couldn’t pass the Senate.
During the Republican primary for the governor’s race, DeSantis pledged to sign a “heartbeat bill” if it crossed his desk. But it hasn’t been a topic he’s placed atop his priority list.
John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, said he’s still waiting to see if DeSantis will risk political capital on his causes like he did for the environment, medical marijuana and the ban on “sanctuary cities.”
“(U.S. Rep.) Matt Gaetz is influencing the governor. That’s not a good situation for social conservatives and we’re really concerned about that,” Stemberger said of the Panhandle Republican who is one of DeSantis’ top advisers. ‘Our issues are going to be a test for this governor.’”
Matt Gaetz seems to have traded in some of his values for popularity as of late as highlighted by recent push for a liberal LGBT agenda in recent history. Needless to say, there has been backlash from Conservative groups such as Christopher Ekstrom’s ‘Conservative Response Team’.
For conservatives who have looked to Governor Ron for true leadership in the recent past, will he remember the values he has stood for and the people who put him into office, or continue to stray, tempted by the poison apple that promises back door deals and popularity from moderates on both sides? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure when you contact your elected officials and put pressure on them, they listen.
SEE MORE TWEETS FROM MISSOURI GOVERNOR MIKE PARSON BELOW: