Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday.
The new legislation will go into effect on July 1. The Florida House voted 78-39 almost entirely along party lines to pass the law in February, while the Senate passed the bill in March.
The bill allows exemptions for women who face life-threatening or serious injuries from pregnancy, or if the fetus has a fatal defect.
“House Bill 5 protects babies in the womb who have beating hearts, who can move, who can taste, who can see, and who can feel pain,” DeSantis said in a press release. “Life is a sacred gift worthy of our protection, and I am proud to sign this great piece of legislation which represents the most significant protections for life in the state’s modern history.”
Florida law currently permits abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy.
The new bill signed on Wednesday is based on a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Mississippi law faced legal challenges and is the subject of an expected ruling by the Supreme Court, in which the Court could overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
The Florida law comes after Arizona governor Doug Ducey signed a bill in his state banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Meanwhile, the Kentucky legislature on Wednesday voted to override Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of a 15-week abortion ban.