In one of the most stringent state laws, abortions will be illegal in Florida at any point during a woman’s pregnancy if a doctor rules that the fetus could survive outside the womb, the Associated Press reports.
Suggested Reading
Gov. Rick Scott signed a measure Friday “that redefines that state's current third trimester abortion ban,” the AP says. Presently, abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy are prohibited in Florida unless the mother's life is at risk, the report says.
The new measure requires that a doctor determine whether a fetus is viable before having an abortion. Psychological trouble was also removed as an exception in the law that goes into effect July 1, the report says. An exception remains if a mother's life is at risk or to prevent irreversible physical impairment of a mother's major bodily function, the report says.
“Governor Scott is pro-life and was glad to sign this bill that protects the lives of children," spokesman John Tupps said in an email to the AP about the law, which passed the House 70-45 and the Senate 24-15.
Democrats, the AP reports, opposed the legislation throughout the committee process and during the 2014 session. Former Sen. Nan Rich, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the race for governor this fall, issued a statement calling Scott's signing is “an outrage.”
Read more at ABC News.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.