JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The bill banning abortions after 15 weeks in Florida is headed to Governor Ron DeSantis' desk.
It comes after the Florida Senate approved the bill Thursday with a vote of 78 to 39.
The only exceptions to the ban include if the mother is at risk of death, or "irreversible physical impairment," or if the fetus has a fetal abnormality. A proposed amendment to make exceptions in cases of rape or incest was denied.
"People who normally make their own fundamental, basic health decisions with themselves, the people they trust, and their doctors are now told 'no. The state legislature and the governor will make this decision for you,'" Terry Sallas Merritt from A Woman's Choice, an abortion clinic in Jacksonville, said. "You can see how really cruel that is," she said.
"Seeking an abortion just became very much harder for women in Florida," Sallas Merritt said.
She said many women will likely travel to other states to get safe, legal abortions, but Sallas Merritt fears women who aren't able to afford to may be more at risk.
"I think that it's not unreasonable to predict that we would see more desperate women choosing desperate methods to end desperate pregnancies," she said.
Governor Ron DeSantis was asked about the bill while he was in Jacksonville Friday.
“These are protections for babies that have heartbeats, that can feel pain, and this is very, very late, so I think when you’re talking about late term, that’s one thing and so I think the protections are warranted and I think that we’ll be able to sign that in short order," DeSantis said.
The bill reduces the period in which a woman can get an abortion from 24 weeks. That's the current legal threshold established by Roe vs. Wade, a decision the Supreme Court could overturn this summer.
Sallas Merritt said her group is watching that case closely as they consider legal action against this piece of legislation in Florida.
She said she has a message for women across Florida right now.
“Abortion is legal in Florida. You can get an abortion at any abortion clinic safely and soundly, and you should do just fine," Sallas Merritt said.
The ban would take effect July first.
