DeSantis On Roe V. Wade: ‘Prayers Of Millions Have Been Answered’

FLORIDA — Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s Friday 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which struck down Roe v. Wade, the country's landmark abortion ruling, and promised to expand Florida’s abortion restrictions.

“The prayers of millions have been answered. For nearly fifty years, the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited virtually any meaningful pro-life protection, but this was not grounded in the text, history or structure of the Constitution,” the governor said in a statement on Twitter. “By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restored the people’s role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts.”

In a brief to the Supreme Court last summer, DeSantis was one of 11 Republican governors who asked justices to reconsider Roe v. Wade, as well as Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey, which upheld the decision.

With Roe overturned, Florida is one of the states likely to ban abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research and policy group. The state Legislature previously attempted to pass both a 20-week and a six-week abortion ban in 2021.

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In April, DeSantis signed into law House Bill 5, called the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act. The 15-week abortion ban, which takes effect July 1, doesn't grant exemptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.

"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 about the new law. "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."

Health care providers that offer abortion services have partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the law firm Jenner & Block to file a lawsuit challenging House Bill 5.

Despite the pushback, DeSantis promised in his statement Friday to add further abortion restrictions in Florida.

“Florida will continue to defend its recently-enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care and child welfare,” he said.

DeSantis is seeking re-election this year. Two top Democrats who hope to challenge him for his position spoke out against the Supreme Court’s decision

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist tweeted a promise Friday to sign an executive order "to protect a woman's right to choose" on his first day in office if elected governor.

"My heart is with women across our country and in Florida who, with this decision, are losing their federal protections for the freedom to make their own reproductive decisions," Crist tweeted.

Another Democratic gubernatorial candidate and the state's agriculture commissioner, Nikki Fried, tweeted, "We won't let them take our rights. We won't back down. Women will win."

The candidate added, "Florida still has a choice. As governor, I will put everything, and I mean everything, on the line for women's rights. This is a promise."