Florida governor expected to sign 6-week abortion ban

April 13 (UPI) -- Lawmakers in Florida passed legislation Thursday that would ban most abortion procedures after six weeks, by a vote of 70 to 40.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., is expected to sign the legislation into law, according to CNBC.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the vote unfolded largely along party lines, with Republicans rejecting almost 50 amendments from state Democrats. Florida's state Senate passed the bill earlier this month.

"We welcome pro-life legislation," DeSantis has previously said.

The so-called "Heartbeat Protection Act" will only become law if previous Florida legislation currently before the courts is upheld. A lawsuit is currently pending in front of the Florida Supreme Court challenging a 15-week ban on abortion. If that court finds the legislation just, the 15-week limit would be reduced to 6 weeks.

Performing an abortion after six weeks could constitute a third-degree felony, with up to a five-year prison term. Thursday's legislation does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

Many women do not know they are pregnant by the six-week mark.

"The ban flies in the face of fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and of all the United States," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Thursday, calling the legislation "dangerous."

"This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks - before many women even know they're pregnant. This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care."

The bill also bans mailing abortion-inducing medication.

Several states have already started stockpiling abortion medication in reaction to a possible ban over a lawsuit currently in federal court.

"Florida has marched ahead with an abortion ban that would strip away women's rights in Florida and imperil access to abortion across the entire South," Jean-Pierre said in a Tweet.