Florida governor Ron DeSantis quietly signs controversial abortion bill

‘This law will put already at-risk young people in even greater danger at the worst possible time’, Planned Parenthood says

Governor Ron Desantis has quietly signed an abortion law that will require those under the age of 18 to get a parent’s permission before having an abortion.

Gov DeSantis, who is a Republican, discreetly passed the bill last Tuesday, choosing to sign the legislation without providing a public statement on the matter.

“The governor was pleased to sign this historic legislation to support and protect Florida families,” spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice said.

Other Republican lawmakers supporting the bill, including Senate President Bill Galvano, have praised the move, saying parents should be involved if underage people consider having abortions.

“The serious and irrevocable decision to end a pregnancy involves undergoing a significant medical procedure that results, in many cases, in lifelong emotional and physical impacts,” Sen Galvano said in a prepared statement, The Sun Sentinel reported.

“The parents of a minor child considering an abortion must be involved in such a substantial and permanent decision.”

Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, has warned that the law could set a dangerous precedent for the revision of abortion laws in Florida.

“This law will put already at-risk young people in even greater danger at the worst possible time,” Ms Fraim said.

“What’s worse, it could open the door to a reinterpretation of our constitutional right to privacy and the right to safe and legal abortion in Florida.”

The bill, which passed during the legislative session that ended in March, took effect last Wednesday.

A similar parental-consent law was struck down 1989, after it was found to have violated a right to privacy in the state Constitution.

The decision comes not long after The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion measure, the first landmark ruling on abortion rights in the era of Donald Trump.

The decision against the highly controversial Louisiana law allowing the regulation of abortion providers to come into effect and has been seen as a watershed moment that could set a new precedent for the protection of abortion rights in the US.

President Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign pledged to nominate justices who would back the overturning of abortion ruling of Roe v Wade.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.