Florida state Representative says God has told him to rewrite abortion bill with no exceptions

Bills restricting access to abortion are sweeping the country

A Florida state representative told a group that God told him to a rewrite an abortion bill without exceptions for rape or incest.

In a speech given to Women for Responsible Legislation group in Pensacola, Florida, state representative Mike Hill said God spoke directly to him about a restrictive abortion bill he had previously tried and failed to pass in Florida’s legislature.

"As plain as day, God spoke to me,” Mr Hill, a Republican, told the group. “He said 'that wasn't my bill,' talking about the heartbeat detection bill that I filed. He said 'that wasn't my bill.'"

“I knew immediately what he was talking about,” the state representative confirmed.

The bill which Mr Hill, and, allegedly, God, were referring to would have restricted abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Mr Hill’s proposed version of the ban, which is currently sweeping the nation in various forms, included exceptions for rape, incest, medical emergency, human trafficking, and domestic violence.

Mr Hill told the group he included the exception in hopes of getting the bill passed, but the proposed law died before getting a committee hearing, which he lamented was more focused on "health care, transportation, and the Everglades" than his attempt at an abortion ban, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

Mr Hill says he’s currently working on a new bill, with outside help.

"[God] said, 'you remove those exceptions and you file it again.' And I said 'yes Lord, I will'," Mr Hill said. "It's coming back. It's coming back. We are going to file that bill without any exceptions, just like what we saw passed in Alabama."

On Friday, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood sued the state of Alabama for its unconstitutional abortion ban. Representatives of the ACLU of Alabama told The Independent on Thursday that they expect the legal fight to take around three years. Abortion remains legal in the state for now.

Elizabeth Renda, Women’s Media Director for the Democratic National Committee, said: "The national Democratic Party opposes these abortion bans or any infringement on women's reproductive freedom in the strongest possible terms. We have been extremely clear about where we stand on reproductive rights, and our platform demonstrates our commitment to preserving a woman's fundamental right to make decisions about her own body with her doctor. The abortion bans sweeping the country are part of a targeted effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, and they will put women's lives at risk by barring their access to safe, legal abortion. As a party, Democrats remain committed to protecting women and their access to the health care they deserve."