Exceptions to the Limitation on Termination of Pregnancies
Summary
SB 288 revises Florida’s abortion law exceptions after the state’s 6-week gestational limit. The bill changes the definition of “fatal fetal abnormality” to a terminal condition that, in reasonable medical judgment, is incompatible with prolonged life outside the womb and will result in death at birth or shortly thereafter. It also lowers the number of physicians required to make certain medical determinations from two to one for specified exceptions.
Under the bill, one physician could certify that an abortion is medically necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, and one physician could certify that a fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality if the pregnancy has not reached the third trimester. The bill leaves in place the exception for pregnancies resulting from rape, incest, or human trafficking up to 15 weeks, along with documentation and reporting requirements for those cases. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would amend sections 390.011 and 390.0111 of the Florida Statutes, narrowing and clarifying the statutory definition of fatal fetal abnormality while also expanding access to the medical exceptions by reducing the required physician sign-off from two doctors to one in certain circumstances. It would affect physicians, pregnant patients seeking abortions after 6 weeks, and the documentation/reporting process for rape, incest, and human trafficking exceptions. If enacted, it would change the evidentiary and certification requirements that govern when abortions may lawfully be performed under Florida law.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of legislative debate or formal support/opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be framed as a targeted adjustment to existing abortion restrictions, likely intended to make the medical-exception process more workable while keeping the overall post-6-week limitation in place. The absence of voting history prevents a reliable assessment of the bill’s political reception.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be the reduction from two physicians to one for medical exceptions and the revised fatal fetal abnormality standard, both of which could be viewed as either improving access to medically necessary care or weakening safeguards in the abortion review process. Another likely area of dispute is the balance between the rape/incest/human trafficking exception and the bill’s documentation and reporting requirements, especially the mandatory reporting provisions for suspected trafficking and for minors. These issues would primarily concern abortion-rights advocates, anti-abortion supporters, physicians, and patient advocates.