abortion bill

A woman wanted to remain faithful to her Baptist upbringing, but doctors' concern over her diagnosis of major depressive disorder led her to terminate an unexpected pregnancy.

The measure in Florida comes as Republicans across the country move to tighten access to the procedure.

Republican senators rejected a series of amendments that Democrats proposed during hours of debate on Wednesday.

Opposition was slightly higher when respondents were told that the bill does not include exceptions for rape or incest.

In the open letter, clinicians wrote that there is no medical justification to ban abortion care at 15 weeks and that the legislation, and others like it, severely limits access to care.

The 78-39 vote early Thursday morning came after nearly six hours of debate and the removal from the gallery of protesters chanting in opposition to the measure.

During the Health & Human Services Committee meeting, Chair Colleen Burton said close to 100 people signed up to testify and she wanted to be sure all speakers would be heard on the measure.

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing the future of a Mississippi law that inspired the Florida bills.

Bill sponsor Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, defended the decision to reject a proposed amendment to make exceptions for victims of rape and incest.

Abortion is currently legal in Florida up to 24 weeks of gestation. It is only allowed beyond that if the pregnancy threatens a woman's life and physical health.