TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Minors in Florida will now be required to get parental consent before getting an abortion under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Tuesday. Gov. DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 404, which was proposed by Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland). The legislation requires parental consent for a physician to perform an abortion on a minor and enhances protections for infants born alive.
Under the law, doctors are prevented from performing an abortion on a minor unless the physician has received a notarized, written consent statement with specified language signed by the minor’s mother, father, or legal guardian and the physician has been presented with proof of identification by the parent or legal guardian.
The requirement doesn't apply if the abortion is performed during a medical emergency when there is insufficient time to obtain consent, or if the minor receives a judicial waiver of parental consent.
The law also increases penalties from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony for violating a requirement that mandates any health care practitioner to preserve the health and life of an infant if it is born alive during an attempted abortion.
