Florida Gov. DeSantis signs law requiring parental consent before minors have abortions

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed legislation passed by the state legislature earlier this year that requires doctors to receive written notarized consent from the parents or guardians of minor girls before performing abortion procedures.

The new law is slated to take effect on the first of July, but includes provisions like permitting a physician to perform an abortion in the case of a medical emergency, and allowing minor girls to petition a circuit court. 

The bill ratchets up the penalty for failing to properly attend to an infant born alive during an attempted abortion to a third-degree felony, according to a Florida Senate press release.

“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," Florida Senate President Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) said according to the release. "The parents of a minor child considering an abortion must be involved in such a substantial and permanent decision. For those who are in a situation of abuse or where parental consent is not in the child’s best interest, the bill provides a judicial waiver process that still involves the intervention of an adult.”