DeSantis touts Florida family-friendly reforms at religious broadcasters conference

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the Sunshine State's efforts to curb abortion and foster the development of families during a speech to the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) conference on Monday.

DeSantis touted his state's recent passage of a six-week abortion ban, saying that to protect the life of baby at that stage of development "is humane. That is not harsh, it is the right thing to do."

He further pointed to myriad healthcare reforms designed to support mothers, saying "[w]e have provided unprecedented support in the state of Florida for mothers. We've expanded medical coverage for low income mothers to one full year of post-partem healthcare coverage."

The Florida governor went on to highlight changes to the state's sales tax plan, which involved the removal of taxes on the sale of any item pertaining to the raising of children.

"Whatever you need to raise a baby, it's tax-free in the state of Florida," he said. 

The Florida governor made the remarks ahead of an expected presidential campaign launch. Though he has not formally announced his candidacy, DeSantis is widely expected to enter the Republican primary and polling data has consistently shown him as the most formidable challenger within the party to former President Donald Trump.

He currently trails the former president by 36.9% in the RealClearPolitics polling average, but stands well ahead of any other declared Republican candidate.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.