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 The bill by state Representative Webster Barnaby would ban abortions
after regular cardiac contractions are detected in an embryo, known
as a fetal heartbeat even though the heart has not yet developed,
about six to eight weeks into pregnancy. That is before many women
know they are pregnant.
The bill was immediately condemned by proponents of reproductive
rights.
"It's a FL version of TX's bill and it's disgusting," Florida state
Representative Anna V. Eskamani, a Democrat, posted on Twitter.
Helene Krasnoff, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's vice
president for public policy litigation and law, said the Florida
bill was the first such legislation she had seen filed since Texas'
"Heartbeat Act" became law.
The Texas law and the Florida bill are the latest in a decades-long
string of efforts by Republican officials to limit or ban abortion
in conservative states.
The right to abortion was established in the U.S. Supreme Court's
landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, but abortion-rights advocates
fear it could be overturned when the court, now with a 6-3
conservative majority, hears a bid by Mississippi or other states to
overturn that decision.
Barnaby's bill, which was filed for consideration in the
Republican-controlled legislature next year, is similar to the Texas
measure in that would ban abortion after the so-called fetal
heartbeat is detected and allow abortion opponents to sue doctors
and their employees for $10,000 for terminating pregnancies.
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 The Texas law is more
restrictive, with no exceptions for rape or
incest, and it can be interpreted to allow
lawsuits to be filed against anyone who helps a
woman obtain an abortion, such as taxi drivers
or friends who might give her a ride to the
doctor.
The Florida bill makes exceptions for rape,
incest and medical emergencies that threaten the
life of the woman.
The Texas law, the most restrictive in the
country, took effect on Sept. 1 after the U.S.
Supreme Court declined to act on a request by
abortion-rights groups to block it.
It was a victory for conservatives, who have
long sought to eliminate abortion access in the
United States.
Prominent Democrats including President Joe
Biden voiced outrage, and Biden's Justice
Department has challenged the Texas law in
federal court.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Peter
Cooney)
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