There was chaos in the Florida Capitol on Thursday with protesters flooding the building as the state House prepared to vote on a bill that would outlaw abortions in Florida after six weeks.

The law essentially is a total ban on abortions as most women don’t realize they’re pregnant until after six weeks. 

Dozens of protesters were seen shouting and handfuls of stickers and small pieces of paper down on lawmakers as they entered the House chamber.

The stickers provided information on how to receive abortion pills through mail, according to local reports. 

Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, supports the bill and has said he will sign it.

Protesters swarmed the state capitol building in Tallahassee amid debate on a bill that would ban abortions after six weeks

If it becomes the law it would give Florida one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. The state already has a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, which is being challenged in the Florida Supreme Court. It’s unclear when there will be a ruling in that case. 

During debate on the six-week ban, Democratic lawmakers proposed more than 50 amendments to the bill but also acknowledged the uphill battle they faced in the Republican-controlled state legislature.

But House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, spent the afternoon rushing through that process, giving each amendment about a minute of debate before calling a voice vote, declaring the amendment failed, and moving on to the next one.

Some observers in the gallery booed and shouted at his actions. ‘This is all just circus politics,’ one yelled.

Renner pushed back, warning observers that it is privilege to watch the proceedings and reminded them he can have the galleries emptied. 

By noon those galleries were emptied due to disruptions. 

House Speaker Paul Renner, a Republican, spent the afternoon rushing through the amendment process

Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat (speaking in pink) proposed several amendments that failed

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, proposed an amendment that would delay the enactment of the ban under the King Charles Clause. 

The amendment would keep the state’s current law in effect until ’21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England living as of the date of this declaration’. 

Read Related Also: Kevin McCarthy proposes raising the debt limit by $1.5T to save $4.5T

This ‘last survivor’ is one-year-old Princess Lilibet of Sussex, who lives in California.

Disney used the clause to circumvent DeSantis’ attempt to take control of its theme parks.

‘If it worked for Disney maybe it’ll work for me,’ Eskamani said. 

The amendment failed.

She also proposed to rename the bill the ‘Forced Pregnancy Act.’ 

‘Members, this amendment renames the bill to the Forced Pregnancy Act, which is basically what it does,’ she said. ‘That’s the amendment.’ 

‘It’ll force people into pregnancy before they even realize they are pregnant,’ she added.

The amendment failed.

The bill, which has already been passed by the Florida Senate, does have exceptions for rape, incest & human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.  

There is an exception for the life of the mother if two physicians certify in writing that the woman will die if she continues the pregnancy.

The bill also allocates $25 million for anti-abortion non-medical clinics, essentially promoting pregnancy. Florida only funds rape crisis centers $3 million per year. 

More than a dozen states have restricted access to abortions following the overturning of Roe V Wade

Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, supports the abortion ban and has said he will sign it

As of January 2023, 24 states have enacted restrictive bans or are in the process of doing so.

Twelve states are enforcing a near-total ban on abortion with very limited exceptions, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In four states, laws prohibiting abortion after a specific point in pregnancy, which would have been unconstitutional under Roe, are in effect.