Florida House proceedings descended into chaos on Thursday as pro-abortion protesters shouted from the gallery, hurled garbage at lawmakers, and disrupted proceedings ahead of the expected passage of a six-week “heartbeat” abortion ban. House Speaker Paul Renner ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove the protesters after the debate was interrupted by chants of “no justice, no peace.” Despite the mayhem, the Republican supermajority passed the Heartbeat Protection Act by a vote of 70 to 40.
“These abortion-on-demand activists will not intimidate or deter us from protecting the unborn,” Rep. Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers) tweeted. Roach shared footage of the protest in the gallery, which included chants of “shut it down” and “This is what democracy looks like.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, the representative described the demonstration as “unruly.”
“The Speaker just ordered the Sargent at Arms to clear the gallery after protestors started throwing things at lawmakers.”
Subscribe to Florida Jolt Newsletter!
The Speaker just ordered the Sargent at Arms to clear the gallery after protestors started throwing things at lawmakers. pic.twitter.com/JnMZvZL6Lr
— SpencerRoach (@SpencerRoachFL) April 13, 2023
“[The Speaker] gave a warning and said, ‘The next time it happens, I’m gonna clear the gallery,’ and it happened again. He ordered the sergeant of arms to clear the gallery,” Roach said in the interview. He described how protesters refused to heed the warning and instead escalated their disruption.
“Clearly, they were prepared for this moment and this was their plan all along. They started throwing debris and some papers down on the floor on lawmakers.”
Video taken inside the chamber by The Florida Channel shows protesters screaming while showering lawmakers with paper leaflets and stickers during voting proceedings. Speaker Renner can be heard calling for a ten-minute recess before calling on the Sergeant-at-Arms. At least one demonstrator said, “f–k around, find out,” while escorted from the gallery.
Other video taken in the capitol lobby shows abortion activists singing and chanting slogans such as “my body–hands off” and “whose house–our house.”
Join your fellow patriots and subscribe to our Youtube Channel.
BREAKING—Occupy Tallahassee abortion rights activists shutdown House of Reps by throwing papers and propaganda onto the floor. Democrat lawmakers @Robin_Bartleman @AngieNixon @RepMKRG and others appear to condone the disruption. Planned event? pic.twitter.com/BqhyacWNJS
— Javier Manjarres (@JavManjarres) April 13, 2023
According to Fox News Digital, the gallery had been cleared of protesters by noon, while other activists stayed in the capitol to continue demonstrations. While most activists later left the building before sundown, 11 demonstrators remained despite repeated warnings. They were later arrested for trespassing.
Despite the noise and litter, the Republican supermajority passed the Heartbeat Protection Act with overwhelming support. The bill arrived at Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk hours later and received his signature.
A press statement from the Governor’s office describes it as “groundbreaking legislation” that will “transform Florida into a pro-family state.” In addition to guaranteeing the right to life upon detection of a heartbeat, the law also provides $25 million in funding for pregnancy centers across the state.
“We have the opportunity to lead the national debate about the importance of protecting life and giving every child the opportunity to be born and find his or her purpose,” Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka said following the vote.
Other stories you may want to read:
DeSantis Signs Pro-Life Six-Week ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Ban – ‘Building a Culture of Life’
Florida LGBTQ Group Slammed for Issuing Bogus Travel Advisory Over DeSantis Policies
- DeSantis Hits ‘Old Guard Republicans,’ Defends Record in New Interview - September 21, 2023
- DeSantis Teases $2 Gas in Video Ahead of Energy Policy Rollout - September 20, 2023
- Critics Pummel ‘Slob’ Fetterman For ‘Lowering the Bar’ on Senate Dress Code - September 19, 2023