In the sole debate of the Florida governor’s race, the Republican incumbent, Ron DeSantis, was put on the defensive by his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, on subjects including abortion and DeSantis’s presidential ambitions.
Crist called Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, which does not include exceptions for rape or incest, “callous and barbaric”.
DeSantis said he was proud of the ban but would not say if he supported further restrictions. He also made a string of false claims.
“I would like to see everybody have a shot,” DeSantis said. “I’m proud of the 15 weeks that we did. I know Charlie Crist opposes that even though the baby is fully formed, has a heartbeat, can feel pain and can suck their thumb.”
A fetus can suck its thumb at 12 weeks but is not fully formed at 15.
Regarding pain, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says: “The science conclusively establishes that a human fetus does not have the capacity to experience pain until after at least 24–25 weeks.
“Every major medical organization that has examined this issue and peer-reviewed studies on the matter have consistently reached the conclusion that abortion before this point does not result in the perception of pain in a fetus.”
DeSantis also claimed Crist supported abortion “until the moment of birth”, a procedure that does not exist, and “dismemberment abortions”, which the New York Times called “a pejorative term for procedures performed later in pregnancy that, when they do happen,...
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