By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Thursday a law banning abortions within 15 weeks after a woman is pregnant. This restriction could be declared constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court when it reviews a Mississippi ban similar this spring.

Florida’s law that will take effect on July 1st, significantly restricts access for late-term abortions. If it isn’t stopped in court. Because of the stricter abortion laws of surrounding states, women from all over the country travel hundreds of kilometers to terminate pregnancies.

The current state allows abortions during pregnancy up to 24 hours.

DeSantis declared that “this bill will provide the most important protections of life that have ever been enacted by this state in any generation”, before signing the bill.

This new law allows exceptions for the 15-week limit in the following cases: if the mother is at high risk of dying or has an irreversible physical impairment; or if there are fatal abnormalities. An amendment to allow for exceptions in the case of rape and incest, as well as human trafficking was defeated by Republican senators from Texas.

“Nobody should be forced to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles for essential health care — but in signing this bill, Gov. DeSantis will force Floridians who are seeking abortions to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund said in a statement.

Republican-led state legislatures are quickly passing anti-abortion legislation by 2022. The expectation is that the U.S. Supreme Court in the spring will reinstate a Mississippi ban of 15 weeks abortion. In December, the court’s conservative majority of 6-3 expressed its openness to Mississippi’s case at oral arguments.

Roe v. Wade was established in 1973 and the court’s ruling could be overturned. This precedent would allow states to pass more restrictive bans.

Kentucky’s legislature approved a broad anti-abortion measure on Wednesday. This has placed an halt to abortions in Kentucky, while legal challenges are pending. Oklahoma’s governor has signed into law a ban on abortions that would apply to all but the most severe cases. This will be in effect until this summer.

After Arizona’s Republican Governor signed an identical measure, Florida’s Florida law was the second to be enacted in this year’s 15-week period.

A 15-week ban was also proposed by West Virginia legislators this year. However, that bill fell in the Senate.