KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban into law Thursday at a press conference in Kissimmee, as the state moves to join a growing conservative push ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit access nationwide.

The bill known as the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act, or HB 5, will ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“House Bill 5 protects babies in the womb who have beating hearts, who can move, who can taste, who can see, and who can feel pain,” DeSantis said.

Republicans in several states have moved to place new restrictions on abortion after the conservative Supreme Court signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The court's decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that declared a nationwide right to abortion.

The signing of the bill also marks a significant blow to abortion access in the South, where Florida has provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.

The bill, which would take effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.

DeSantis was joined at the press conference by Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, Florida Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls, Florida Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration Simone Marstiller, Sen. Kelli Stargel, Sen. Jennifer Bradley, Sen. Debbie Mayfield, Sen. Dennis Baxley, Sen. Senator Danny Burgess, Rep. Erin Grall, Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, Rep. Josie Tomkow, Rep. Colleen Burton, Rep. Melony Bell, Rep. Jackie Toledo, Rep. Dana Trabulsy, Rep. Kaylee Tuck, Rep. Elizabeth Anne Fetterhoff, Rep. Cord Byrd, Rep. Mike Beltran, and Rep. Webster Barnaby, along with several pro-life advocates.

At the press conference, DeSantis also praised the state’s push for promoting fatherhood and increasing adoption incentives.

"The most important thing you can do is to take responsibility for the upbringing of your kids," he said.

Democratic State Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a tweet Thursday that DeSantis is spreading disinformation on abortion, not how abortion care works, and that his rhetoric is designed to lie to people and shame those who make the decision to end a pregnancy. She added that this, along with 24-hour mandatory delay, will create serious barriers for people who are already marginalized.

She released the following statement in a tweet after the bill was signed: "Let me be clear: there is no such thing as a reasonable abortion ban. Nothing in this abortion ban is moderate, it is extreme. And despite impassioned pleas by Democrats to add exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking they were each rejected. The only exceptions that do exist are very narrow and needs to be verified by two doctors, creating an unnecessary and undue burden to an already restrictive bill. The law is a direct assault on our constitutional rights and is a part of a national effort to ban abortion and contraception across the country."

Read her full statement here: