Florida Republican lawmakers used a supermajority in the state's legislature to grant final passage of the state's Senate Bill 300, called the "Heartbeat Protection Act," which aims to ban abortion procedures at six weeks, with exceptions.
The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, where it is expected to be signed into law.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that even if DeSantis signs the bill, it would go into effect contingent on the outcome of a lawsuit in the state's Supreme Court against Florida's current 15-week law.
Advocates in Florida have expressed worry that any new abortion access laws would have a major negative impact on low-income women and women of color.
Florida Sen. Erin Grall, said, "Once there is a heartbeat, we do not believe that an abortion should occur."
Abortion-rights groups have criticized the proposal and called it extreme, citing medical data showing that many women do not realize they are pregnant until after six weeks of gestation.
Abortion bans are a top issue for the religious conservatives who make up a significant portion of the Republican voting base.
In January, Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania introduced H.R. 175, called the "Heartbeat Protection Act," which aims to stop abortions in that state when "fetal heartbeat is detected."
Last year, a South Carolina law that would make most abortions illegal at six weeks after gestation was fought by abortion providers in the state's Supreme Court.
The White House responded to Florida's passage of the bill in a statement, writing, "This ban would prevent four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks — before many women even know they're pregnant."
The statement said, "This ban would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in abortion-banning states throughout the South, many of whom have previously relied on travel to Florida as an option to access care."
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