A Florida Senate committee advanced a 15-week abortion ban in the state on Wednesday despite pleas from doctors to make a decision rooted in science and to consider the ramifications for patients.

Ahead of a hearing on Senate Bill 146, which would ban nearly all abortion in Florida at 15 weeks of pregnancy, a group of physicians and abortion providers gathered outside the states Capitol building before going inside to testify against the legislation.

This bill ignores the many reasons why patients seek abortion care after 15 weeks . It completely misses the mark of reducing fetal mortality, Dr. Rachel Rapkin, an OB-GYN from Tampa, Florida, told reporters.

Currently, Florida bans abortion at 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Rapkin shared a story about one of her patients, who learned from an ultrasound 20 weeks into her pregnancy that the fetus she was carrying had a severe abnormality, and that if the child survived outside the womb, its life would likely be short and require ongoing aggressive medical interventions.

Dr. Sujatha Prabhakaran, the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, said a hard cutoff like the one proposed in this ban is unreasonable and ignores the realities of pregnancy and parenthood.

Every persons circumstances are different, she said. Every pregnancy is unique. Patients seeking care beyond 15 weeks are often in some of the most difficult circumstances.