Impact of the new Florida law
Florida Judge Thursday said it would temporarily block the 15-week abortion ban from coming into effect following a court objection by a reproductive health care provider who said the State Constitution guarantees the right to the procedure.
Judge John C. Cooper said he would make a verbal judgment from the bench and soon sign a temporary injunction.
This decision overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, ends federal protection against abortion, and rekindles a fierce battle for access to state court and legislative proceedings. It was done a few days after letting me do it.
Florida's 15-week abortion ban was passed by the GOP-controlled State Capitol and passed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis this spring. It was signed. It was scheduled to come into effect on Friday.
The state will almost certainly fight the ruling.
The law prohibits abortion after 15 weeks to save the lives of pregnant women, to prevent serious injuries, or unless there is a fatal abnormality in the fetus. No exemptions are granted if pregnancy is caused by rape, incest or trafficking. Current law allows Florida to have an abortion for up to 24 weeks.
Violators can face up to five years in prison. Doctors and other medical professionals can lose their license and be fined $ 10,000 for each breach.
The legal objection in Florida depends on the 1980 amendment of the State Constitution, which guarantees a wide range of rights to privacy. This has been interpreted by the State Supreme Court to include abortion. Plaintiffs said Florida voters reaffirmed their right to privacy in 2012 by rejecting voting initiatives that could undermine protection.
"Despite Florida's history of protecting the right to abortion, the Florida State Council recently engaged in a brave attempt to nullify the will of the people of Florida," said the abortion provider. Said. The state
claimed that the abortion provider was not in a position to claim an individual's right to privacy because he was acting as a third party on behalf of the patient. State lawyers also argued that the constitutional right to privacy of the state did not include the right to abortion, and that the state was interested in protecting health and potential life.
According to the data, the majority of abortions in Florida occur before the 15-week deadline. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2% of the approximately 72,000 miscarriages reported in Florida in 2019 occurred 15 weeks later.
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