Florida Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling Limits Women’s Options
TL/DR –
The Florida Supreme Court has upheld a 15-week abortion ban, taking immediate effect, and allowed a stricter six-week ban to take effect in 30 days. The new law will affect more women seeking abortions in the first trimester than any other single abortion ban and is set to disrupt the precarious landscape for abortion access developed after the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Women will now have to seek abortions out of state, with the closest clinics being a 14-hour drive away, or resort to ordering abortion pills online.
Florida’s Abortion Ban and its Effects
Over 80,000 women in Florida get an abortion each year, representing around 1 in 12 abortions nationwide. Now, after Florida’s Supreme Court ruling, most will need to seek alternatives.
The court’s decision upheld a 15-week ban and approved a strict six-week ban, significantly reducing abortion access. This ruling will impact more first trimester abortion-seekers than any prior ban, destabilizing the already shaky abortion access landscape following the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The court also authorized an initiative to put abortion on the November ballot. But in the eight months before such an amendment could be added, thousands of women will deal with unwanted pregnancies.
Florida women are now warned by those who’ve suffered under the existing 15-week ban, like Anya Cook, to “run” if they encounter pregnancy complications post six-week mark.
After the ban, the closest legal abortion clinic for those in Florida’s southernmost tip will be a 14-hour drive to Charlotte. Those over 12 weeks pregnant will have to drive 17 hours to southern Virginia.
Many in Florida are expected to order abortion pills online instead of traveling to physical clinics. This may be a simple process for some, but for others, it’s confusing and scary.
Despite Monday’s ruling, Florida was once a refuge for those seeking abortions in the South. The state constitution’s 1980 amendment established a right to privacy, upholding protections for the procedure. But this has changed with Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ (R) reshaping of the state Supreme Court, making it a conservative stronghold.
The new six-week ban will outlaw abortions before many realize they’re pregnant. Abortion rights advocates fear this will further strain clinics in Democratic-led states that have seen increased traffic since Roe fell.
Florida’s 15-week ban, passed in spring 2022, already forced many to leave the state for abortions. Even patients with complications that doctors could no longer treat had to seek help elsewhere.
With the new six-week ban, these conversations will become far more frequent. The impact is expected to be extensive, considering that Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration reported 84,000 abortions last year.
Advocates in Florida are hopeful that voters will secure abortion rights in the state this November. To amend the state constitution, over 60 percent of voters would need to agree.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said the Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Florida Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion. The ruling was 6-1. The article has been corrected.
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