(RepublicanJournal.org) – With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the rights to set abortion limits were sent back to the states. Many had laws already set to go into effect, while others had to hammer out legislation. In the south, most states enacted restrictive laws, with Florida being the only exception. It banned the procedure after 15 weeks of gestation, which made it a haven for those looking for an abortion. Now, however, that’s changed.
On Wednesday, May 1, Florida’s abortion ban went into effect. It bans terminations after six weeks gestation, a period when many women don’t even know that they’re pregnant yet. Anyone who performs or participates in an abortion would be subject to felony charges.
The law does have an allowance for instances of rape, incest, or human trafficking. In those instances, a woman can get an abortion up to 15 weeks gestation. Doctors are allowed to perform pregnancy terminations if the mother’s life is in danger or if there’s a risk of physical impairment that’s “substantial and irreversible.”
Naturally, the law faced a multitude of legal challenges, with pro-abortion activists and doctors claiming the ban was unconstitutional. In early April, the state Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent in allowing the ban to move forward, ruling that constitutional protections don’t extend to the procedure. However, it also ruled 4-3 that voters will be allowed to weigh in. To that effect, there will be a ballot measure this November, that will allow Floridians to decide whether or not to add a constitutional amendment that will permit abortions up to the point of viability, which is approximately 24 weeks gestation.
In 2023, more than 9,000 people traveled to Florida for abortions due to strict or total bans on the procedure in their own states. Nine states have total bans while Georgia and South Carolina prohibit the procedure after six weeks. Now, those who were traveling to the Sunshine State will need to venture north instead.
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