As of Wednesday (May 1, 2024), it is now illegal to get an abortion in Florida after 6 weeks and any ban violators will face a third-degree felony.
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Before this, Florida had been a refuge for abortion access in the South after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It was reported that more than 9,300 people traveled to the state last year for abortion care; which is more than double the number in 2020. An estimated total reveals 84,000 abortions were performed in Florida last year, about 1 in 12 nationwide.
In April 2022, Florida first banned abortions after 15 weeks when Governor Ron DeSantis signed a Mississippi-style abortion ban into law, which shortened the previous window available to legally terminate a pregnancy by more than two months.
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Within minutes of DeSantis’ office announcing that the bill (HB 5) had made its way to them after being approved by the Florida Legislature in March, the governor proudly signed the ban, which was accompanied by a ceremony and rally at an evangelical church in Kissimmee.
After the previous 15-week ban was passed in April 2022, the 6-week ban officially went into effect a month ago when the state Supreme Court overruled a 34-year-old decision protecting a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy. The ruling, which prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, triggered the more restrictive 6-week ban passed by the Florida Legislature last year. The 6-week ban, tied to the Supreme Court case, had been temporarily blocked but went into effect 30 days after last month’s decision.
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Florida’s new 6-week abortion ban that has gone into effect has now curtailed its previous 15-week ban and made it a third-degree felony for any violators performing or actively participating in abortion after six weeks’ gestation, which is about two weeks after a missed period.
However, it is further noted that the new 6-week abortion ban in Florida has gone into effect with exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. Additionally, Florida law will also allow abortions to save a woman’s life or to prevent “substantial and irreversible” physical impairment, however, doctors might still face legal liability.
It is also reported that the 6-week abortion ban in Florida requires a patient to visit a clinic two times in person, 24 hours apart, ahead of an abortion.
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