Reproductive health providers sued Florida Wednesday over a new law banning abortions following 15 weeks of pregnancy, one of numerous challenges to such laws passed across the country by Republican leaders in anticipation of a possible US Supreme Court ruling that would limit the procedure.
The court document filed in Tallahassee state court by Planned Parenthood and other health centers alleges that the law violates a provision of the state Constitution that guarantees people’s right to privacy, “including the right to abortion.”
“HB 5 radically restricts the ability of Floridians to make decisions regarding whether or not to continue a pregnancy and have a child, in violation of their rights under the Florida Constitution,” the text states.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a ban on abortions following 15 weeks of pregnancy in April, part of a growing conservative move to restrict access to the procedure following a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion noted that the highest court would uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortions following 15 weeks. That decision, expected to be issued this summer, might weaken or overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling and make further challenges unlikely to succeed.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately return an email requesting comment.
The Florida law, which takes effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow exemptions in cases where the pregnancies were caused by rape, incest, or human trafficking. Under current law, Florida allows abortion up to 24 weeks.
A federal report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that approximately 2% of the nearly 72,000 abortions reported in Florida in 2019 were performed following 15 weeks. That same year, 2,256 out-of-state residents had abortions in Florida, with the majority — regarding 1,200 — from Georgia and more than 300 from Alabama, according to the CDC. The origin of the rest of the patients was not clear.
