May 17, 2024
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Florida's ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect Wednesday. The new ban has an exception for saving a woman's life, as well as in cases involving rape and incest.
The Florida Supreme Court ruled 6-1 last month to uphold the state's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which cleared the way for the six-week ban. The 15-week ban, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, had been enforced while it was challenged in court. The six-week ban, passed by the Legislature a year later, was written so that it would not take effect until a month after the 2022 law was upheld.
Republican state Sen. Erin Grall, who sponsored the six-week ban, previously said bodily autonomy should not include abortions.
“We live in a time where the consequences of our actions are an afterthought and convenience has been substitution for responsibility," Grall said, “and this is unacceptable when it comes to the protection of the most vulnerable.”
Nathan Mitchell, president of Florida Atlantic University College Republicans, said he would support a total abortion ban, and he hopes a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in Florida's constitution will not pass in November. Mitchell said he's seen most people want restrictions on abortion, usually for bans within 10 to 15 weeks of gestation.
