Appeals court won’t fast track Florida abortion lawsuit

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The authorized battle over Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban received’t go on a quick observe to the state Supreme Courtroom, which has beforehand dominated that the structure’s privateness provisions assure a proper to abortion.

The first District Courtroom of Attraction determined Thursday that it’ll take into account the case quite than forwarding it instantly to the state’s highest court docket. The court docket additionally rejected a bid from abortion suppliers to briefly block the regulation, that means that for now the 15-week ban stays in impact in Florida.

The ban on abortions after 15 weeks — down from 24 weeks beneath longstanding previous regulation — took impact July 1.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has expressed confidence the state will prevail on enchantment, notably earlier than a Supreme Courtroom with a conservative majority. In that case, that will imply the justices must reverse years of precedent guaranteeing a girl’s abortion rights in Florida, a lot because the U.S. Supreme Courtroom did in overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade determination.

Advert

The Florida regulation prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the process is critical to avoid wasting the pregnant lady’s life, stop severe damage or if the fetus has a deadly abnormality. It doesn’t permit exemptions in instances the place pregnancies have been attributable to rape, incest or human trafficking.

Violators may resist 5 years in jail. Physicians and different medical professionals may lose their licenses and face administrative fines of $10,000 for every violation.

The regulation was handed by the GOP-controlled legislature and signed by DeSantis this spring.

Reproductive well being suppliers sued over the regulation, arguing that it violates an modification to the state structure guaranteeing a broad proper to privateness. The regulation was briefly blocked by a decrease court docket decide who dominated that it violated the state structure, however the state’s enchantment put a maintain on that authentic ruling, reinstating the 15-week restriction.

Advert

Knowledge reveals the vast majority of abortions in Florida happen earlier than 15 weeks. A U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention report stated about 2% of the almost 72,000 abortions reported in Florida in 2019 have been carried out after 15 weeks.