JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Abortion access in Florida would be further restricted under a new legislation filed on the first day of the legislative session.
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The bill would give women six weeks to obtain an abortion, down from the current 15.
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It was just last year Florida lawmakers passed the 15-week ban, but that law had an unintended effect… abortions increased.
Abortions in Florida hit a 14-year high in 2022, with more than 82,000 procedures, despite lawmakers cutting the window women have to terminate a pregnancy nearly in half.
A big driver of the increase: People traveling to Florida to get an abortion.
Out-of-state abortions jumped 38 percent in 2022.
Related Story: Six-week abortion ban filed in Florida Capitol on first day of legislative session
“It turned out that we were the state that had, you know, one of the most liberal, pardon the expression, abortion laws in the South and we became a haven,” Anthony Verdugo with the Florida Christian Family Coalition said.
Kelly Flynn, with Jacksonville-based abortion clinic, A Woman’s Choice, said taking the state down to just six-weeks would take Florida off the table for most women seeking an abortion in the Southeast.
“Most people don’t even know that they’re pregnant at six weeks and then once they find out and they already have to go through the two-day in-person consent. You know, where are they gonna go now?” Flynn said.
The closest state for women in Florida the rest of the Southeast to obtain an abortion would be North Carolina, where abortion remains legal up to 20 weeks.
“You’re gonna see a lot of women leaving the state and going to other states that have looser regulations where they can go ahead and get an abortion after six weeks. So, I think this is going to kind of flip the script and the narrative,” Verdugo said.
But Flynn argued travel isn’t an option for many, and she fears the possible repercussions of a hasty decision to further restrict access in the 3rd largest state in the country.
Related Story: House passes two Republican-backed abortion measures
“People are gonna find a way to find this health care and it’s, you know, how do we want to do this? Do we want to do it in a safe way, or do we want to go back before Roe when people are starting back alley abortions again?” Flynn said.
The bill does include exemptions for rape and incest as late as 15-weeks into a pregnancy.
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It also would take effect only if the Florida Supreme Court upholds the state’s current 15-week ban.
