Miami, Florida – The conservative Supreme Court in Florida made a significant ruling on Monday, stating that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights. This decision paves the way for one of the most stringent abortion bans in the country to go into effect within 30 days.
However, the court also made a separate decision allowing an amendment to establish abortion rights in the state’s constitution to be placed on the November ballot. This amendment could potentially reverse the new strict abortion ban in a matter of months if approved by voters.
The ruling on the abortion ban narrows the interpretation of a provision in the Florida Constitution that safeguards the right to privacy, which voters added in 1980. This ruling will have a dual impact on abortion access in Florida.
While the case was focused on the constitutionality of the state’s existing 15-week ban, the court’s decision will also trigger a more stringent law passed in the spring that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The six-week ban, with exceptions for specific situations, will greatly limit abortion access in the South and put strain on clinics nationwide.
The conflicting political ideologies within Florida and across the nation since the 2022 fall of Roe v. Wade are highlighted by these parallel rulings. Despite the increasingly conservative makeup of Florida’s high court under Governor Ron DeSantis, surveys reveal that a majority of the state’s voters oppose early-pregnancy abortion bans.
In the upcoming November election, voters will have the opportunity to determine whether women in Florida will continue to have access to abortions. Advocates collected over 1.5 million signatures in support of the proposed amendment, surpassing the required number. The state Supreme Court’s ruling supports the advocates, allowing the proposed amendment to proceed to the ballot.