A Florida Supreme Court decision Monday could make it easier for the state’s ban on abortion at six weeks’ gestation to take effect, but will allow Floridians to vote in November on the issue.
The body voted on Monday in favor of maintaining the current ban on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation in Florida (approved in 2022), but this implies the activation of a measure promoted by Governor Ron DeSantis in April 2023 that prohibits interruption of pregnancy after six weeks.
This law will take effect within 30 days and only includes exceptions for rape, incest and endangering the life of the mother.
Despite this, in a separate ruling the court also authorized the drafting of a proposed state constitutional amendment that would protect the right to abortion in Florida and that could be voted on next November.
This initiative allows the issue to enter the ballot as a Fourth Amendment in November, when voters could overturn this Monday’s ruling, which makes Florida one of the most restrictive states in the United States regarding abortion.
Constitutional amendments in the state need the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved.
The court’s decision reignites the battle over reproductive rights in Republican Florida.
Michigan and Ohio have also put the issue on the ballot in previous years. Voters have directly intervened in reproductive rights since the United States Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned the Roe ruling vs. Wade who protected the right to abortion.
The initiative could also boost electoral participation in an election where a close confrontation is expected between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the presidency of the country.
In 2022, the state of Florida appealed the decision of a state judge in favor of abortion and established that the procedure It was only allowed up to 15 weeks of gestation.
However, in April 2023, the Florida Legislature, with a Republican majority, approved the abortion ban. after six weeks of pregnancyan initiative supported by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis when he dreamed of being Donald Trump’s main opponent in the Republican race.
DeSantis signed that law early in the morning that changed the current regulations in Florida and that until now prohibited abortions after 15 weeks.
