JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect just after midnight Wednesday.
Previously, the state had become a haven for abortion access in the South after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Florida banned abortions after 15 weeks in 2022, but the majority of neighboring states had stricter regulations, and more than 9,300 people came to Florida for abortion care last year.
That's more than double the number in 2020, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion access. Last year, about 84,000 abortions were performed in Florida, about 1 in 12 nationwide.
Florida's new law would curb that trend. Currently, it is a felony in the state to perform an abortion or actively participate in an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy (approximately two weeks after the expected period). The ban includes exceptions for rape up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, incest, and human trafficking. State law also allows abortions to save a woman's life or prevent “serious and irreversible” disability, but doctors may still worry about legal liability.
“This will delay care and pose significant health harm and risks to women,” Dr. Danielle Sacks of the Presidential Women's Center in West Palm Beach said of the new law.
Abortion providers in Florida worked to see as many patients as possible in the weeks leading up to the ban. They said some patients are confused about Florida's restrictions and timeline, especially considering it's been about a year since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the six-week ban. The policy was temporarily blocked before a state Supreme Court ruling last month cleared the way for it to become law.
Florida also requires two in-person clinic visits 24 hours apart before an abortion, a rule some patients may be unaware of.
Kathy, 20, from Florida, who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her privacy, had her first appointment at an abortion clinic in Fort Pierce on Monday. She did not know that the six-week ban was due to come into effect in two days.
“I knew they were going to do it, but I didn't know it actually happened,” Kathy said.
She was less than six weeks pregnant, but acknowledged she could easily miss that deadline if the new law comes into effect.
Kathy lives in an RV with her partner and 1-year-old son. She would like to have another child, but she can't afford it right now, she said.
“I won't be able to support my son as well as I could,” she said, adding that with the birth of her second child, “it's going to be hard to even eat, it's going to be hard to pay for small expenses like tires for my car.”
On Monday, on her way to the clinic, she stopped to confront protesters urging her to continue with her pregnancy.
“The first thing I said was, 'Can you help me and my family get a mortgage?'” she said.
She added that she feels for the women in Florida who may now have unwanted pregnancies or have to travel long distances for abortions.
“It is not correct to say that there is a certain period of time in which a woman must have an abortion,” she says. “I wish I could hug those women and help them get through it.”
Anti-abortion rights groups are celebrating the new law.
“Florida is committed to providing significant financial resources to provide security, protect women, and provide women with a wide range of choices and resources that make their life choices easier, especially for the most vulnerable. I've been there,” Matt Staver said. Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based legal organization that opposes abortion rights.
He pointed to $25 million the state set aside to expand the Florida Pregnancy Care Network, a group of so-called crisis pregnancy centers. Such centers attempt to dissuade pregnant women from undergoing abortions and provide counseling and supplies, but some are known to provide inaccurate or misleading information.
Nine Southern states have total bans on abortion, with Georgia and South Carolina banning abortions after about six weeks. So for people in Florida and other parts of the Southeast who want to terminate their pregnancies, the closest options are now most likely to be in North Carolina and Virginia, where abortions are allowed for up to 15 weeks. expensive.
The Florida Access Network, a fund that helps Floridians with costs such as abortion appointments, food and transportation, is preparing for a wave of patients needing out-of-state abortion assistance. .
Stephanie Lorraine Pinheiro, the organization's executive director, said: “We are facing a new crisis in which people are forced to travel long distances to receive care, and many do not have the resources or ability to do so. I'm living in reality.” .
Women's Choice, a network of abortion clinics based in Jacksonville, opened a clinic in Virginia last month in anticipation of Florida's ban. He also operates three clinics in North Carolina. But Kelly Flynn, the network's CEO, said those other locations aren't realistic options for many people.
She said women came from Mississippi and Louisiana to the Jacksonville clinic this week seeking abortions before Florida's ban went into effect.
Flynn said the network will now help women in the South understand the few legal options they have if they want an abortion.
“When they call our call center, we give them that information. We help them with logistics, travel, food, gas, etc. so they can get to North Carolina and Virginia. I intend to,” she said.
Marissa Parra and Juliette Arcodia reported from Jacksonville and Alia Bendix from New York City. Bracey Harris contributed reporting from Jackson, Mississippi.