BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) – Florida's policy banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they're pregnant, went into effect Wednesday, and some doctors say women in the state are She is concerned that she will no longer be able to obtain an abortion. necessary medical care.
The start of the new ban also brought Vice President Kamala Harris to Jacksonville, where she said the abortion ban is the first of six U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted nearly two years ago to overturn a long-standing precedent by former President Donald Trump. He said that this was a direct result of the appointment of three people. It protected access to abortion.
“And now, in states across the country, extremists are proposing and passing laws that criminalize doctors and punish women,” Harris said. “Laws that threaten doctors and nurses with prison terms or even life in prison just for providing reproductive care. Laws that make no exceptions for rape or incest, and even reinstate laws from the 1800s.”
Dr. Leah Roberts, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert at Boca Fertility in Boca Raton, says anti-abortion laws in Florida and other red states are vaguely defined by people who don't understand medicine. He said it was written. The rule affects not only women who seek therapeutic abortion, a procedure that terminates a viable pregnancy by personal choice, but also non-viable pregnancies in women who wish to give birth.
“We get between them and their doctors and prevent them from getting treatment, sometimes at the cost of their fertility, to the point of literally saving their lives,” Roberts said.
The new ban includes exceptions for cases that save a woman's life or involve rape or incest. But Roberts said medical professionals are still worried about non-viable pregnancies that they know can be fatal, such as when the fetus is missing organs or implanted outside the uterus. , stated that an abortion cannot be performed until it is actually lethal.
“They say we have to wait until the mother has sepsis to intervene,” Roberts said.
In addition to the physical danger, Roberts said there is also the psychological trauma of having to carry a fetus that the mother knows will never grow into a healthy baby.
“They've been in shock for months, being told they can't have any more babies,” Roberts said. “And it's really scary to know that you could be treated at 20 weeks and then have another pregnancy and be able to have a baby sooner.”
Associated Press correspondent Donna Warder reports on Florida's new abortion ban.
The Biden campaign quickly laid blame for the “extreme” six-week embargo. former president donald trump.
“Mr. Trump is worried that voters will hold him accountable for the brutality and chaos he has caused. He is right. Trump stripped American women of their rights and freedoms. will teach him a valuable lesson: Don't mess with American women,” President Joe Biden said in a statement regarding the new abortion ban.
In a speech in Jacksonville, Harris said November's election was about the fundamental freedom to make decisions about one's own body, not the government telling women what to do.
“Because of Donald Trump, more than 20 states have banned abortion,” Harris said. “And today, at exactly midnight, Trump's new abortion ban went into effect right here in Florida. As of this morning, 4 million women in this state woke up with more reproductive freedom than they had last night. was decreasing.”
Roberts said the big problem with the ban is that doctors who perform emergency abortions would have to learn the procedure by performing therapeutic abortions. Therefore, if most abortions were banned, the next generation of doctors would not be able to acquire the skills needed to perform emergency abortions.
Roberts said he's concerned that the new regulations will cause veteran doctors to leave Florida. other states Countries that have enacted anti-abortion laws.
“As people retire, there will be less access to care for the general population, even if it's basic obstetric care or routine obstetrical and gynecological care,” Roberts said.
Additionally, women would have to travel far from home to obtain an abortion. Stephanie Pineiro, executive director of the Florida Access Network, said the organization, which helps fund abortions, expects costs to increase significantly. She estimates it costs about $3,000 for a woman to travel to another state for an abortion. After 12 weeks, the closest location would be Virginia or Illinois, but before 12 weeks, it would be North Carolina.
“It's very emotionally draining and difficult to deal with these kinds of barriers and have to leave your home,” Pineiro said.
The Florida Supreme Court, five of seven commissioners appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, ruled 6-1 last month to uphold the state's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. , paving the way for a six-week abortion ban. Banned from going out for 15 weeks Signs DeSantis in 2022. It was executed while it was being challenged in court. The six-week ban passed by Congress a year later was written not to go into effect until a month after the 2022 law was upheld.
Republican state Sen. Erin Goulart, who sponsored the six-week ban, said: said before Bodily independence should not include abortion.
“We live in a time where the consequences of our actions are second-guessed and convenience replaces responsibility. When it comes to protecting the most vulnerable, this is unacceptable.” Goulart said.
Voters could enshrine the right to abortion in Florida's constitution following another state Supreme Court ruling. granted ruling A constitutional amendment bill scheduled to be placed on the November ballot. The proposal states, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or as necessary to protect the health of the patient in accordance with the judgment of the patient's health care provider.'' “You must not do so,” it says. The law provides one exception that is already provided in the state constitution. It requires parents to be notified before a minor child undergoes an abortion.
Florida Democrats are hoping young voters will vote to enact abortion rights as a way to counter the state's 900,000-strong Republican lead over Democrats in registered voters. They hope that moderate views on the ballot initiative will encourage young voters who are faced with a choice between banning abortions for six weeks and protecting abortions until viability to vote Democratic.
Jayden D'Onofrio, chairman of the Florida Future Leaders political action committee, said Florida's young voters have a “real opportunity to shape the electoral landscape.” Because abortion rights dominate elections across the country, he believes Florida can register young voters to vote Democratic.
Florida Atlantic University Republican President Nathan Mitchell said he supports a total abortion ban and hopes the amendment does not pass. Mitchell said he has seen most people calling for restrictions on abortion, usually a ban within 10 to 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Most Republican-controlled states have adopted abortion bans or restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court decision. Defeat Roe v. Wade in June 2022. A survey of abortion providers conducted for the Planned Parenthood Association, which advocates for abortion access, found that Florida experienced the second-largest increase in abortions provided since the decision. More than 7,700 women from other states received abortions in Florida in 2023, according to state data.
Florida Democratic leaders are encouraging women to seek help from abortion funds and resources. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book encouraged women to access abortion travel funds and urged them to avoid “taking matters into their own hands.”
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Mattat reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Nancy Benack contributed to this report from Washington.
