In a pair of significant decisions, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Monday to uphold a 15-week ban on abortion in the state, while also allowing a proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution to appear on the November ballot.
The conservative-leaning court’s decision on the 15-week ban also means that a six-week abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law last year will take effect.
But the bench’s ruling to allow the constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot this fall means voters will have a chance in just seven months to undo those restrictions.
Republicans have made multiple moves over the nearly two years since the U.S Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to restrict access to abortion.
Also, “in case of rape”? Does that require a conviction for rape, which even in fairly slam dunk cases takes more than the length of the pregnancy? Does the woman have to file a police report and then be able to get an abortion? Do they just have to tell the doctor they were raped? What does “except in cases of rape, etc” mean, practically?