Florida upholds 15-week abortion ban; voters decide issue in November

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday, April 1, made two pivotal decisions concerning the state’s abortion ban. The court upheld a 2022 law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy which paves the way for an even stricter ban after six weeks to be implemented. Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, the six-week ban is among the nation’s most restrictive and was to go into effect one month after the state’s high court affirmed the 15-week ban.

The court also approved a ballot measure to potentially enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, granting Florida voters the opportunity to directly influence the law this November. The measure will appear on ballots as Amendment 4.

“We decline to encroach on the prerogative to amend their constitution that the people have reserved to themselves,” the court said in one of its rulings.

The ballot proposal aims to forbid laws that “prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion when necessary to protect the patient’s health.” For constitutional amendments to be ratified in Florida, they must receive at least 60% of the vote.

“This is a historic day in the fight for abortion access in Florida,” Lauren Brenzel, director for the “Yes on 4” campaign that put forth the ballot measure told the New York Times. “No longer will decisions about abortion be left between politicians disconnected from the realities of everyday Floridians’ lives.”