Florida sees decrease in the number of abortions following six-week abortion ban, report says

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new report from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration reveals a decrease in the number of abortions performed in the state following the implementation of a six-week abortion ban on May 1.

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The report, dated July 1, indicates that 36,221 abortions were performed in Florida in 2024. In comparison, around 84,052 abortions were performed in Florida in 2023.

However, it remains uncertain if the total for July 1 fully captures the effects of the six-week abortion limit due to potential reporting delays and the fact that it’s halfway through the year. Abortion clinics are mandated to submit reports to the Agency for Health Care Administration within 30 days following the end of each month.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature approved the six-week abortion limit in 2023 after passing a 15-week limit in 2022. The state Supreme Court on April 1 rejected a constitutional challenge by abortion-rights supporters to the 15-week limit.

That ruling also had the effect of allowing the six-week limit to take effect on May 1.

Meanwhile, the Florida Supreme Court also allowed a proposed abortion-rights constitutional amendment to go on the November ballot, setting up perhaps the state’s biggest political fight of 2024. Abortion rights supporters have turned to ballot initiatives in Florida and other states after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and left abortion issues to be decided in states.

The proposed Florida amendment says, in part, that no “law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” It would need approval from 60 percent of voters to pass.

A state panel on Monday will discuss a contentions “financial impact statement” that will appear on the ballot with the proposed constitutional amendment. Such statements estimate how proposed amendments could affect state and local budgets.

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