Florida Six-Week Abortion Ban Set to Take Effect May 1 

4.29.2024 (PRESS STATEMENT) — This Wednesday, May 1, a six-week abortion ban is set to take effect in Florida, making Florida one of 17 states that either bans abortion entirely or at six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant. Currently, abortion is available in Florida up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. On April 1, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the state’s existing 15-week ban, clearing the way for the six-week ban to take effect 30 days later. 

Reactions to this grim moment: 

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“Floridians want reproductive freedom—they will not stand for this oppressive ban. We will see that play out in November when Florida voters have the chance to get the right to abortion back by voting on this issue directly. Meanwhile, the impact of this ban will be felt across the South. The U.S. is in a full-on public health crisis, and it’s growing every day. We have already seen the agony these bans cause—how many more people will suffer before Congress acts? Congress has the power to re-establish a nationwide right to abortion. That is ultimately the only way to end this inequality.”   

Kelly Flynn, president and CEO of A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville:
“People have been calling us in desperation all week. We’re staying open to see every patient in need, but there are still thousands who we know Florida abortion care providers cannot see before Wednesday. To the north and the west, Alabama has a total ban, Georgia and South Carolina have six-week bans, and many more states have bans in place that prevent people from taking control of their own lives. All the patients we can’t see will now have to travel a very long way if they have the resources to make the trip—many do not. We hoped we would never have to operate under these oppressive conditions. Still, we will help as many as we can to get the abortion care they need and deserve. I am depending on Florida voters to take the opportunity to fight back at the ballot box come November by voting YES on Amendment 4.”  

K. Monica Kelly, plaintiff in Blackmon v. The State of Tennessee: 
“When I learned that my fetus had no chance of survival, my home state of Tennessee barred me from getting the abortion care I desperately needed. Like so many other women, I had to drive all the way to Florida for basic health care, all while grieving the loss of my pregnancy. Now even that would be impossible. The places for patients to flee to are running out. The walls are closing in. This six-week ban will have tragic, unnecessary consequences not only for Floridians, but for people across the region. I don’t know where I would go now if I ever needed abortion care again.”  

Available for Press Interviews: 

• Nancy Northup, president & CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights 
  • Can discuss the recent Court case that led to this ban taking effect—which the Center litigated—and how this ban will impact the larger abortion landscape in the U.S. 
• Staff members from Jacksonville abortion clinic A Woman’s Choice 
  • Can discuss how their clinic in Florida is already being impacted by this ban and what it will mean for patients going forward. 
     

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MEDIA CONTACT:  

Center for Reproductive Rights: [email protected]

A Woman’s Choice: [email protected]