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A tougher abortion law is set to go into effect in Florida on Wednesday — dropping the state's 15-week ban to a six-week ban — and will likely affect thousands of people seeking abortion care in the first month alone.
In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Dobbs decision in Roe v. Wade, Florida has become a major abortion access point due to sweeping restrictions in the state. It is one of the most populous regions of the country.
Last year, 1 in 3 abortions in the South — and 1 in 12 nationwide — occurred in Florida. Data He supports abortion rights from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health. In the year In 2023, there were about 7,000 abortions per month in Florida, and more than 9,000 people traveled from other states to get abortions in Florida throughout the year, the data show.
Many women do not know that they are pregnant Six weeks After their last period and in other states that have passed this early pregnancy restriction law, there has been a significant reduction in abortions. In Texas, the number of abortions provided in the regular health care system has decreased slightly. Half A six-week abortion ban comes into effect in 2021, and there have been thousands more. Birthdays More than expected next year. In South Carolina, abortions dropped by 70% a month after the state passed the six-week limit.
But tighter restrictions in Florida may have a more significant effect than historical trends suggest because Florida is already taking patients from other states with stricter restrictions. So far this year, more than 1,300 people have traveled to Florida from other states for abortions. Data From the state health agency – nearly one-tenth of all abortions in the state by 2024.
Nine of the 16 states in the South banned abortion. Florida joins Georgia and South Carolina with a six-week ban. That leaves just three states in this US census region — Delaware, Maryland and Virginia — where abortion remains legal beyond the first trimester, while North Carolina has a 12-week limit.
“In terms of the number of people affected, this is probably one of the most impactful policy changes in recent months — and that's not to discount other policy changes that have caused significant harm,” said Isaac, a data scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, the lead researcher for the U.S. Abortion Monitor. “It's all interconnected,” Maddow-Ziemet told .
In the year In 2022 Research The average travel time to an abortion more than tripled in the first few months after the Dobbs decision. In some southern states, such as Texas and Louisiana, the disadvantage is particularly severe, where the average travel time to the nearest abortion facility is seven hours longer, adding up to a full workday in travel time for an abortion.
For that study, researchers considered abortion facilities in states with full bans and those with a six-week limit as inactive. The newly implemented bans have reduced the number of active providers by about one-tenth. In the year and a half since, the abortion landscape in the US has only become more fragmented, and Florida's new six-week ban on A significant number Facilities remaining in the south.
Providers and patients have had 30 days to prepare since the Florida Supreme Court first posted a decision paving the way for the new bans.
Amber Gavin, vice president of advocacy and operations for Woman's Choice, an independent abortion clinic located in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, said questions from patients started pouring in after the April 1 decision. Any time abortion is in the news, chaos and confusion follow, she said.
The clinic in Florida is committed to staying open and providing care as long as it can — and to make sure that's well-connected, Gavin said. Another change is expected in November.
In the year Florida is one of three states, along with Maryland and New York, that have approved abortion measures in the 2024 election. Voting. In Florida, an amendment to limit state intervention in abortion would limit the right to an abortion to “feasibility,” or to protect the patient's health, as determined by their health care provider. Ten other states are considering adding abortion-related measures, some to protect access and others to restrict access.
“(The Florida Supreme Court decision) was the worst case. “For us, it's a situational decision because it overturns 40 years of precedent,” Gavin said. But I hope that in November it will mobilize people and bring people out to make sure that the government is not interfering with these personal decisions.
Meanwhile, abortion funds across the US are bracing for massive aid from patients who could be displaced by Florida's restrictive law.
The Abortion Fund of Tampa Bay estimates that at least 90% of those who call its hotline will be affected by the six-week abortion ban and need access to abortion care outside of Florida. The Chicago Abortion Fund has beefed up programs and capacity in anticipation of this decision from the Florida Supreme Court, and staff estimate they need an additional $100,000 per month to absorb the influx of Floridians and other Southerners seeking abortion support.
“All TBAFund callers have experienced one or more barriers to care, such as lack of funds, transportation, childcare, or an abortion clinic in their area. The six-week ban will only make those barriers worse, said Chris Lawler, board president of the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund, in a statement.