Top Florida Court Rules Against Protections For Abortion, Greenlights 6-Week Ban

The ban will take effect in 30 days, after the state's Supreme Court ruled that a crucial clause in the state constitution does not extend to reproductive rights.

Florida’s state Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the state constitution does not protect abortion care ― declaring the state’s current 15-week ban constitutional and giving the go-ahead for a six-week ban to take effect in 30 days.

The high court ruled that a privacy clause in the state constitution does not protect abortion care.

“The parties have presented thoughtful arguments as to the scope of this provision, which has traditionally been referred to as the ‘Privacy Clause.’ Those legal arguments on the Privacy Clause’s meaning are, in our view, distinct from the serious moral, ethical, and policy issues that are implicated in the subject matter of this case,” the ruling reads.

“Our analysis focuses on the Privacy Clause’s text, its context, and the historical evidence surrounding its adoption,” the ruling continues. “After considering each of these sources and consistent with longstanding principles of judicial deference to legislative enactments, we conclude there is no basis under the Privacy Clause to invalidate the statute.”

Pro-choice groups and abortion providers filed suit against the state in 2022 after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the 15-week ban into effect. The state Supreme Court, which DeSantis has stacked with conservative judges in recent years, agreed to hear arguments in the case last year but allowed the 15-week ban to stay in effect during that time.