Politics

Will Florida Be the Next State to Severely Restrict Abortion Access?

Fears are now brewing that after Texas’ near-total abortion ban, Florida might be next

Women’s March on Washington; Creative Commons; Mobilus In Mobili

Long before the Governorship of Ron DeSantis, Florida has long had some of the most restrictive laws in the country in terms of abortion. Former Governor, now Senator Rick Scott, signed a law during his tenure that said that practitioners have to “check” to make sure a baby wasn’t born alive. The law outright banned any abortions in the third trimester.

And sort of like the Texas law, it’s not just the person carrying out the abortions who would be affected. Under the law Rick Scott passed, employees of the hospital or healthcare center could also be punished. The penalties were jail time and stiff monetary fees. One year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Beyond third trimester abortions, unlawful abortions carried even stiffer penalties. The penalty for unlawful abortion in Florida is:

Third degree felony; imprisonment to 5 yrs. or 2nd degree misdemeanor; up to 60 days imprisonment for performing abortion in unlawful place; Fines: 3rd degree felony, up to $5,000; 2nd degree misdemeanor, up to $500.