Title: Florida Sees Increase in Abortions One Year After Roe v. Wade Overturned
Subtitle: State Becomes a “Haven State” for Women Seeking Abortions
Date: June 24, 2023
By Joe Mario Pedersen
It has been one year since the landmark Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the power to regulate abortion laws to state legislatures. In Florida, this decision has sparked increased interest and activism from both abortion advocates and opponents, leading to a rise in the number of abortions performed in the state.
Michele Herzog, the director of the Pro-Life Action Ministry of Central Florida, recalls the moment she heard the court’s decision while delivering a pro-life sermon in front of an abortion clinic. She expressed elation at the validation that the previous ruling was unconstitutional. However, she also noted that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Florida has become a “Haven State” for women seeking abortions, with more people traveling to the state after their home states banned the procedure.
Laura Goodhue, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood, has also observed an increase in the number of abortions performed at their clinics. She specifically mentioned a quadruple increase in abortion care patients in northern sites such as Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, there has been a 38% increase in abortions performed in Florida by out-of-state residents. The most recent figures suggest that the number of abortions in 2023 is on track to match or exceed the total of 6,726 performed in 2022.
Since the Dobbs decision, 12 states have implemented near-total bans on abortion with limited exceptions, while two other states, North Dakota and Wisconsin, have restricted access to procedures. In Wyoming, a legal battle is currently underway after a state judge temporarily blocked a law banning the use of abortion pills.
Florida is one of four states that have laws banning abortion after a specific point of gestation. The state legislature recently passed a six-week abortion ban, which will only take effect if the previous 15-week ban is upheld during a state supreme court challenge scheduled for this fall.
These restrictions not only create obstacles for individuals seeking abortions but also highlight healthcare inequities. Research from the Guttmacher Institute suggests that regions with a higher proportion of Black people, such as the South and Midwest, are more likely to lack geographic access to maternity care and experience worse maternal and infant health outcomes.
In response to these developments, abortion rights advocates are taking action. Goodhue is hopeful that a ballot measure during the 2024 election will protect abortion rights in Florida. The Floridians Protecting Freedom initiative has already collected 200,000 signatures since May and aims to gather a million signatures by the end of the year. Orlando Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani and U.S. Democratic House member Maxwell Frost will be canvassing with a group for signatures in downtown Orlando.
On the other hand, Herzog and the Pro-Life Action Ministries of Central Florida plan to demonstrate in front of abortion clinics to advocate for further restrictions on abortion in the state.
As the debate over abortion rights continues, Florida finds itself at the center of the discussion, grappling with the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision and the impact it has had on the state’s residents and healthcare system.Title: Florida Sees Increase in Abortions One Year After Roe v. Wade Overturned
Subtitle: State Becomes a “Haven State” for Women Seeking Abortions
Date: June 24, 2023
By Joe Mario Pedersen
It has been one year since the landmark Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the power to regulate abortion laws to state legislatures. In Florida, this decision has sparked increased interest and activism from both abortion advocates and opponents, leading to a rise in the number of abortions performed in the state.
Michele Herzog, the director of the Pro-Life Action Ministry of Central Florida, expressed her elation upon hearing the court’s decision. She believed it validated their stance that abortion was unconstitutional. However, Herzog also noted the devastating impact the decision has had on the unborn in Florida. With other states banning the procedure, Florida has become a “Haven State” for women seeking abortions, a reputation that Herzog believes the state should not have.
Laura Goodhue, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood, also acknowledged the increase in abortions at their clinics since the Dobbs decision. She specifically mentioned a quadruple number of abortion care patients coming through the doors of clinics in Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, there has been a 38% increase in abortions performed in Florida for out-of-state residents. The most recent figures indicate that the number of abortions in 2023 is on track to match or exceed the total of 6,726 performed in 2022.
Since the Dobbs decision, 12 states have implemented near-total bans on abortion, with only limited exceptions. Additionally, two states, North Dakota and Wisconsin, have not banned abortion but have limited access to procedures. Wyoming is currently facing a legal battle over a state law that would ban the use of abortion pills.
In Florida, there are already laws in place that ban abortion after a specific point of gestation. The state legislature recently passed a six-week abortion ban, which will only take effect if the previous 15-week ban is upheld during a state supreme court challenge. The conservative-leaning court is set to review the measure in the coming months.
These restrictions on abortion not only create obstacles for those seeking the procedure but also highlight the healthcare inequities in the system. Research from the Guttmacher Institute suggests that the South and Midwest regions, which have the highest proportions of Black people, also have the most states with abortion bans. These regions often lack geographic access to maternity care, leading to worse maternal and infant health outcomes.
In response to these challenges, abortion rights advocates are taking action. The Floridians Protecting Freedom initiative aims to collect one million signatures by the end of the year to protect abortion rights through a ballot measure in the 2024 election. The initiative has already gathered 200,000 signatures since May, with Orlando Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani and U.S. Democratic House member Maxwell Frost joining the cause.
Meanwhile, the Pro-Life Action Ministries of Central Florida plans to demonstrate in front of abortion clinics to further tighten restrictions on abortion in Florida. They believe that these measures are necessary to protect the rights of the unborn.
As the debate over abortion continues in Florida and across the country, it remains to be seen how these developments will shape the future of reproductive rights in the state.
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What are the potential consequences of the recent abortion bans in Florida on healthcare inequities, particularly for marginalized communities such as Black people, in terms of access to maternity care and overall maternal and infant health outcomes
Restricted access to procedures. In Wyoming, there is an ongoing legal battle over a law banning the use of abortion pills.
Florida is one of the four states with laws banning abortion after a specific point of gestation. The state recently passed a six-week abortion ban, which will only take effect if the previous 15-week ban is upheld during a state supreme court challenge scheduled for this fall.
These restrictions not only create obstacles for individuals seeking abortions but also highlight healthcare inequities. Research from the Guttmacher Institute suggests that regions with a higher proportion of Black people, such as the South and Midwest, are more likely to lack access to maternity care and experience worse maternal and infant health outcomes.
In response to these developments, abortion rights advocates are taking action. Goodhue is hopeful that a ballot measure during the 2024 election will protect abortion rights in Florida. The Floridians Protecting Freedom initiative has already collected 200,000 signatures since May and aims to gather a million signatures by the end of the year. Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani and U.S. Democratic House member Maxwell Frost will be canvassing with a group for signatures in downtown Orlando.
On the other hand, Herzog and the Pro-Life Action Ministries of Central Florida plan to demonstrate in front of abortion clinics to advocate for further restrictions on abortion in the state.
As the debate over abortion rights continues, Florida finds itself at the center of the discussion, grappling with the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision and the impact it has had on the state’s residents and healthcare system.
