Florida's 15-week abortion ban temporarily blocked by judge

A Florida judge said Thursday he will temporarily block the state's new law banning all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The measure was signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in April.

The judge's decision follows last week's bombshell ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the court voted 6-3 to overturn federal abortion protections as outlined under 1973's Roe v. Wade.

Planned Parenthood of America, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and The American Civil Liberties Union had sued Florida earlier this month in a bid to stop the law, "claiming it violates an amendment in the state Constitution that bars the government from intruding on people's personal lives," Politico writes.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

The 15-week ban is set to take effect at midnight, and the judge's temporary statewide injunction is not official until he signs a written order, notes The New York Times. The judge said that would not happen on Thursday.

The state will likely appeal the ruling, and the issue is expected to make its way to Florida's Supreme Court. The injunction is similar to those cropping up elsewhere, including in Louisiana and in Utah, where judges have temporarily blocked their states' "trigger law" abortion bans.