Florida’s six-week abortion ban took effect Wednesday, cutting off access to legal abortion across much of the South.
There were 84,000 abortions performed in Florida last year, including more than 9,000 for women who needed to travel from out of state after many Southern states banned or severely restricted abortion.
But now those women will need to travel hundreds of miles farther to reach a clinic. Women in Miami will need to travel more than 700 miles to the closest clinic in Charlotte — if they are less than 12 weeks pregnant and have the time and money to afford two separate clinic visits over three days.
Florida’s new law will be one of the most restrictive in the country and effectively amount to a complete ban: Six weeks gestation is before many women know they are pregnant, and the state still requires two in-person visits with the abortion provider 24 hours apart.
At the same time, Arizona’s GOP-controlled Senate voted to repeal a Civil War-era law that would ban almost all abortions with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Two GOP senators voted with Democrats to pass the repeal bill, after realizing the political consequences: Backlash against the territorial ban could upend Arizona’s conservative majorities and potentially hurt former President Trump’s campaign in the crucial swing state.
They also want to try to curtail the momentum behind a likely ballot measure that would constitutionally legalize abortion up to fetal viability, with medical exceptions for women who are further along.
Despite the vote Wednesday, the repeal won’t take effect for months, meaning an abortion ban originally passed before Arizona was even a state could still happen. Even if Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signs it quickly, the repeal can’t take effect until 90 days after the legislature adjourns from its annual session. Lawmakers still need to pass a budget, and there’s no end date in sight.
Once that happens, the state will revert to a 15-week ban passed in 2022.
The end of Roe allowed states under Republican control to impose abortion bans or severe limitations, a long-sought goal for many GOP anti-abortion lawmakers. Abortion is almost completely banned in 16 states and is restricted by gestational age in three more.
