SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.

* indicates required
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

ACLU of Florida Media Office, media@aclufl.org, (786) 363-2737

ACLU Applauds Federal Court Order Halting Enforcement of Florida Abortion Restriction Law

Days after a Supreme Court ruling struck down a similar Texas law, a federal judge has issued an order halting enforcement of a Florida law putting new restrictions on abortion providers that was set to go into effect today. In an order issued last night, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle found that the law, being challenged by Florida Planned Parenthood affiliates, must not be enforced because it violates women's constitutional rights.

Responding to the order, ACLU of Florida legal director Nancy Abudu stated:

MIAMI, FL

Days after a Supreme Court ruling struck down a similar Texas law, a federal judge has issued an order halting enforcement of a Florida law putting new restrictions on abortion providers that was set to go into effect today. In an order issued last night, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle found that the law, being challenged by Florida Planned Parenthood affiliates, must not be enforced because it violates women's constitutional rights.

Responding to the order, ACLU of Florida legal director Nancy Abudu stated:

"Judge Hinkle's order means that the impact of this week's powerful Supreme Court decision reaffirming a woman's right to an abortion is already being felt here in Florida. Both proponents and opponents of these laws have known all along that the onerous burdens put on providers of abortion care have nothing to do with protecting patients, and the Supreme Court has declared that when it comes to these laws, the emperor has no clothes. Lawmakers cannot use bogus, junk science claims to justify laws designed solely to make it harder for a woman to access constitutionally-protected abortion care.

"We congratulate our colleagues at Planned Parenthood for this victory and are currently assessing how Monday's Supreme Court decision will impact other ongoing efforts to protect a woman's right to choose abortion against attacks from our legislature. The next shoe to drop will likely be in our lawsuit challenging Florida's law mandating that a woman seeking an abortion must wait 24 hours and make a medically-unnecessary second trip.

"Given these two decisions, we are even more hopeful the Florida Supreme Court will halt any future enforcement of Florida's 24-hour wait requirement."

In a separate lawsuit, the ACLU, with the Center for Reproductive Rights and Richard Johnson of Tallahassee, is challenging Florida's law preventing a woman seeking an abortion from obtaining the procedure for at least 24 hours after meeting with her doctor and forcing her to make an additional, medically unnecessary trip to the clinic. More information on that case is available here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/gainesville-woman-care-llc-v-state-florida

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

(212) 549-2666