A Florida law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy has been reinstated after a judge blocked it this week.
The bill, titled the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act (HB 5), was signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in April and went into effect July 1. The measure bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy except in cases of life-threatening medical emergencies and fatal fetal abnormality.
However, Leon County Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper issued an order on Tuesday temporarily blocking the abortion ban due to state constitutional concerns.
According to The Christian Post, the legislation went back into effect, however, because the state government's appeal of the ruling triggered an automatic stay on the order per state law.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the law firm Jenner & Block are currently challenging the abortion ban.
"Since last Friday, women and other people who can become pregnant have been forced into a second-class status by HB 5, which denies them the right to make decisions about their bodies, their health care, and their futures," the organizations said in a joint statement released on Tuesday.
"The impacts of allowing this ban to remain in effect will fall hardest on people of color, those trying to make ends meet, immigrants, young people, and vulnerable populations like survivors of intimate partner violence," they added.
"Everyone deserves the ability to access the abortion care they need, and we'll continue fighting for that right with every tool at our disposal."
On Tuesday, Cooper also ruled that the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade does not affect the lawsuit in state court because Florida law allows for a right to privacy.
"The right to privacy under the Florida Constitution is 'much broader in scope' than any privacy right under the United States Constitution," the judge wrote.
Related:
'Life Is a Sacred Gift': Florida Bans Abortions after 15 Weeks of Pregnancy
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
