Discussion of Florida’s current laws about abortion
Abstract
Florida’s “Heartbeat Law,” enacted in 2024, prohibits most abortions after six weeks of gestation—before many individuals even realize they are pregnant. While the law includes narrow exceptions for rape, incest, life-threatening conditions, and fatal fetal anomalies, these are heavily restricted by documentation and certification requirements that often delay or deny access. This paper critiques the law’s legal, medical, and ethical shortcomings, highlighting how it disproportionately harms vulnerable populations and fails to align with clinical realities.Downloads
References
Florida Supreme Court. (2024). Decision upholding 15-week abortion ban. https://www.floridasupremecourt.gov
Florida Statutes §390.0111. (2024). Termination of pregnancies. https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes
Florida Senate. (2023). Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program (Senate Bill 300). https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/300
Guttmacher Institute. (2023). State facts about abortion: Florida. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/state-facts-about-abortion-florida
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2022). Statistics on reporting and disclosure. https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics
Guttmacher Institute. (2024). U.S. abortion data trends. https://www.guttmacher.org/infographic/2024/us-abortion-data-trends
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Abortion surveillance report. https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/data_stats/abortion.htm
Foster, D. G. (2020). The Turnaway Study: Ten years, a thousand women, and the consequences of having—or being denied—an abortion. Scribner.
Florida Health Charts. (2023). Prenatal care access and indicators. https://www.flhealthcharts.gov