Florida bans abortions after six weeks, leaving millions of women in southeastern US without care

The state of Florida, the third most populous state in the US, banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy on 1 May, bringing down the 15 week limit set in 2022 which replaced the previous limit of 24 weeks. About half of the 50 US states now ban or severely limit abortion.1In 2022, just after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion,2 Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. When abortion remained legal until 15 weeks, women from southern US states went to Florida seeking abortions. Last year Florida, with a population of nearly 23 million, reported more than 84 000 abortions, an increase from 82 192 in 2022.The new Florida ban has exceptions to protect a woman’s life, but not her health.Before the ban, many women in southern US states such as Alabama, Arkansas,…
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