The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to hear a legal challenge to the state law that restricts access to abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., has indicated that he’ll wait for court challenges to play out before pursuing further abortion curbs, the Washington Examiner reported.
Florida's high court agreed to take up the lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, and other abortion providers in the state. However, the justices did not agree to temporarily block the law while the legal challenge plays out.
"While we are pleased that the court didn't shut its doors completely, we are dismayed that it has allowed this dangerous ban to remain in effect and to harm real people each and every day until this case is finally decided," said Whitney White, staff attorney for the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, the Examiner reported.
"We hope that the court acts quickly and follows 40 years of precedent and the will of the people to stop this unconstitutional 15-week abortion ban, which has caused chaos and devastation in the state since going into effect in July."
The state Supreme Court voted 4-1 not to block the current law, and the justices offered no explanation Monday night. Justice Jorge Labarga dissented, saying he thought "petitioners met the exacting burden required," Politico reported.
If the state Supreme Court upholds the ban, it will pave the way for legislators to further restrict abortion rights in The Sunshine State.
Politico reported Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, has suggested the state move to a 12-week ban but with exceptions for victims of rape and incest.
The Florida law contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury, or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest, or human trafficking.
In August, an appeals court tossed out a temporary injunction that would have blocked the law. Leon County Circuit Court Judge John Cooper earlier had contended that the law violated the Florida Constitution.
DeSantis signed the 15-week abortion ban into law in April, two months before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its Roe v. Wade decisions, which legalized abortions nationally.
DeSantis has appointed three conservatives among the state Supreme Court’s seven justices.