By The opinion
May 2, 2024, 18:55 PM EDT
Florida reduced the legal deadline for abortion twice, first from 24 to 15 weeks of pregnancy and then to six weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. For many, it is one of the most restrictive laws in the United States, which came into force this Wednesday in Florida, in what President Joe Biden described as a “nightmare” promoted by his rival and predecessor Donald Trump.
However, heFlorida health regulators issued a new rule Thursday clarifying exceptions to the state’s six-week abortion ban. and details permitted treatments for certain medical conditions that endanger the health of the pregnant woman and her fetus.
The rule from the state Agency for Health Care Administration comes a day after new abortion restrictions went into effect in Florida. Under the state’s new law, abortion access is severely limited throughout the Southeast.
The measure specifies that treatments for an ectopic pregnancy and a trophoblastic tumor, a rare tumor that forms where the placenta attaches to the uterus, are not considered abortions.. It also states that if a doctor attempts to induce labor to treat premature rupture of membranes and the fetus does not survive, it is not considered an abortion.
The conditions can occur after six weeks of gestation and “may present an immediate danger to the health, safety and well-being of women and unborn children” in hospitals and abortion clinics if not treated immediately, according to state regulators.
The agency said it began developing rules to “safeguard against any immediate harm that pregnant women may suffer due to misinformation.”and accused the media, the Biden administration and advocacy groups of perpetuating a “deeply dishonest fear campaign” to misrepresent the state’s abortion law.
The emergency rule is necessary “to ensure the health, safety and well-being of pregnant women and of fetuses during medical emergencies,” according to the Agency for Health Care Administration.
Governor Ronald Dion DeSantis approved the six-week deadline for abortion in April 2023, but its application has been delayed until now because several organizations denounced the measure, alleging that it violated state privacy laws. The Florida Supreme Court dismissed that complaint a month ago, allowing the law to go into effect this Wednesday.
The high court accepted, however, that voters decide in November whether to reverse the abortion restrictions imposed by the DeSantis administration. When they go to vote in the November presidential elections, Floridians will also vote on an amendment to guarantee the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy. For the text to be approved, it must have 60% votes in favor.
Before this Wednesday, The state served as a refuge for numerous women from the southeastern United States, a region where restrictions against abortion have multiplied since the Supreme Court overturned the ‘Roe v. Wade’, which guaranteed at the federal level the right to terminate pregnancy.
Since the Supreme Court dismantled the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, 14 states have banned abortion with limited exceptions.
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