Florida clarifies exceptions to 6-week abortion ban after it takes effect

Washington — Florida wellness regulators issued a caller norm Thursday clarifying exceptions to nan state's six-week abortion ban, detailing nan treatments allowed for definite aesculapian conditions that jeopardize nan wellness of nan pregnant female and fetus.

The rule from nan state's Agency for Health Care Administration travel a time aft Florida's new abortion restrictions took effect. With nan state's caller law, abortion entree is sharply constricted crossed nan Southeast.

The measurement specifies that treatments for an ectopic gestation and trophoblastic tumor, a uncommon tumor that forms wherever nan placenta attaches to nan uterus, are not considered abortions. It besides states that if a expert attempts to induce transportation to dainty nan premature rupture of membranes and nan fetus does not survive, it is not considered an abortion.

The conditions tin hap aft six weeks gestation and "can coming an contiguous threat to nan health, information and use of women and unborn children" successful hospitals and abortion clinics if not instantly treated, according to authorities regulators.

The agency said it initiated nan rulemaking to "safeguard against immoderate contiguous harm that could travel to pregnant women owed to disinformation," and accused nan media, Biden management and defense groups of perpetuating a "deeply dishonest scare campaign" to misrepresent nan state's abortion law. The emergency norm is basal "to guarantee nan health, safety, and use of pregnant women and unborn babies during aesculapian emergencies," according to nan Agency for Health Care Administration.

Florida's six-week prohibition was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis past twelvemonth but did not instantly return effect, arsenic nan authorities ultimate tribunal considered a situation to a abstracted measurement prohibiting abortions aft 15 weeks of pregnancy. That 15-week regularisation was passed by nan authorities legislature successful April 2022, months earlier nan U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The Florida Supreme Court successful early April upheld nan 15-week ban, clearing nan measurement for nan much restrictive, six-week rule to return effect. 

The prohibition includes exceptions successful cases of rape, incest and quality trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. It besides allows physicians to terminate a gestation if basal to prevention nan life of nan mother aliases forestall "a superior consequence of important and irreversible beingness impairment."  

Still, supporters of abortion authorities person warned that nan rule is effectively a near-total prohibition connected abortion, since galore women do not cognize they are pregnant until aft six weeks gestation.

Since nan Supreme Court dismantled nan law correct to abortion successful June 2022, 14 states person outlawed abortion pinch constricted exceptions. Another 7 prohibition abortions successful nan first 18 weeks of pregnancy, according to nan Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion authorities investigation organization.

Many physicians successful states pinch stringent abortion restrictions person struggled to navigate constrictive exceptions to nan bans. The Supreme Court past week considered a lawsuit that pit Idaho's near-total abortion ban against a national rule that requires hospitals to supply stabilizing attraction to patients experiencing aesculapian emergencies. The Biden management based on that nether that national law, stabilizing curen whitethorn beryllium abortion care, and successful those instances, nan national measurement overrides authorities laws restricting abortion access.