STATE STANDARDS

Florida Judge Temporarily Blocks State’s 15-Week Abortion Ban

The judge said that the ban violated the state constitution’s right to privacy provision.

A Florida judge temporarily blocked the state’s 15-week abortion ban that was set to go into effect Friday, saying that it violates the state’s constitution. Judge John C. Cooper of the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Tallahassee said that the ban violated privacy protections that are guaranteed in the constitution, and that the federal standard differs from the state standard. “I’m here to litigate the right to privacy in Florida,” he said in court. “I’m not here to litigate Roe versus Wade.” Before Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 15-week limit into law, Florida allowed abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy. The state is expected to appeal the ruling, and it will likely end up before Florida’s Supreme Court which has become more conservative under DeSantis. Judges in several other states, like Louisiana and Utah, have also issued temporary injunctions on new abortion laws in recent days, though those decisions will likely just bide providers time, not permanently overturn bans.