Florida Republicans Propose Six-Week Abortion Ban, Further Narrowing Abortion Access

Florida Republicans introduced a bill to ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, offering exemptions for victims of rape and incest cases.

• The proposed 6-week ban already has the support from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said that "we are for pro-life" and "We welcome pro-life legislation."
• The legislation would make performing an abortion after six weeks a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, writes CNBC.
• The bill allows abortion in cases of rape and incest, but only up to the 15th week of pregnancy, as well as allows abortion up to the third trimester in cases where the fetus has a fatal abnormality but needs certification from two physicians.
• Abortion-rights advocates say that if such a law passes, it will leave women in the South having to travel long distances to clinics in locations such as North Carolina, struggling with a considerable increase in demand from out-of-state patients, notes the Wall Street Journal.
• Patients have been traveling to Florida from across the Southeast U.S. to undergo abortion procedures since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, writes Reuters.
• Data from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration showed that out-of-state abortion patients rose 38% in 2022 compared to 2021.
• Most recently, the second-largest U.S. pharmacy chain, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc WBA, confirmed that it would not dispense abortion pills in several states where they remain legal due to pressure from state officials. 
• The company said it would not dispense abortion pills in the states of 20 Republican attorneys general, acting out of an abundance of caution amid a shifting policy landscape.

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