Life After Roe: Pray for Protections for Unborn Life in Florida

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, states have the authority to pass laws regulating and prohibiting abortion procedures throughout all stages of pregnancy. 

During the 2022 Florida Legislative Session, legislators passed and Governor DeSantis signed into law a ban on abortion after 15 weeks gestation. In response, several pro-abortion organizations recently sued the state of Florida challenging the constitutionality of the new law. On June 30, a circuit judge said he would enter a temporary injunction preventing the law from going into effect on or shortly after the law’s effective date of July 1. An appeal of the injunction by the State is expected.

Before granting the injunction, Circuit Judge John Cooper heard arguments from both sides. While the plaintiffs supporting the injunction argued that abortion was necessary and safe, the state’s witnesses testified to the scientific fact that a human being’s life begins at fertilization and that the 15-week law would protect children in utero who are living, conscious human beings. Dr. Maureen Condic, a neurobiology professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine, testified that modern research shows that children in the womb have the capability to experience pain between 14 and 20 weeks gestation. Dr. Ingrid Skop, a board-certified OB/GYN, testified that abortion is not medically necessary and that it often causes dangerous, life-threatening complications and injuries to women. She explained that the risks of abortion increase exponentially the later abortions occur in pregnancy.

This case, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, et al. v. State of Florida, could be the ultimate test of whether a privacy clause in Florida’s constitution will prohibit the state from restricting abortion procedures before viability. In 1989, the right to privacy in our state constitution was misinterpreted by the Florida Supreme Court in In re T.W. to protect a woman’s decision to obtain an abortion before viability. The case challenging the 15-week abortion law may prompt the court to revisit its wrongful ruling. 

Please pray for the judges, justices, clerks and court staff who may handle this case, for the attorneys defending the law, and for a just outcome regarding the temporary injunction as well as the law’s ultimate constitutionality.

Visit FCCB's Dobbs: Life After Roe webpage for more information on efforts to protect the unborn and resources to help mothers in need.