WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Leaders at Planned Parenthood in West Palm Beach said it's been a tough 24 hours since learning the Florida Supreme Court upheld the state's 15-week abortion ban, meaning the controversial six-week ban can take effect in 30 days.
"Call as soon as you think you are pregnant, we'll try to get you in," Dr. Cherise Felix at Planned Parenthood in West Palm Beach said. "This is really tying the hands of a lot of obstetricians in the state."
Felix said many of the patients she sees for abortions are about eight to 11 weeks pregnant, but she sees women coming in earlier and later than that.
She said many doctors in private practice don't even see a patient to confirm pregnancy until eight weeks because that's when the pregnancy is more established and can be seen more clearly on an ultrasound. At Planned Parenthood, however, they say if you think you are pregnant, come in right away.
To prepare for the new more restrictive ban to take effect, Felix said they are opening up their schedule and trying to accommodate more ultrasound appointments for women who believe they may be pregnant. She also said the conversations with patients are taking on more urgency.
"If it looks like they are not going to be able to meet the state restrictions on gestational age, the conversation immediately changes to what their options are," Felix said. "Planned Parenthood has a pretty robust referral network, and so we will help them with our patient navigation team in place."
She expects many more women to seek care out of state for abortions. Right now, there are a lot of women coming to Florida from other southern states with more restrictive abortion laws. But with this change, more women are expected to leave Florida for care and go to states like North Carolina and Virginia. Felix said she hopes those states can handle the influx of patients they may see.
State
What's next for Florida with abortion protections on ballot?
The Heartbeat Protection Act as it's known, does allow exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking up to 15 weeks, and other exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities and to save a mother's life.
The grassroots group Florida Voice for the Unborn said it's thankful for this step but feels it took too long to get here.
"I think what you'll see is those numbers will be greatly reduced — not only the operating abortion centers but the number of children who are losing their lives daily in Florida," CEO Andrew Shirvell said. "Many, many babies' lives have been lost here in Florida because we just didn't have that Heartbeat Protection Act in place."
The law is expected to take effect May 1.
When it comes to the exceptions, the law says, "Two physicians must certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgment, the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman other than a psychological condition."
It also states there is an exception if, "the pregnancy has not progressed to the third trimester, fetus has not achieved viability under s. 390.01112 and two physicians certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgment, the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality." Or if "the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, or human trafficking and the gestational age of the fetus is not more than 15 weeks as determined by the physician. At the time the woman schedules or arrives for her appointment to obtain the abortion, she must provide a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court order or documentation providing evidence that she is obtaining the termination of pregnancy because she is a victim of rape, incest, or human trafficking."