Abortion Access Could Be Blocked In Much Of The South After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signed Into Law A Six-Week Ban

Published

2 months ago

February 27, 2024

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill that would ban most abortions in the state after six weeks, before many people know theyre pregnant, further decimating abortion access in the South.

The bill passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon in a 7040 vote. DeSantis signed it into law hours later, sharing a late-night tweet with a photo of him signing the bill.

The ban does not immediately go into effect, however; medical providers and patients are still waiting for Floridas Supreme Court to rule on a legal challenge to the states existing 15-week ban. If the 15-week ban is upheld, as many predict is likely due to the conservative makeup of the court, the six-week ban is then expected to take effect.

Though the proposed six-week ban has exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking, those exceptions are only available up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. And in those cases, in order to be granted the exception, the person would have to provide documentation such as a restraining order, a police report, medical record or other court order or documentation proving that she is obtaining the termination of pregnancy because she is a victim of rape or incest.

In addition, there is an exception if the life of the pregnant person is at risk, but the law would require two doctors to certify in writing that the abortion is necessary to save the pregnant person’s life or to avert a serious risk of irreversible physical impairment. The bill would also prohibit telehealth for abortion care.

Many people will not even know they are pregnant by six weeks, and for those who do, it is unlikely they will be able to schedule the legally required two in-person doctors appointments before six weeks of pregnancy, said Kara Gross, the legislative director and senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, in a statement.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, 13 states have banned most abortions, and one state, Georgia, has a six-week abortion ban. As of April 2023, Florida is one of the last remaining states in the South that had not effectively banned abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The states six-week ban will mean a swath of more than 780,000 square miles in the United States where people cannot access the procedure.

It will turn Florida a state that already requires two in-person appointments for abortion care into one of the most restrictive states in the nation for abortion care, said Alexandra Mandado, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida. It will have devastating consequences for the southeast, Caribbean, Central and South America, and beyond.

Politics

Polls to open for voters in England and Wales

Published

53 mins ago

May 2, 2024

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Polls to open for voters in England and Wales

Polls are to open for the local elections across the country, with the added extra of a by-election on the same day.

Over 2,600 council seats are up for grabs across 107 councils in England, along with 10 mayoralties in major cities and combined authorities, and 25 London Assembly seats.

A total of 37 police and crime commissioners will also be decided at ballot boxes in England and Wales.

And a new MP will be chosen for the seat of Blackpool South in a by-election.

Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm tonight, and as long as you are in the queue before closing time, you can have your say.

Voters need to bring along a form of photo ID after a change in the law last year – there are 22 types that fit the bill.

And to vote you must be 18 or over, be either a British, Irish or EU citizen, or from an eligible Commonwealth nation, and be registered.

The first of the counts will begin after voting closes tonight and Sky News will bring you all the updates as they happen from across the country.

Further counts will take place over the weekend, with the last results expected on Saturday night.

Politics

US probes Jack Dorsey’s Block, Inc. over financial transactions: Report

Published

1 hour ago

May 2, 2024

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US probes Jack Dorsey’s Block, Inc. over financial transactions: Report

U.S. prosecutors are reportedly investigating the fintech firm after a whistleblower claimed it processed thousands of transactions for users from sanctioned countries and terrorist groups.

Politics

John Swinney expected to declare bid to become new SNP leader

Published

3 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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John Swinney expected to declare bid to become new SNP leader

John Swinney is expected to declare his bid to become the new leader of the SNP later today, Sky News understands.

It comes after Humza Yousaf announced he was standing down as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister following his decision last week to cut power-sharing ties with the Scottish Greens – a move which saw his leadership collapse.

Mr Swinney previously served as SNP leader between 2000 and 2004; later becoming Nicola Sturgeon’s number two from 2014 to 2023.

He is considered a front-runner for the top job once again, having garnered support from senior figures within his party, including from the SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn.

The Perthshire North MSP is expected to make a statement in Edinburgh on Thursday morning.

However, he could face competition from the party’s former finance minister Kate Forbes, who narrowly lost out to Mr Yousaf in last year’s leadership election.

Though the Skye, Lochaber, and Badenoch MSP has not confirmed her intention to enter the leadership contest, she has so far refused to rule herself out of the race.

“I am still considering all the options, but I also know that there is a lot of support for me across the country and across the party, and last year proved that,” she told Sky News on Tuesday.

Read more from Sky News:
Scottish government survives vote of no confidence

It comes after the outgoing first minister, Mr Yousaf, was forced to resign following the breakdown of the Bute House Agreement.

Within hours of the power-sharing deal coming to an end, Mr Yousaf faced the threat of a no confidence vote in himself, and later from one in the Scottish government.

Mr Yousaf stepped down as Scotland’s first minister just after midday on Monday, saying he was “not willing to treat my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power”.

He said he would remain in post until a replacement first minister was chosen.