Florida’s six-week abortion ban has come into force, closing the door - for now - on the last abortion access point in the US South.
Anti-abortion campaigners have celebrated the new legislation - which replaces an existing 15-week law - as the gold standard of abortion policy and a major victory in the country’s battle over abortion access.
But pro-choice campaigners say the ban will push an overstretched system to the brink.
They worry the new law in Florida, which had been the last state in the region without a near-total ban, will effectively cut off abortion access for more than 21 million women of reproductive age across nearly a dozen states.
“This essentially creates an abortion desert in the south-east part of our country,” said Michelle Quesada, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida. “This will be devastating.”
I would never deny that voters are disenfranchised and I would hope that most politically engaged people understand that it factors into these discussions. At the same time, it’s not an explanation for all non-voting. Some of these laws have been around for longer than most of have been alive, and some of these states have been blue. Even setting aside the state-level government, there are local representatives and officers to elect. It all matters and a rising tide for any one factor will lift the other boats. We can all focus on what we are passionate about and join together so our efforts contribute to the whole.