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Appeals Court Puts Abortion Waiting Period Back In Place

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Jason Corey via Flickr
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Credit Jason Corey via Flickr
/
The Florida Channel

Florida women seeking an abortion will now have to wait 24 hours and make a separate trip to their physician.  This comes after an appeals court overturned a ruling putting the law on hold.

In last year’s legislative session, lawmakers passed a law requiring a 24 hour reflection period before getting an abortion.  After a challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union the measure was put on hold.  But Friday, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal overturned that injunction—meaning the law immediately takes effect.  In its ruling, the appeals court criticizes the trial judge for imposing the injunction without developing a factual record.  In a concurrence, Judge Bradford Thomas singles out the trial court’s application of a standard known as strict scrutiny.  He says when the case is revisited, that standard can’t be applied unless it’s shown the waiting period “significantly restricts a fundamental right.”

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Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.