Abortion

If the Supreme Court affirms the leaked draft decision and overturns abortion rights, the effects would be sweeping in states where Republican-led legislatures have been eagerly awaiting the repudiation of a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.

AHCA records show 16,623 abortions in 2022, which would be a 38% drop if the trend continued through the year.

Democrats say it's a "raid on women’s rights" while Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state's abortion law is “the strongest that Florida has seen in decades.”

“I’m super pissed, I’m just like, 'Get your hands off of my uterus, off of my body,' " said Lauren Lauren Routt, who was among those demonstrating across the state after the leak of a Supreme Court opinon on Roe v. Wade.

Abortion rights advocates say no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court ruling is, they will continue to fight for safe access to the procedure.

Politicians across Tampa Bay and Florida reacted to the news of the Supreme Court leak through press releases and on social media.

The draft published by Politico suggests that a majority of the justices supported overturning the 1973 abortion case. Such a ruling would allow states to regulate the procedure. A Florida ban on most abortions after 15 weeks takes effect July 1.

In the shadow of Texas’ austere abortion regulations, grassroots organizers employ stealth tactics to help young women get emergency contraception.

Dr. Robin Schickler says there’s a lot of misinformation surrounding abortion. One thing she says many people don’t understand is that if a person is ending a pregnancy past the 15-week mark, there’s a reason.

The law is scheduled to take effect in July, but opponents say they will challenge the law in court.