abortions

A state panel continued debating the financial effects of the Amendment 4 ballot measure and often came up deadlocked when voting on proposed revised statements.

A new report posted by the state Agency for Health Care Administration gives an early picture of the number of abortions since a six-week restriction became law on May 1.

The Financial Impact Estimating Conference spent more than five hours discussing how approval of Amendment 4 could affect such things as education and health care budgets.

The decision brings abortion back into the political limelight as a major controversy, just months before the presidential election.

A U.S. Supreme Court opinion briefly posted on its website suggests the court will allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho, according to Bloomberg News, which obtained a copy of the opinions.

A judge is requiring changes to the state's financial impact statement that will appear on the November ballot with the Amendment 4. The state's motion came hours after the judge rejected a stay in the case.

The high court threw out a challenge to the FDA's rules on the abortion drug. A recently enacted Florida law permits use of the pill up to six weeks of gestation, but the medication must be taken in front of a doctor.

The statement provides estimated effects of ballot measures on government revenues and the budget. A Leon County judge rules the statement is “inaccurate, ambiguous, misleading, unclear and confusing.”

The law affects mifepristone and misoprostol. Supporters say it protects expectant mothers from coerced abortions. Opponents say the drugs have other uses and the law will make them harder to prescribe.

The total through May 1 was up from the 14,735 abortions recorded in 2024 before the Florida Supreme Court ruled April 1 that a privacy clause in the state constitution does not apply to abortion rights.