Florida's restrictive abortion laws are embraced and shared by northern neighbors Georgia and Alabama, as well as nearby Mississippi. Combined, the four states boast some of nation's toughest stipulations regarding a woman's right to end a pregnancy.
Lawmakers in individual states have tackled the thorny issue of establishing regulations regarding abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973, which gave women nationwide the right to an abortion. In general, southern states have more stipulations.
The Sunshine State requires state-sponsored, in-person counseling with a pro-life viewpoint for woman seeking an abortion, followed by newly signed 24-hour waiting period, which went into effect in July,
according to The Daily Signal.
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In addition, health plans offered in Florida under the Affordable Care Act's state-run exchanges pay for abortions only when the mother's life is endangered, or in cases of rape or incest,
according to the Guttmacher Institute. However, an insurance rider can be purchased to cover other reasons.
A minor's parents will always be notified before an abortion. All women seeking abortions must also undergo an ultrasound and be offered the option to see the image. Alabama has similar restrictions, but stretches the waiting period to 48 hours, while Georgia doesn't have a provision for rape or incest in health care options under the ACA. Mississippi adds that abortion would be barred in all cases should the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling be overturned.
Florida and Georgia allow for individuals or organizations to refuse to assist with an abortion based on moral or religious grounds, and prohibit public funding for women in situations other than rape, incest or life endangerment. Such a refusal can't be the basis for liability,
according to NARAL Pro-Choice America. Alabama has no such provision, but prohibits abortions after 20 weeks, except in cases of rape, incest or risk of death to the mother.
A brief and ultimately unsuccessful challenge was issued to the state's 24-hour waiting period in late June, when Judge Charles Francis declared an emergency injunction,
according to the Miami Herald. After signing the bill, Republican Gov. Rick Scott was sued by The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued that the law violated a women's right to privacy and hampered her right have an abortion.
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Despite the restrictions, Florida's abortion rates skewed higher than the national average from 1991-2011, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In 2011, 1.1 million American women had abortions, or 16.9 abortions out of 1,000 women of reproductive age. That same year in Florida, 84,990 women had abortions, or 23.7 in every 1,000 women of reproductive age. Abortions conducted in Florida accounted for 8 percent of U.S. total in 2011.
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