>> FLORIDA’S NEW LAW BLOCKING A DOCTORS FROM PERFORMING ABORTIONS AFTER 15 WEEKS OF
PREGNANCY IS STILL IN EFFECT.
AT LEAST THAT IS THE CASE FOR
RIGHT NOW. THAT IS DESPITE A
LEON COUNTY CIRCUIT JUDGE’S
RULING THAT THIS IS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL, THE JUDGE
SIDED WITH THE DOCTOR AND A
GROUP OF ABORTION CLINICS TO
ARGUE THE NEW LAW VIOLATES THE
PRIVACY CLAUSE IN FLORIDA’S
>> CONSTITUTION. BUT ATTORNEYS
FOR THE STATE QUICKLY APPEALED
THAT DECISION TODAY. THE
STATE’S APPEAL TRIGGERED AN
AUTOMATIC STAY OF THE LAW
WHILE THIS CASE PLAYS OUT. SO
JOINING US NOW TO TALK MORE
ABOUT THIS LATEST DEVELOPMENT
IS JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY’S
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY
INSTITUTE, RICK MULLANE. ER
POLITICAL ANALYST. SUCH GREAT
INSIGHT. SO, RICK, WE WANT YOU
TO BREAK DOWN FIRST. WHAT
TODAY’S APPEAL MEANS IN THE
MOST SIMPLEST OF TERMS HAS
BEEN SO MUCH BACK AND FORTH,
ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST 24
HOURS. YOU CAN GET LOST IN ALL
OF THIS, A LOT OF BACK AND
FORTH. BUT IN SIMPLE TERMS,
THIS IS HEADING TO THE FLORIDA
SUPREME COURT FOR NOW. AN
ABORTION IN FLORIDA IS LEGAL
UP TO 15 WEEKS.
>> AFTER 15 WEEKS, IT’S BANNED
EXCEPT IN SOME RARE
CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS IS A
RESULT OF A STATUTE THAT WENT
INTO EFFECT LAST FRIDAY. THAT
STATUTE HAS BEEN CHALLENGED.
THE TRIAL COURT JUDGE IN ORDER
TODAY STATING THAT THAT
STATUTE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
BECAUSE IN FLORIDA’S
CONSTITUTION HAS A RIGHT TO
PRIVACY, WHICH CONTAINS A
RIGHT TO AN ABORTION UP TO 24
WEEKS INSTEAD OF 15, HOWEVER,
HE ENTERED HIS ORDER WHEN THE
GOVERNOR APPEALED, IT STAYED
THE ORDER. THEREFORE, IT DID
NOT GO INTO EFFECT. SO RIGHT
NOW IN SIMPLE TERMS IT’S 15
WEEKS AND ABORTION IS LEGAL IN
FLORIDA UP 15 WEEKS. BEYOND
THAT, ONLY IN SOME CASES.
>> IN LIMITED CASES CAN HAVE
AN ABORTION HERE HAS STAYED
THE ORDER. HOW LONG MIGHT THIS
STAY LAST UNLESS A COURT?
>> LIST THAT STATE IT WILL BE
IN EFFECT WHILE THE LITIGATION
IS PENDING. AND BY THE WAY, IN
SIMPLE TERMS, THIS IS GOING TO
THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT AND
THEY ARE GOING TO DECIDE THIS
ISSUE. YOU’RE EITHER GOING TO
DECIDE THAT THE CONSTITUTION,
THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY HAS A
RIGHT TO AN ABORTION UP TO 24
WEEKS OR THE PRIVACY, RIGHT?
HAS A RIGHT TO ABORTION. UP TO
15 WEEKS WERE QUITE FRANKLY,
THEY COULD REVISIT THIS AND
SAY THAT THE FLORIDA
CONSTITUTION RIGHT TO PRIVACY
DOES NOT CONTAIN A RIGHT TO AN
ABORTION AT ALL. AND THAT’S
WHAT GOVERNOR DESANTIS ARGUED.
ALL FOLLOWING ALL THIS BECAUSE
THERE’S EVEN MORE LIKE ANOTHER
LAYER HAPPENING HERE. SO.
>> THE SOUTH FLORIDA
SYNAGOGUE, A JEWISH
ORGANIZATION ALSO EXPECTED TO
BRING ON A LAWSUIT. SO HOW
DOES THAT HAVE AN EFFECT ON
WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN
THE ENJOY? I DON’T THINK IT
HAS MUCH OF AN EFFECT. IT’S AN
EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU’RE GOING
TO SEE IN FLORIDA AND IN 49
OTHER STATES AND OTHER PARTS
OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THIS IS
LITIGATED, YOU’LL SEE A LOT OF
NEW ARGUMENTS. BUT IN THE END
FOR THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT,
I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO 2
SIMPLE QUESTIONS. NUMBER ONE
DOES THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY IN
FLORIDA’S CONSTITUTION
CONTAINED WITHIN IT A RIGHT TO
ABORTION. IS THERE A
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT UNDER
FLORIDA’S CONSTITUTION TO AN
ABORTION?
>> AND NUMBER 2, IF SO, DOES
THAT RIGHT? EXTEND TO 24 WEEKS
DOES IT EXTEND TO 15 WEEKS OR
TO SOME OTHER TIME PERIOD?
THAT’S WHAT THIS CASE WILL
COME DOWN READ. YOU THINK
FLORIDA’S REPUBLICAN LEADERS
ARE ARE GOING TO PURSUE
FURTHER ABORTION RESTRICTIONS?
WE’VE HEARD FROM AT LEAST ONE
STATE REPRESENTATIVE PUSHING
FOR
>> A SPECIAL SESSION TO PUSH
FOR MORE STRINGENT ABORTION
LAW PARK. I THINK YOU’RE GOING
TO SEE SOME LEGISLATORS
SEEKING TO DO THAT. SOMEONE
THE SPECIAL SESSION, I VIEWED
AS HIGHLY UNLIKELY, ESPECIALLY
WITH THE LITIGATION PENDING
ELECTION IN NOVEMBER.
>> THE 15 WEEKS IS WHERE
MISSISSIPPI IS, WHERE
FLORIDA’S IS, WHERE NUMBERS
STATES ARE. SO ALTHOUGH SOME
WILL PUSH FOR THAT, I DON’T
THINK A SPECIAL SESSION IS
LIKELY BEFORE NOVEMBER, FOR
SURE. SO MUCH POLITICS
INVOLVED IN THIS VERY
SENSITIVE ISSUE. SO.
>> WE’RE LOOKING AHEAD TO THE
MIDTERM ELECTIONS. HOW IS THIS
GOING TO PLAY INTO THAT?
REMEMBER IN THE MIDTERMS COME
NOVEMBER, YOU’VE GOT THE
FEDERAL ELECTIONS AND YOU HAVE
STATE LIKE ELECTIONS IN 50
STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I
THINK THIS ISSUE IN PARTICULAR
CAN BE BIG AT THE STATE LEVEL.
>> WHERE LEGISLATURES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY ARE CONSIDERING
THIS ISSUE AND IN GOVERNORS
RACES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL
LESS SO BECAUSE OF INFLATION
AND CRIME AND OTHER ISSUES.
BUT IN THE END, IT DOES
PROVIDE THE DEMOCRATS WITH A
WEAPON IN ENERGIZING THEIR
BASE WITH SUBURBAN WOMEN IN
PARTICULAR AND REFRAMING THE
DEBATE THE DEBATE FOR
NOVEMBER. SO IT DOES HAVE A
POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE
MIDTERM ELECTIONS OF BOTH THE
STATE AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
IF AN ISSUE THAT WILL BE
MOVING THE NEEDLE TO SAY WHEN
THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS TO COME
AROUND, I THINK IT MATTERS.
AND BY THE WAY, BEYOND 2022.