TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s 15-week abortion ban was temporarily halted Tuesday morning when a Leon County circuit judge issued the injunction he promised last week.
In a 68-page order, Circuit Judge John C. Cooper said he was bound by Florida Supreme Court precedent, which ruled in 1989 that Florida’s right to privacy, enshrined in the state constitution, protected the right to abortion.
“This Court must follow the Florida Supreme Court’s precedents on the right to privacy as those precedents currently exist, not as they might exist in the future,” Cooper wrote.
The injunction is likely to be a short-lived victory for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers who sued to block the 15-week abortion ban.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said last week that it would appeal the injunction. That move would automatically nullify Cooper’s order, restoring the 15-week abortion ban that DeSantis signed into law in April. The law took effect on Friday.
On Thursday, Cooper said he would issue the injunction, but that it wouldn’t be issued until he wrote the order.
____
