Florida abortion rights at stake as state Supreme Court takes up challenge to GOP-led restrictions

By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press

The Florida Supreme Court must decide whether to overrule broad abortion rights protections provided for decades under the state constitution and instead uphold a law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans the procedure in most cases after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The seven justices include five conservatives appointed by DeSantis, a GOP candidate for president. They heard oral arguments Friday in the lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and others. They claim the Florida Constitution’s unique privacy clause explicitly protects abortion rights and overrules the 15-week ban. Lawyers for the state say previous cases upholding that right were wrongly decided. The court did not rule Friday.