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TALLAHASSEE, Florida (LifeSiteNews) – Florida’s 15-week abortion ban is still in effect after Governor Ron DeSantis appealed a ruling that would have frozen enforcement of the law.
Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge John Cooper announced on June 30 he would block the law but would not write the actual order until July 5. The DeSantis administration appealed the injunction on Tuesday quickly after the release of the order.
The state wasting no time with its appeal. pic.twitter.com/heAoqp3t8K
— Forrest Saunders (@FBSaunders) July 5, 2022
Under Florida law, an appeal of that ruling “trigger[s] an automatic stay of that injunction under Florida state law,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The issue will likely make it to the state’s top court.
“The law, which has been in effect since July 1, has already had devastating consequences on the health and futures of Floridians by forcing them to continue carrying pregnancies against their will,” the ACLU claimed. It first filed a complaint against the law on June 1, prior to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
READ: At least 46 abortion centers have closed following Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade
The ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and other attorneys on the case criticized the enforcement of the law.
“Florida’s 15-week ban has already blocked access to essential abortion care since last Friday, and it will continue to harm pregnant people until it is blocked,” they stated in a news release. “The trial court correctly recognized this law as a blatant violation of Floridians’ state constitutional rights, and we’re determined to get it blocked for good.”
The DeSantis administration criticized the ruling on Tuesday that briefly blocked the law’s enforcement.
“The Florida Supreme Court previously misinterpreted Florida’s right to privacy as including a right to an abortion, and we reject this interpretation,” the Republican governor’s media team told Fox News.
“The Florida Constitution does not include–and has never included–a right to kill an innocent unborn child,” his office stated. “We will appeal the ruling and ask the Florida Supreme Court to reverse its existing precedent regarding Florida’s right to privacy. The struggle for life is not over.”
DeSantis signed the legislation in April.
“We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves,” DeSantis said during the signing ceremony. “And in just a minute I will be signing House Bill 5, which protects the rights of unborn children starting at 15 weeks. This is a time where these babies have beating hearts, they can move, they can taste, they can see, they can feel pain, they can suck their thumbs, and they have brainwaves. This will represent the most significant protections for life enacted in this state for a generation.”