Florida may be ‘last oasis’ for abortion in the South, but 15-week ban looms

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, people seeking an abortion have had to scramble to find a state where the procedure remains legal. One of those states, for the time being, is Florida – though a 15-week ban is set to go into effect within days.

The 15-week ban is supposed to begin Friday — but several groups are challenging the law. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood’s health centers are still offering abortions.

“Abortion in Florida is legal right now. In fact, the health centers with Planned Parenthood are really busy,” Laura Goodhue, who is the vice president of public policy at the organization, told CBS News.

“If you look at the map, I mean that Florida really is the last oasis of health care, of access to reproductive health care in the South and abortion,” Goodhue added.

Several states had trigger laws in place in case Roe was overturned — and many have now effectively banned abortion, or at least severely restricted the procedure. Others have paused abortion access while lawmakers try to figure out which state laws are in effect.

In three states — Arizona, West Virginia and Wisconsin — some providers have stopped offering abortion care due to the uncertainty.

Another battle is enforcement. In Austin, Texas, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza says he thinks law enforcement can use discretion in prosecuting.

“My number one job is to keep our community safe and not prosecuting women, families who seek abortion care, not prosecuting doctors and medical staff who provide abortion care,” Garza said.

But in Wisconsin, where there’s a legal fight over an 1849 law that criminalizes abortion, Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski says his job is clear.

“I’m not going to try and go out there and be some activist prosecutor,” he said. “My job is to enforce the law as it’s written.”