FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2025
Contact: Cheyenne Drews, Cheyenne@progressflorida.org, 386-314-7964
Florida’s unpopular abortion ban has wide-reaching, overlooked consequences one year after implementation
A patient describes her experience as “cruel and terrifying”
TALLAHASSEE – One year ago on May 1st, 2024, Florida’s near-total abortion ban went into effect, decimating access to abortion and reproductive health care for millions of people and families. The catastrophic effects of this ban will not be fully felt or understood for years, and concerned advocates are not waiting to take action. One year later, Floridians are fighting harder than ever for their freedom.
The Floridians for Reproductive Freedom coalition, with 70+ partner organizations, joins with the majority of Floridians in denouncing this dangerous and unjust ban. As this year’s Legislative Session concludes, it is a disservice to Floridians that instead of repealing the ban, addressing the maternal mortality crisis, taking measures to reduce costs for everyday families, or giving a hearing to a single proactive reproductive health bill, lawmakers pushed more anti-reproductive health bills threatening abortion access, contraception, fertility treatments, and freedom for Floridians.
A Floridian who wished to remain anonymous shared her experience as a patient under Florida’s restrictions: “Since Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a constant battle with my own body. This past year, I was diagnosed with a gene variant called CYP3A7*1C, which causes my body to metabolize medications much faster than normal. In simple terms: my birth control isn’t as effective as it should be.
I’ve always taken my health seriously and stayed proactive about my care, but as I became more sexually active, I began facing challenges I hadn’t encountered before. My GYN and I have been working together to find the right birth control dosage for me—emphasis on “working,” meaning we haven’t found the right fit yet.
Back in March, I found out I was pregnant. I took abortion pills, and assumed the process had worked. Three weeks later, I went to the doctor for an unrelated issue and learned that I was still pregnant. I was given a second round of medication, but this time, I didn’t bleed like I expected. I was terrified. I hadn’t received an ultrasound, so I had no idea how far along I really was. Taking time off work wasn’t an option. I’m also a parent to a child who needs extra care. My mind was spinning with “what ifs”—how could I afford the travel, the time, and the logistics to go out of state just to access the care I needed?
If Florida didn’t have this cruel six-week ban—or the mountain of restrictions that already existed—I would have been able to walk into a clinic without fear and receive compassionate, timely care in my own state. But instead, I was left in limbo, like so many others, navigating a system designed to push us further away from autonomy.”
In the last year, Florida experienced a sharper decline in clinician-provided abortions than any other state. It’s impossible to account for every story and future changed because politicians interfered with the lives of people they’ll never meet. Patients have been forced to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles to access abortion care in another state, an increasing number of people are learning about abortion pills by mail and self-managed abortion, and some patients have remained pregnant against their will, often at risk to their health and economic stability.
Chanae Jackson, Organizing Director for Florida for All stated, “I helped lead an effort that knocked over one million doors to engage and educate voters in a meaningful way on Amendment 4 — the 2024 citizen-led amendment to limit government interference with abortion. Though we achieved 57% of the vote, just shy of the 60% needed to pass, we built lasting power and showed that people are more informed and courageous than they’re often given credit for. My experience was both deeply rewarding and sobering — because while we persist, the Florida Legislature is moving to make citizen-led amendments nearly impossible, and Black women continue to suffer and die under abortion bans across the South. We will not stop fighting.”
Concerned Floridians are encouraged to donate to abortion funds which are working every day to ensure that logistical barriers, such as the costs of travel, childcare, and hotels, don’t prevent someone who needs an abortion from accessing one.
“Especially since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, our rights have been increasingly under attack, from voting to reproductive health care. People, not politicians, should have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and yet, women and patients’ lives are in jeopardy due to laws that ban abortions. Abortion is a human right and we can never stop fighting for it. Continue to make your voice heard,” stated Debbie Deland, President of Florida’s National Organization for Women.
# # #
The Floridians for Reproductive Freedom Coalition engages supporters from diverse backgrounds in the fight for reproductive freedom and the full spectrum of reproductive health care. To learn more, sign up at bit.ly/reproinfl. Patients can visit abortioninflorida.com to find out where to get help, and, more and more Floridians are learning about abortion pills by mail and self-managed abortion at PlanCPills.org.