NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A Nassau County woman said she was turned away from having an abortion on Wednesday because she was just over the six-week mark in her pregnancy.
Florida’s 6-week ban went into effect on Wednesday, and one day later the Agency Health Care Administration issued a set of emergency rules that apply to hospitals and abortion clinics.
AHCA said medical facilities must submit a report each month to the agency regardless of the number of abortions and the method used. Each clinic also has to maintain a log of abortions, recording the procedure date and period of gestation.
Also, the treatment of ectopic pregnancies and trophoblastic tumors are not considered abortions and don’t fall under the rule. Additionally, if a physician tries to induce birth, regardless of gestational age, to treat premature rupture of membranes and the unborn baby doesn’t survive, that incident wouldn’t be considered an abortion and doesn’t fall under the rule.
The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said her scheduled abortion appointment did not happen because of the ban.
“By the time I got there, and then all situated, the first thing the woman said was, ‘It’s not going to happen.’ And I was just like, ‘OK, what do you mean?’ She said that you were over the max amount. And then it was just more like heartdropping because I just didn’t expect it,” she told News4JAX.
The woman, who first contacted News4JAX through our Help Center, said she was unaware of how far along she was in her pregnancy.
“It is not a good time for me at the moment,” she said. “That’s why I chose to go the option that I did want to go.”
She never expected to be unable to get the procedure done on Wednesday, so of course, she was shocked.
“I didn’t think that it was going to happen to me. I was so positive about the whole situation and trying to especially turn a negative situation into something positive just for my own livelihood and my family at the moment. However, just being told that it was just jaw-dropping,” she said.
Belkis Plata, a Jacksonville attorney with Plata Schott Law said there have been a lot of concerns about what the six-week abortion ban means for pregnant women.
She said the emergency rules are written for medical professionals to understand that everyday people might not know the specifics of the rules until they’re dealing with a pregnancy that’s not viable or unwanted.
“A woman who may experience bleeding, who is unaware that she’s pregnant, may end up at a hospital, and unless it’s one of these criteria that they have laid out, she’s going to have to continue in that pregnancy. Even if she’s miscarrying, because there will be no intervention after six weeks, unless her life is in danger, or one of these other parameters are met,” Plata said.
Plata said women experiencing issues with pregnancy should seek help from a medical professional to learn what options they have.
“Regrettably, many women will end up going to an ER or to a regular provider who’s going to turn them away because they’re past the six weeks. But at that point, hopefully, they’ll have the information they need to make whatever decisions they need to make,” Plata said.
The woman also shared this message about the ban:
“To the men that have thought of this ban being proactively acceptable, you have no right to tell a woman how to go about her body until you lived in a woman’s body and have had to go through this. You do not understand what it’s like to be a woman and go through these types of processes,” she said.
Planned Parenthood slammed the emergency rules in a statement, saying it only causes “more confusion and chaos” rather than answers:
The so-called ‘emergency rules’ issued by the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) today smack of the same political interference we’ve seen from the Legislature and state leaders. We expect it from politicians but it’s particularly disturbing to see this kind of disinformation coming from a state agency charged with protecting our health.
The fact is, if the State of Florida had these concerns they should have acted on them two years ago when the Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban. Announcing these rules the day after Florida’s six-week ban went into effect makes it clear that the motivation is political cover for the State, and not protecting public health.
This is just playing politics with executive function. Politicians know how bad this six-week ban is and they know the harm it is causing. They are trying to provide cover for themselves by creating emergency rules based on the worst cases highlighted in the media. This is just further evidence of how much damage these abortion restrictions are doing to Florida patients–and that politicians recognize it. What about other serious conditions not called out in the rule? When will doctors be allowed to treat patients based on their individual health care needs? How many more people need to be in dire medical need before the State allows doctors to exercise their medical judgment and provide patients with the medical care they need?
Today’s announcement has only caused more confusion and chaos when Floridians are hurting and can least afford it. Regardless of your position on abortion, it is undeniable that less than two days into living under a near-total abortion ban we are already seeing the pain and suffering these arbitrary restrictions on access to essential health care can cause. AHCA adding fuel to that fire is reckless and mean-spirited.”
Michelle Quesada, Vice President of Communciation for Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida