JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Abortion procedures in Florida saw a significant drop last year according to new data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
With 60,755 abortions statewide in 2024, the total number of procedures dropped nearly 28 percent compared to 2023.
In Duval County, the drop was even bigger, with roughly 31 percent fewer abortions.
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The new statistics reveal the impact of Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which was cleared by the state supreme court last spring.
The ban includes limited exceptions up to 15 weeks for victims of rape, incest, and human trafficking and further exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities and to protect the life of the mother.
State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) argued many of those exceptions don’t work in practice.
“We’ve already heard horror stories of women, even those who have ectopic pregnancies, where doctors are not comfortable providing an abortion,” said Eskamani.
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Action News Jax asked Governor Ron DeSantis what he thought of new stats and whether further restrictions could be on the horizon.
He didn’t comment on the possibility of future legislation, but he touted the decrease as a success.
“Look, we’ve been able to save lives, and you know that matters to a lot of people. It may not matter to everyone right now, but it matters to me,” said DeSantis.
Eskamani argued in many cases, women are simply forced to travel out of state to access the procedures.
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However, added resources intended to help women travel for procedures are being stretched thin due to increased demand.
“So, the situation is very unsettling and that’s why we support a full repeal of the near total abortion ban and we really do want to make sure that women can make these decisions without political interference,” said Eskamani.
Eskamani said Democrats plan to file a full repeal of the six-week ban in the upcoming session.
While DeSantis hasn’t called for further abortion restrictions, he has called on lawmakers to impose new restrictions on the citizen initiative process.
That could make it more difficult to get abortion rights proposals, like last year’s Amendment 4, on future ballots.
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