TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A Tallahassee judge is declaring Florida's 24-hour abortion waiting period unconstitutional and is permanently blocking enforcement of the law.
Circuit Judge Terry Lewis on Tuesday ruled that the 2015 law was an "impermissible intrusion" of privacy rights that are contained in Florida's constitution. The state constitution establishes the right to "be let alone and free from governmental intrusion" in one's private life and has been used to strike down other laws restricting access to abortion.
Tuesday's ruling is not a surprise since the Florida Supreme Court last year temporarily blocked the law from taking effect.
Gov. Rick Scott signed the waiting period into law in 2015, but it was quickly challenged by the ACLU on behalf of a Gainesville abortion clinic.
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