Abortions topped 22,000 before Florida’s 6-week ban went into effect

More than 22,000 abortions were performed in Florida this year before a law took effect May 1 preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Newly posted data on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website showed a reported 22,409 abortions had been performed as of May 1. That was up from 14,735 abortions a month earlier.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature passed the six-week limit last year, and it took effect after the Florida Supreme Court ruled April 1 that a privacy clause in the state Constitution does not apply to abortion rights.

The six-week limit is expected to dramatically reduce the number of abortions performed in the state. Voters in November will decide whether to approve a ballot proposal that would enshrine abortion rights in the Constitution.