Florida officials instruct physicians to perform abortions to save lives of the mother in all cases

Florida health officials notified physicians in the state on Thursday that abortions must be performed in order to save the life of the mother regardless of the stage of the pregnancy, or else they could face regulatory action.

The notice clarified the state's existing abortion law, which bans abortions after six weeks in most cases, or after 15 weeks in the cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking. If they do so outside of these limits, they could be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and loss of their medical license. 

The law does allow a provider to terminate a pregnancy to save the life of the mother, or to save her from “substantial and irreversible physical impairment," according to The Hill.

The clarification comes after the organization Physicians for Human Rights said the ban created an “unworkable legal landscape.” 

The Agency for Health Care Administration and the Florida Department of Health said the alert was to counter "misinformation" that is being spread about abortion laws in the southern state. 

“Providers are reminded that Florida requires life-saving medical care to a mother without delay when necessary, and the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Florida Department of Health will take regulatory action when a provider fails to follow this standard of care,” the agencies said in a statement.

The Florida group Floridians Protecting Freedom said that the exceptions to the abortion laws have been difficult for doctors to navigate. They are also suing the Agency for Health Care Administration because it allegedly used state resources to create a website that blasts a Florida abortion amendment as a threat to "women’s safety.”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.