April 14, 2022

Florida Judge Upholds 24-Hour Waiting Period Law

Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey ruled on April 12 to uphold a 2015 Florida law requiring women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion.

In her ruling, Dempsey noted that other decisions, such as getting married or purchasing a firearm, have even longer waiting periods. “Twenty-four hours is the minimum time needed to sleep on such an important decision,” she wrote.

A county judge ruled in 2018 that the law was unconstitutional, even though 27 other states already had similar laws. That ruling was reversed in 2019. Dempsey's ruling again affirms that a 24-hour waiting period is unconstitutional.