Florida’s six-week abortion ban poses insurmountable barriers to abortion care for many patients.
For individuals in Tallahassee and North Florida facing unintended pregnancies, here’s what you need to know, plain and simple.
Currently in Florida, there is a “six-week” abortion ban in place. Importantly, the “six-week” abortion ban does not mean you have six weeks to get an abortion. The age of a pregnancy is counted from the first day of your last period. This means that by the time you miss your period, you’re already deemed about four weeks pregnant. Therefore, in the very best of circumstances – if you have a regular 28-day menstrual cycle and watch your period closely – the window to get an abortion in Florida is about two weeks (not six).
Two weeks to take a pregnancy test, confirm you’re pregnant, and schedule and complete two doctors’ appointments (by law, 24 hours apart).
While the law does technically provide some extremely narrow exceptions, these exceptions are often unworkable in practice and the vast majority of people will not fall within the narrowly worded exceptions.
It’s a race against the clock and much of it is not within your control. For this reason, home pregnancy tests are good to have on hand and can be purchased over the counter at supermarkets, drug stores and even some dollar stores. Every day counts when you only get, at most, two weeks from when you miss your period to access the care you need.
Despite these restrictions, safe and legal abortion care is still offered across our state in compliance with Florida law. North Florida has two verified abortion providers and they are both located right here in Tallahassee:
Both clinics provide lawful abortion care for pregnant patients – and patients are able to be seen quickly to determine whether they fall within the six-week timeframe to access abortion care in Florida.
For individuals who are beyond six weeks, the clinics can provide information on traveling out of state to access care.
If going to one of the two local verified abortion clinics is not an option – or if the pregnant person is more than six weeks pregnant – there are safe and reliable websites where you can find additional information and resources about accessing abortion care:
There are several anti-abortion centers in Tallahassee that hold themselves out as “Women’s Clinics” but they DO NOT provide abortion care and reportedly actively seek to dissuade pregnant people from obtaining the abortion care they need. The ONLY state-licensed abortion clinics in Tallahassee are Planned Parenthood and North Florida Women’s Services.
Florida currently has a “six-week” abortion ban. This law creates major barriers to care for many patients in Tallahassee and North Florida.
No. Pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last menstrual period—not from the date of conception. By the time you miss your period, you are already considered about four weeks pregnant. This leaves, at most, a roughly two-week window to confirm the pregnancy and access care in Florida.
Technically, yes—but they are extremely narrow and often unworkable in practice. Most people will not qualify under these exceptions.
Because every day matters, it’s helpful to keep home pregnancy tests on hand. They are available over the counter at supermarkets, drug stores, and even some dollar stores.
If you are beyond six weeks, both of the verified clinics above can provide information about traveling out of state to access legal abortion care.
Note: the above is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you need free legal assistance, reach out to The Jane Network.
