Judge’s decision may impact people traveling to Florida for abortions

ORLANDO, Fla — A Leon County judge will hear arguments Monday on whether to block Florida’s 15-week abortion ban.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

The change to Florida’s abortion law will go into effect on Friday, but the judge could issue a temporary injunction.

Abortion clinics and a doctor are challenging the law under a privacy clause in the Florida constitution.

Some people in Central Florida are worried about the impact this could have on people traveling to the state to get abortions now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade.

Reports show thousands of people already travel to Florida every year to get abortions.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Depending on how the ruling from that judge goes, it could impact Florida in one of two ways: Florida could see more people coming to the state since we have some of the most lenient abortion policies, or more people could be flying out to places like Puerto Rico where abortion is still 100% legal.

Those costs are running advocacy groups thin.

“It’s a tragedy of epic proportions,” said Andrew Shirvell with Florida Voice for the Unborn.

Shirvell has been lobbying to abolish abortion and looks forward to the possibilities of further restrictions now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.

Read: Live updates | G-7 leaders pledge work on climate change

A report by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration shows that 79,000 people have gotten abortions in the last year.

Both Planned Parenthood and the Florida Access Network said they’ve seen more out-of-state appointments in recent years, partially due to the fetal heartbeat law in Texas.

See more at WFTV Channel 9.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.