Judge Blocks Ron DeSantis In Surprise Ruling

(FreedomBeacon.com)- Last Thursday, a judge in Florida temporarily blocked the state’s 15-week abortion law claiming it violates the state constitution’s privacy provision.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper imposed a temporary injunction against the law one day before it was set to go into effect. Signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in mid-April, the statute would ban abortion after 15 weeks except in medical emergencies that threaten the life and health of the mother and instances of fatal fetal abnormalities.

In his order, Judge Cooper said his decision wasn’t litigating abortion but litigating Florida’s right to privacy.

The Florida Constitution states that “every natural person” has a right to be free from government intrusion into the person’s private life.

Governor DeSantis’ office already plans to appeal the ruling and will ask the Florida Supreme Court to reverse its precedent on the privacy provision.

In a statement on Thursday, the governor’s office said it was confident the state’s pro-life law will “ultimately withstand all legal challenges.”

The governor’s office argued that the Florida constitution’s right to privacy never included “a right to kill an innocent unborn child.”

During a press conference on Thursday, Governor DeSantis blasted the decision and vowed to appeal the judge’s ruling, arguing that the state’s constitution does not protect things like dismemberment abortions.