Skip to content
Advanced Woman’s Care
All articles

Florida’s six-week abortion limit, explained

A woman talking with a provider in a private office

Since 1 May 2024, Florida law has limited abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy in most cases. Six weeks is earlier than most people expect, so the most useful thing you can do is call as soon as you think you may be pregnant.

How the six weeks are counted

The clock starts on the first day of your last period, not on the day you conceived. That puts six weeks of pregnancy at roughly two weeks after a missed period. At your visit a sonogram confirms how far along you are, and that measurement is what the law goes by.

Why you come in twice

Florida requires a doctor to give you certain information in person, in the same room, at least 24 hours before an abortion. In practice that means two visits: one where you are examined and given that information, and a second one, at least a day later, for the abortion itself. Plan for both when you arrange time off and a ride.

The abortion pill is handed to you in person

Florida does not allow abortion medication to be mailed or shipped. The law requires it to be dispensed in person by a physician, so a telehealth appointment or an online pharmacy is not an option in this state, whatever you may read elsewhere.

The exceptions the law allows

The six-week limit is not absolute. Florida Statutes section 390.0111 allows an abortion later in three situations.

  • If the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest or human trafficking, up to 15 weeks, when you bring documentation such as a police report, a restraining order, a medical record or a court document.
  • If two physicians certify in writing that the fetus has a fatal fetal abnormality, before the third trimester.
  • If two physicians certify that ending the pregnancy is necessary to save your life or to avert serious, irreversible physical harm.

If you think you are past six weeks

Call anyway. We will go through your dates with you and tell you plainly whether we can help and what your choices are. What we would ask you not to do is order pills online to take on your own: nobody is checking how far along you are, or whether the pregnancy is ectopic, which is a medical emergency.

What to do now

  • Call as soon as a test is positive, or even if you only suspect it. Dates matter more than anything else here.
  • Ask for the state-required visit and a second appointment at least 24 hours later.
  • Write down the first day of your last period. It is the first thing we ask.