On Thursday, March 9, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Sanctuary for Families and other advocates in the case of Planned Parenthood Southwest and Central Florida v. Florida, which challenges Florida’s 15-week abortion ban (HB 5) and is currently before the Florida Supreme Court.
At Sanctuary, we know that abortion bans like HB 5 endanger and disproportionately affect victims of domestic abuse, sex trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence. Florida’s 15-week ban grants abusers more power to control their victims. It can also mean a death sentence for many women in abusive relationships — In the United States, homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum women.
Every day that it remains in effect, HB 5 causes profound, irreparable harm to victims of gender-based violence, violating their bodily autonomy and forcing them to stay tethered to dangerous abusers. We call on the Florida Supreme Court to put the health and well-being of Floridian women first and strike down this unconstitutional bill.
Click here to read the full text of our amicus brief.