Ruling makes Florida new epicentre in US abortion battle

Florida's Supreme Court delivered two rulings on abortion on Monday, with competing consequences.

First, the court upheld the state's right to prohibit abortion, giving the green light for a six-week ban to take effect on 1 May.

The near-total ban will block almost all access in the US South, where Florida had been something of a haven for those seeking abortions, surrounded by states that had already implemented six-week or total bans on the procedure.

The ruling was applauded by national anti-abortion activists, many of whom see a six-week ban as the gold standard for abortion policy. The decision is a "victory for unborn children", said Katie Daniel, Florida policy director of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America.

But in a 4-3 vote, the justices also approved a November ballot initiative that, if approved, would overturn the six-week ban and enshrine broad abortion access in the state's constitution.

The decisions have sharpened the glare of the political spotlight on the Sunshine State, and set up perhaps the highest stakes abortion fight since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022.