ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando clinic is challenging a $193,000 fine after allegations it violated a law that requires a 24-hour waiting period for performing abortions.
The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which oversees regulation of abortion clinics, issued an administrative complaint against the Center of Orlando for Women.
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According to the complaint, the clinic didn’t comply with the law, which was passed in 2015, but has been challenged in the courts. It was upheld by a Leon County judge on April 25.
The law requires people seeking an abortion to wait at least 24 hours to get the procedure after an initial visit to a clinic.
The AHCA said from April 26 to May 11, the Center of Orlando for Women performed 193 abortions on the same day of initial visits and is charging $1,000 per violation.
Attorney Julie Gallagher, who represents the clinic, said the fine would likely bankrupt the business.
Gallagher issued the following statement to News 6:
In a court response, Gallagher said the fine should be much less and requested a formal hearing. She’s now awaiting a response from AHCA.
This comes nearly two weeks after a Miami clinic, Doctor’s Office for Women, Inc., which does business as Today’s Women Medical Center, challenged a potential $3,000 fine for allegedly violating the same law.
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