ORLANDO, Fla. – The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case in a historic ruling Friday.
The Supreme Court voted 5-3, ending nearly 50 years of abortion protection. Three of the justices voting in favor were appointees of former President Donald Trump: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
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The decision comes as part of the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which was a challenge to Mississippi’s law which banned abortions after 15 weeks.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe, that does not mean that abortion is now illegal throughout the U.S. The ruling kicks the decision back down to the states, allowing each one to decide their own laws surrounding abortion, and potentially other reproductive rights.
Twenty-two states, largely in the South and Midwest, already had total or near-total bans and 13 other states had trigger laws that immediately ban abortion with Roe v. Wade overturned, according to the Associated Press.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban into law, which is set to go into effect on July 1. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.
Florida lawmakers released statements in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling.