In response to the recently implemented abortion restrictions in Florida, the state's Agency for Health Care Administration issued a new rule on Thursday. The rule aims to clarify the exceptions to the six-week abortion ban, outlining the permissible treatments for certain medical conditions that pose risks to the health of both the pregnant woman and the fetus.

The rule comes into effect a day after Florida's new abortion restrictions took effect, significantly limiting access to abortions across the Southeast. The measure specifically highlights that treatments for ectopic pregnancy and trophoblastic tumors, a rare tumor that forms where the placenta attaches to the uterus, are not classified as abortions.

Additionally, the rule states that inducing delivery to treat premature rupture of membranes, resulting in the demise of the fetus, is not considered an abortion. These conditions can occur after six weeks of gestation and present immediate dangers to the health and safety of both women and unborn children if not promptly treated.

The Agency for Health Care Administration initiated this rulemaking to protect pregnant women from potential harm caused by misinformation. They accused the media, the Biden administration, and advocacy groups of promoting a "deeply dishonest scare campaign" to misinterpret the state's abortion law. The emergency rule is deemed necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of pregnant women and unborn babies in medical emergencies.

Florida's six-week abortion ban was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis last year, but its implementation was delayed as the state supreme court assessed a challenge to a separate measure restricting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In early April, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the 15-week ban, paving the way for the more restrictive six-week law to take effect.

The ban includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. Additionally, physicians are allowed to terminate a pregnancy if necessary to save the mother's life or prevent a "serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment."

Despite these exceptions, supporters of abortion rights argue that the law effectively imposes a near-total ban on abortions because many women are unaware of their pregnancies until after the six-week gestation mark.

Since the Supreme Court's decision in June 2022, which dismantled the constitutional right to abortion, 14 states have outlawed abortion with limited exceptions. Additionally, seven states now prohibit abortions within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization advocating for abortion rights.

Physicians in states with stringent abortion restrictions have faced challenges in navigating the narrow exceptions to these bans. Last week, the Supreme Court heard a case that pitted Idaho's near-total abortion ban against a federal law that mandates hospitals to provide stabilizing care in medical emergencies. The Biden administration argued that under the federal law, stabilizing treatment may include abortion care, overriding state laws that restrict abortion access.