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Governor Rick Scott signed a bill last June mandating a 24 hour waiting period for a woman before she gets an abortion…but its been locked in a legal battle ever since. As Matt Galka tells us, the case found itself in appeals court Tuesday morning.

Should a woman have to wait 24 hours before she proceeds with an abortion? The questions been debated since the Governor signed the law mandating the waiting period last year.  Representative Jennifer Sullivan (R-Mount Dora) said she didn’t write an unconstitutional law.

“I think it empowers women, they get that consultation with the doctor which currently the doctors aren’t showing them like they do for other patients in other procedures,” she said.

But the American Civil Liberties Union disagrees. They told the First District Court of Appeals Tuesday morning that the law harms women’s health.

“They should not be forced to delay the procedure they should not be forced to undertake the additional costs and burdens of having to take more time off work,” said staff attorney Julia Kaye.

The law was signed in 2015 but was essentially only in effect for one day before an injunction was filed.

Medical students who joined the lawsuit say the law negatively impacts their education. And because of doctor’s schedules, a 24 hour waiting period could turn into 48 or 72.

Catherine Somodi-Stephenson/Medical Students for Choice

“That can sometimes bump up the price of a procedure for her, and for a woman who already saves so much money for the procedure that can be truly detrimental,” said Catherine Somodi-Stephenson, a member of the group Medical Students for Choice.

Appeals court judges now have to decide whether or not the law violates Florida’s constitutional guarantee of privacy to citizens.

The appeals court will decide whether or not to keep the injunction against the law in effect and could ultimately turn the case back to a lower court.