Renee B. v. Florida Agency for Health Admin

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Determined the constitutionality of Florida's ban on Medicaid funding for abortion except in cases of rape or incest.

Full Case Title: 

Renee B. v. Florida Agency for Health Admin., 735 So. 2d 1287 (Fla. 1999)
  • Workplace Equality and Economic Empowerment

Year: 

1999
  • Reproductive Rights
  • Public Benefits and Poverty
  • Joined Amicus Brief

Brief: 

Our Role in the Case

Legal Momentum joined an amicus brief filed by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League in the Florida Supreme Court asking for a permanent injunction ordering the State to provide public funding for all Medicaid-eligible women seeking medically necessary abortions. The brief highlighted the economic realities of the abortion funding ban on Florida's poorest and most vulnerable women. 

Summary and Outcome of the Case

This case involved Florida's law prohibiting the use of public funds to pay for an abortion unless the procedure was necessary to preserve the woman's life or the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. The plaintiff, Renee B., brought suit under the Florida State Constitution, alleging that the restrictive law violated her right to privacy and the right to equal protection of the laws. The trial court denied her request for an injunction. The Supreme Court of Florida further denied review, leaving the Medicaid funding ban in effect.