Florida Gov. Rick Scott to defend pro-life law, but won’t challenge injunction

Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott has confirmed that while his administration will continue to defend the state’s latest abortion facility restrictions in court, it will not be appealing the interim injunction on the law taking effect.

The law tightens inspection requirements for abortion facilities and blocks state funds from going to abortion providers. US District Judge Robert Hinkle issued an injunction hours before the law would have taken effect, ruling that “government cannot prohibit indirectly — by withholding otherwise-available public funds — conduct that the government could not constitutionally prohibit directly.”

Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz reassured pro-lifers that the governor “believes in the sanctity of life” and “is continuing to fight for this legislation in court, which was passed with significant support in the legislature.”

She explained that focusing on upholding the bill’s constitutionality in the long-run rather than fighting for short-term implementation, which would either be upheld or struck down anyway by the outcome of the main case, was an effort “to avoid greater uncertainty while we await the court’s decision.”