FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — As pregnant women flood into Florida abortion clinics, trying to get a procedure before they reach 15 weeks, the clinics are struggling with new regulations, increased state inspections, and in some cases hefty fines that threaten their businesses.
After Florida’s 24-hour waiting period requirement for abortions went into effect last spring, it took only two weeks for state inspectors to descend on abortion clinics and dole out penalties for improper paperwork or lack of documentation.
Second and third surprise visits followed after July 1 when Florida’s 15-week abortion ban became law and state administrators scrutinized the clinics’ documentation yet again
