The Florida Supreme Court, overturning the state's parental-consent law for minors seeking abortions, yesterday found that the right to privacy outlined in the state constitution protects a woman's decision to have an abortion. The ruling -- the first significant decision by a state court in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling last July cutting back abortion rights under the U.S. Constitution -- represented an important victory for abortion-rights activists. It offers the prospect that state courts could frustrate efforts by state legislatures to adopt restrictive abortion laws. The decision threw an immediate obstacle into Republican Gov. Bob Martinez's efforts to enact stiffer regulations on abortion at a special session of the legislature scheduled to begin Tuesday. But Martinez, calling the ruling "shocking," "offensive" and an erosion of parental authority, told reporters yesterday he saw an even greater need for the legislature to move on his package next week. Legislative leaders, bracing for large demonstrations by activists on both sides of the issue, urged Martinez to postpone the session to allow time to determine what kinds of laws could be enacted in light of the court's ruling. They also said it was likely the legislature would take no action next week. In an unsigned opinion, the seven-member court ruled unanimously that the right to abortion is covered by a 1980 amendment to the state constitution providing that "every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into his private life." "We can conceive of few more personal or private decisions concerning one's body that one can make in the course of a lifetime," the court said. That fundamental right to abortion, the court found, extends to minors because the privacy amendment covers "every natural person," not just those above the age of maturity. Because Florida permits pregnant minors to obtain other medical services without parental consent, the court said, there is no "compelling state interest" in protecting minors or preserving family unity that would justify intruding on minors' privacy rights. The seven-member court was unanimous in finding that the state constitution provides a fundamental right to abortion, while a four-justice majority voted to strike down the parental-consent law. The ruling came in the case of T.W., a high school student who sought to have an abortion without obtaining parental approval, claiming that if she told her ill mother about the planned abortion "it would kill her." A lower court found that the judicial bypass procedure was unconstitutionally vague, and T.W. was ultimately permitted to have an abortion. Abortion-rights activists called the decision "a major victory for the women of Florida" and said Martinez had been "stripped of the legal tools to advance his political agenda." Ken Connor, president of Florida Right to Life, praised Martinez as "one of the few elected public officials who has the courage to stand for what's right." He said the decision would have a "radical impact" on Florida families and said that there is an even greater need for next week's special session. Martinez, saying he "will consider every option available to us to change this offensive ruling," urged the legislature to enact new regulations on abortion clinics and approve his recommendations for fetal viability tests beginning in the 20th week of pregnancy and legislation assuring that women seeking an abortion are provided with complete information on the status of the fetus. "I am sure that those who favor abortion on demand and even those who simply wish to avoid difficult decisions will point to today's court ruling to retreat from next week's session," Martinez said. "These people are wrong, and the lives of hundreds of innocent, unborn Floridians depend on our willingness to do what it takes to protect them." Yesterday's Florida ruling also could be significant as other state courts are called on to decide whether their state constitutions protect the right to abortion -- an area that has been addressed by relatively few state courts because the U.S. Supreme Court until recently has found sweeping federal constitutional protections for abortion rights. "Although this is just the state supreme court in one state, it's an enormously important victory for women across the country because it shows that state supreme courts . . . will stand up to protect women's fundamental liberties," said Janet Benshoof of the American Civil Liberties Union's Reproductive Freedom Project.