April 14, 2022
By Sebastian Liuba
Staff Writer
Today Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Previously, the state allowed abortion up to 24 weeks into pregnancy.
The bill includes exceptions for those with a fetal abnormality or if an abortion is needed to save the patient’s life. However, the ban has no exceptions for human trafficking, incest or rape.
World history teacher Mr. Spence said there have been mixed reactions coming out of Florida in response to this ban.
“Some people… are very supportive of the ban that’s been placed,” Spence said. “Then, there are other people who are against the ban, so it seems to be falling along political lines.”
Spence said a major point of contention about the bill is that it has no exception for human trafficking, incest or rape.
“When it comes to something as big as an abortion, a woman is not making that decision lightly.“
“I think that’s problematic. You have to look at all circumstances. It can’t just be a one size fits all approach. When it comes to something as big as an abortion, a woman is not making that decision lightly. They’re thinking about what’s best for them and their child,” Spence said.
Arizona Legislature passed a similar bill on March 24, which is now awaiting the governor’s approval. The legislation, like that of Florida’s, does not exempt rape or incest but does include some limited exceptions for medical purposes. It all seeks to ban abortion after 15 weeks
Lawmakers in the Oklahoma State House approved a bill on April 5 that, if signed into law, would create a near-total ban on abortions except in cases where the pregnant person’s life is endangered. Under the bill, a convicted person would be guilty of a felony and could face a fine of up to $100,000 or a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Spence said he does not expect New Jersey to pass legislation similar to that of Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma because New Jersey is a more liberal state.
“If leadership tried to push something like this through, there would be a lot of pushback from the population,” Spence said.
World history teacher Mrs. Schiraldi said the ban indicates a step backward because it is undoing what the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court case accomplished.
“Roe v. Wade was a presented case of abortion that allowed women to legally have abortions in all 50 states. Women such as [attorney and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader] Ginsburg… worked years and years to legalize abortion,” Schiraldi said.
Schiraldi said restrictions placed on abortions are not fair to women and will lead to deaths because women will seek out illegal measures for having an abortion.
“We are going to go back to seeing women dying from abortions, and they are going to be doing it themselves because that’s what we saw before Roe v. Wade,” Schiraldi said.
She said abortion should be a women’s choice and that the exceptions in the Florida legislation are insufficient.
Sophomore Jacob Gilmore said a 15-week limit on abortions is way too short.
“24 weeks is about right because that’s about [two-thirds] of a woman’s pregnancy, and the baby isn’t too developed,” Gilmore said.
He said he supports a woman’s right to choose.
“If the baby is putting the mother at risk in any way, whether it be financially or physically, the mother should get an abortion so they can have a stable life and not have the baby grow up in bad conditions,” Gilmore said.
He said the legislation does not recognize the thought that goes into a woman’s decision to follow through with an abortion.
“Getting an abortion is a hard thing for mothers to do even if they’re not ready for a baby,” said Gilmore.
