Within hours of the start of Florida's legislative session, newly filed bills are set to test the limits on hot-button topics such as abortion and free speech.
Florida's new 15-week abortion ban has yet to be implemented due to litigation, but state Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, has filed H.B. 1519, which would prohibit any person or entity from purposely performing or attempting to perform an abortion.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, took to social media to express her outrage, calling the move "cruel for the sake of being cruel."
"It is a total abortion ban that eliminates what were already narrow exceptions for rape or incest and also goes further into criminalizing individuals or entities that provide medication abortion by mail, " she implored.
The news comes as a state constitutional amendment that would protect abortion access in Florida received enough signatures of support to appear on ballots in the November election. However, a challenge by the state's attorney general could still block it, claiming the language is misleading.
Another newly filed measure, S.B. 1780, by Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, would make it easier for an individual to sue another person for defamation.
Eskamani sees the measure as an attempt to create a penalty for an opinion one doesn't like, which she believes is a slippery slope that could lead to criminalization.
"As long as you're not directly threatening me, there really is not a path forward that I can pursue," Eskamani explained, "and I'm OK with that because I should not be punishing people for expressing a viewpoint I don't like. I don't have to agree with it."
For a successful defamation case, one has to prove "actual malice." A defendant found liable for defamation could be fined at least $35,000. The bill also removes bedrock journalistic privileges, particularly the right to keep sources anonymous. Statements from anonymous sources would be considered "presumptively false," making journalists reporting on discrimination vulnerable to lawsuits.
Tuesday is the final day for lawmakers to file bills, and the legislative session wraps up in early March.
get more stories like this via email
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month and health experts said they are concerned about the growing number of cervical cancer diagnoses nationwide.
Kentucky already has the highest rate of cervical cancer in the U.S., with the state's Appalachian region having cases at twice the national rate.
Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood in Kentucky, said cervical cancer takes years to develop, and can be prevented easily with regular screenings for early detection and with the HPV vaccine. Middle-aged patients who missed early detection are at highest risk.
"Older women are more vulnerable," Gibran explained. "I think the reason is this age group in particular may not have received the recommended number of screening tests with normal results before they stopped having Pap smears."
Studies have shown women ages 40-44 who live in the south are less likely to be vaccinated against HPV or screened for cervical cancer, and also comprise the demographic who did not have access to the vaccine during adolescence. The American Cancer Society estimated in 2023, more than 4,000 women died from cervical cancer nationwide.
Infection with HPV is the single greatest risk factor for cervical cancer. It is estimated more than 90% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV each year. Gibron encouraged Kentuckians to prioritize their reproductive health in the new year. She added regional Planned Parenthood Health Centers offer PAP exams and more.
"We often are the only provider of affordable reproductive health care or the only provider that offers specialized care," Gibron pointed out. "We want folks to take control of their health care and get their annual wellness visit, get their HPV test, young people get your HPV vaccine."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the HPV vaccine for children ages 11 and 12, but adults up to age 45 can also receive their shot. Condom use has been shown to help lower the chances of spreading HPV.
get more stories like this via email
As the United States Supreme Court decides whether the abortion pill is safe, some legal scholars predict the decision may backfire on anti-abortion advocates.
The case paving the way for the nation's highest court to get involved does not focus on abortion access, but rather the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's process to approve drugs.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled last summer that mifepristone can stay on shelves where it is legal. However, the appeals court decided FDA changes making easier access to the drug failed to follow proper procedure.
Indiana University Law Professor Jody Madeira isn't surprised the high court picked up the case and predicts it might not have the result anti-abortion proponents expect.
"And I do think that it might end up, in a surprising way, protecting abortion rights," Madeira said. "The Supreme Court has been sort of on a trend where it's been narrowing agency rights. But here, the right the FDA has is to judge whether mifepristone is safe."
Madeira posed this question: If courts start deciding drug safety, then what becomes the incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs and treatments?
A final decision on mifepristone use is expected by the end of June.
Another obstacle women and girls face is finding doctors comfortable with the ambiguity of new laws restricting abortion. In many cases, according to Madeira, patients cannot find care because doctors don't want to risk losing their medical license.
"State authorities will go to great lengths to persecute and prosecute doctors who even speak to the media about performing and abortion," Madeira stressed. "Dr. Caitlin Bernard and our attorney general, Todd Rokita, is the perfect example. Certainly, doctors have a right to feel very wary and reluctant."
Drug companies and the FDA say mifepristone is safe and has lower risks than such common drugs as Tylenol and Viagra.
get more stories like this via email
A federal judge has temporarily blocked an anti-abortion law in Idaho restricting people's ability to travel to other states for the procedure.
During the 2023 legislative session, state lawmakers passed a law restricting "abortion trafficking," which it describes as an adult bringing a child across state lines for an abortion with the intent to conceal it from the child's parents or guardians.
Kelly O'Neill, staff attorney for the nonprofit Legal Voice, said a U.S. district court judge agreed to their preliminary injunction request, blocking the law while the case is decided.
"The judge agreed that the law is unconstitutional and that it violates First Amendment freedoms, the right to interstate travel, and that it's unconstitutionally vague and that it's confusing," O'Neill outlined. "A person can't determine what conduct is legal and what might land you in prison for a minimum of two years."
Idaho has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, with the procedure banned in nearly every instance. While abortions have decreased in the state, research shows they've increased in neighboring states where it is protected since Roe v. Wade was overturned, such as in Washington.
O'Neill noted Idaho is not the only state where lawmakers are attempting to restrict abortion.
"There's a huge wave of anti-abortion laws coming out of Idaho in particular and every state in the nation," O'Neill pointed out. "People are working and doing their part to try to push back against those and restore options of choices and freedom, and this is certainly a way that we're helping to do that."
The suit challenging the Idaho law was filed in July. The parties involved gave oral arguments in September.
get more stories like this via email
Continue reading here:
FL lawmakers back in Tallahassee to debate limits on abortion, free speech - Public News Service
- Bill Ackman says he's 'learned a lot' from Elon Musk's X - Quartz - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Opinion | Columbia, Free Speech and the Coddling of the American Right - The New York Times - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok raises free speech concerns on bill passed by US House that may ban app - Voice of America - VOA News - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- The Right Must Avoid the Left's Free Speech Pitfalls Minding The Campus - Minding The Campus - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Fear and loathing on America's college campuses as free speech is disappearing | Will Bunch - The Philadelphia Inquirer - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Harrison Ford Called 'Free Palestine' Supporters 'Force of Nature' in Speech? - Snopes.com - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Elon Musk to fund new First Amendment campaign to combat 'relentless attacks on free speech' - Fox News - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok raises free speech concerns on bill passed by US House that may ban app - New York Post - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Navigating The Murky Waters Of Antisemitism, Free Speech, And Academic Freedom - Forbes - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- The choice between safety and free speech is a false one - Daily Trojan Online - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- AI chatbots refuse to produce 'controversial' output why that's a free speech problem - The Conversation - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- UC Virtual Conference Centers Free Speech and Civil Rights Amid Ongoing Tensions on College Campuses - Diverse: Issues in Higher Education - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Free speech freeze-up | D.H. Robinson - The Critic - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Will Columbias law-school dean learn the law of free speech? - JNS.org - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- OSU, OK State Regents for Higher Education complete first required free speech training - Daily O'Collegian - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok uses free speech card to save itself from US ban, will it be enough? - Hindustan Times - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Settlement Reached in Free Speech Case at Temecula Valley Unified - ACLU of Southern California - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- USC canceled its valedictorian speech: What the university got wrong. - Slate - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- A free speech fiasco united the far-right here's why they remain divided - POLITICO Europe - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- US TikTok Ban Bill Would 'Trample' On Free Speech Rights Of 170M Americans, Says Social Media Giant - Benzinga - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- X marks the spot where free speech comes at a cost - Sydney Morning Herald - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Newly reinstated Texas Tech professor continues to advocate for free speech - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Coin Center says Senate-presented stablecoin bill poses risks to innovation and free speech - crypto.news - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok creators worry about free speech and income streams if ban succeeds: 'My livelihood is at stake' - CNBC - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- As Texas students clash over Israel-Hamas war, Gov. Greg Abbott orders colleges to revise free speech policies - The Texas Tribune - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Opinion | The Debate Over Free Speech, Disinformation and Censorship - The New York Times - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- VCU one of the top campuses in the country for free speech, advocacy group says - Axios - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free Speech Is Under Attack in the U.S., but It's on the Ropes Elsewhere - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free speech hangs in the balance in 3 Supreme Court cases - The Hill - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free Speech Unmuted: Free Speech, Government Persuasion, and Government Coercion - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- In crowded week for free speech, justices hear 3 First Amendment cases - Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Abbott Issues Guidance To Texas Colleges And Universities About Free Speech And Anti-Semitism - EastTexasRadio.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Gov. Abbott orders Texas universities to revise free speech policies to combat antisemitism - The UTD Mercury - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- The Liberty Justice Center Urges the U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold Protections for Free Speech in Donor Disclosure ... - Liberty Justice Center - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- GOP pushes anti-free speech bills to fight antisemitism - UnHerd - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- PEN Union Cries Foul in Contract Talks as Criticism of PEN America Intensifies - Publishers Weekly - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- CAIR-Texas Condemns Gov. Abbott's Anti-Palestinian Executive Order as Attack on Free Speech (Video) - - Council on American-Islamic Relations - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Dissent: When It Comes To Free Speech, the Editorial Board Is All Talk. | Opinion - Harvard Crimson - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Gov. Abbott calls for universities to update free speech policies, discipline violators to address antisemitism on campuses - The Daily Texan - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- The Times Ed Board picks a confusing fight against the Emerald City Ride, free speech - Seattle Bike Blog - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Trump's Free Speech Defense on Trial in Georgia Election Interference Case - Hoodline - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Convicting Julian Assange Would Mean the End of Free Speech - The American Conservative - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Column: Banning TikTok is a blow to free speech - Redmond Spokesman - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free Speech Is Under Such Threat In Canada It Would Make Orwell Blush - Forbes - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- More on Coercion, Social Media, and Freedom of Speech: Rejoinder to Philip Hamburger - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- OfS free speech guidance: time will tell if it builds understanding - The PIE News - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Kevin Rennie: Jaw-dropping attack on free speech and assembly in a CT town. It hurts us all. - Hartford Courant - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Chemerinsky: Navigating Free Speech on Campus, A First Amendment Perspective - The Collegian online - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Bentley Hosts Forum on Free Speech on College Campuses with Legal Expert Harvey Silverglate - Bentley University - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- POLL: 69% of Americans believe country on wrong track on free speech - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- In Defense of Free Speech and the Mission of the University - Public Discourse - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Free Speech and Common Carriage: Unpacking the Supreme Court's Examination of the Texas and Florida Social ... - Public Knowledge - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast | Free speech news: NetChoice, Taylor Swift, October 7, and Satan - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Supreme Court to Decide How the First Amendment Applies to Social Media - The New York Times - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on Texas social media law - The Texas Tribune - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Bill aimed at protecting free speech rights advancing in SC House - News From The States - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Champion of Free Speech and Journalism Margaret Talev Leads Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship ... - Syracuse University News - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Kinsey student says IU administrator infringed on free speech rights at demonstration - Indiana Daily Student - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- CBS News boss who signed off on firing Catherine Herridge to get free speech award - New York Post - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas and Florida cases about free speech and social media platforms - Texas Standard - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Should Honking Your Horn Be Considered Free Speech? - The Autopian - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Event: Free speech implications of the ICJ South Africa v. Israel case - ARTICLE 19 - Article 19 - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Takeaways From the Supreme Court Arguments on Social Media Laws - The New York Times - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Free Speech Unmuted: Book Bansor Are They? - Reason - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Florida anti-free speech bill targets 'liberal media' but guess who's really mad at it? - KeysNews.com - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Supreme Court arguments over social media laws and free speech are defining social media itself - Quartz - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Canadian measure would remove free speech protection for quoting Bible, sacred texts - Washington Times - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Suffield scraps plan to restrict the use of the town green following pushback from free speech advocates - FOX61 Hartford - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- FIRST PERSON: Free speech fails for Zionists at UC Berkeley - The Jewish News of Northern California - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Menard Center and pre-law club host discussion regarding AI and Free Speech - UWEC Spectator - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Supreme Court arguments over future of social media and free speech - WFXRtv.com - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Judge skeptical of lawsuit brought by Elon Musk's X over hate speech research - NPR - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Israeli philosopher Yoram Hazony lectures on free speech, antisemitism while students hold vigil - Observer Online - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Big Tech fights Texas and Florida at SCOTUS, and Brett Kavanaugh might be the one saving the internet as we know it. - Slate - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Biden Is Trying to Balance Gaza Protests and Free Speech Rights as Demonstrators Disrupt His Events - U.S. News & World Report - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- British Universities Are Repressing Free Speech on Palestine - Jacobin magazine - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- The Future of Academic Freedom - The New Yorker - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- "College Is All About Curiosity. And That Requires Free Speech." - Reason - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- Palestine and the crisis of free speech on college campuses - The Real News Network - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- College Is All About Curiosity. And That Requires Free Speech. - The New York Times - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]