© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ethicists, Activists Attack Abortion Waiting Period

Sally Falko via Flickr

Two groups are throwing their weight behind a Gainesville clinic challenging a state-mandated abortion waiting period.

State lawmakers passed legislation in 2015 requiring women wait 24 hours between an initial consultation and an abortion procedure.  Now two groups are offering alternative arguments in support of the Gainesville Woman Care—the clinic challenging that law in court. 

One group, made up of six medical ethicists from Florida universities lays out a theoretical argument, explaining how the law violates four bedrock tenets of medical ethics.  The other group makes a personal appeal: sharing the stories of women forced to pay for additional lodging, childcare and gas while the law briefly took effect earlier this year. 

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, but hasn’t set a date for oral argument.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.