Florida's House passes a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy

Florida's House passes a bill banning abortions² after 15 weeks of pregnancy³

Transcript⁴

Florida is moving to adopt a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, with no exception for rape⁵ or incest. The bill is patterned after the Mississippi abortion¹ ban now before the U.S. Supreme⁶ Court.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In Florida, a new abortion ban bill is a step closer to becoming law. The State House passed a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Similar measures were also passed this week by West Virginia's House and Arizona's Senate. The bills were all inspired by a Mississippi abortion law that is now being considered by the Supreme Court, a case many believe may overturn Roe⁷ v. Wade⁸. NPR's Greg Allen has been following the debate in Florida and joins us now. Good morning, Greg.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE⁹: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So if this becomes law - and it sounds like that's very likely - how would it change access to abortion in Florida?

ALLEN: Well, it would prohibit all abortions after 15 weeks, with narrow exceptions for fetal abnormalities and to protect the life of the mother. The current law in Florida allows abortions until 24 weeks, and that's a point that's generally considered to be viability¹⁰ for the fetus¹¹. Like the Mississippi law, Florida's ban after 15 weeks doesn't include exceptions for rape or incest. The bill's sponsors concede that this law does run counter to Roe v. Wade, which currently allows abortions in the first and second trimesters. And in Florida, courts have said the right to an abortion is also protected by the state constitution. But opponents to abortion say that's changing. And here's one of the sponsors, Republican Representative Erin Grall.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ERIN GRALL: The courts have just gotten it wrong, and there is enough scientific evidence, in my opinion and the opinion of many, that would provide the court a basis to reconsider the decisions that they have made with regard to this issue in the past.

ALLEN: Supporters say by passing this bill, Florida will be ready when the Supreme Court overturns Roe.

FADEL: OK, so what would the real-life impact be if this becomes law?

ALLEN: Well, we heard statistics in the debate. According to the state, about 3 1/2 percent of abortions in Florida happen after 15 weeks, but that's thousands of women each year. Dr. Samantha Deans, an associate medical director with Planned Parenthood in Florida, says some women don't even realize they're pregnant until after 15 weeks. Another problem, she says, is that most fetal anomalies aren't detected by then.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SAMANTHA DEANS: You cannot perform an amniocentesis until the second trimester. And generally speaking, we don't perform amniocentesis until 16 to 20 weeks. That's just a medical fact.

ALLEN: Under the Florida bill, if an abnormality is discovered in the fetus after 15 weeks, the pregnancy can't be terminated unless two doctors certify¹² the baby will die shortly after birth.

FADEL: Such a sensitive issue and one that people are really passionate¹³ about. How did that play out in the debate?

ALLEN: Well, we heard personal stories from several lawmakers during the debate last night. One was from Republican Dana Trabulsy who voted for the bill. She told colleagues she had an abortion when she was younger and now is anguished¹⁴ about it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DANA TRABULSY: But mostly, I'm ashamed because I will never get to know the unborn child that I could have had.

ALLEN: Another lawmaker, Democrat¹⁵ Robin¹⁶ Bartleman, talked about the agonizing¹⁷ time she and her husband had when they discovered, well after 15 weeks, a severe abnormality in the baby that she was carrying. She talked about what this bill will do for families who are in a similar situation.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROBIN BARTLEMAN: So when you get that terrible, heartbreaking news, you don't even have a decision because the state of Florida has already taken it away from you.

ALLEN: The bill passed Florida's House last night on a largely party-line vote. It now moves to Florida's Senate, where it's also expected to pass and likely to be signed by Florida's governor. If it does go into effect, and that lot depends now on the courts, it will affect not just women in Florida, but also those from the Caribbean and states throughout the Southeast - people who travel here for abortions.

FADEL: NPR's Greg Allen. Thank you, Greg.

ALLEN: You're welcome.

1 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

2 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

3 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

4 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

5 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

8 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

11 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

12 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。

13 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

14 anguished   

adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式)

参考例句：

• Desmond eyed her anguished face with sympathy. 看着她痛苦的脸，德斯蒙德觉得理解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The loss of her husband anguished her deeply. 她丈夫的死亡使她悲痛万分。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

16 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

17 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死