Florida health regulators issued a new rule on May 2, 2024 clarifying exceptions to the state's six-week abortion ban.
If a physician attempts to induce delivery to treat premature rupture of membranes and the fetus does not survive, it is also not considered an abortion.
The conditions can occur after six weeks gestation and pose an immediate danger to women's health if not immediately treated.
Treatments for ectopic pregnancy and trophoblastic tumor are not considered abortions.
In a series of developments related to abortion access, Florida health regulators issued a new rule on May 2, 2024, clarifying exceptions to the state's six-week abortion ban. The rule specifies that treatments for ectopic pregnancy and trophoblastic tumor are not considered abortions. If a physician attempts to induce delivery to treat premature rupture of membranes and the fetus does not survive, it is also not considered an abortion. The conditions can occur after six weeks gestation and pose an immediate danger to the health, safety, and welfare of women and unborn children in hospitals and abortion clinics if not immediately treated. The agency said it initiated the rulemaking to safeguard against any immediate harm that could come to pregnant women due to disinformation from the media, Biden administration, and advocacy groups. Florida's six-week ban was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis last year but did not immediately take effect as the state supreme court considered a challenge to a separate measure prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The ban includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy and allows physicians to terminate a pregnancy if necessary to save the life of the mother or prevent 'a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment.' While supporters argue that the law is effectively a near-total ban on abortion as many women do not know they are pregnant until after six weeks gestation, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden both blame Donald Trump for Florida's six-week abortion ban. However, their approaches to discussing the issue differ significantly with Harris using the term 'abortion' 15 times in her speech compared to Biden who only mentioned it twice. In response to the ban, a small group gathered in Gainesville, Florida, to learn about self-managing abortions using pills. Organizers emphasized that individuals do not need to disclose their abortion to medical providers and suggested they say they had a miscarriage instead. Attendees shared methods of supporting friends going through abortions such as being present during the process or talking about it to normalize the experience.
Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect on Wednesday.
Dr. Robyn Schickler, CMO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, discussed counseling patients who may be seeking abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy.
Schickler recently had to inform her patients that Florida does not offer abortion services and had to refer them to nearby states that do.
Florida’s six-week abortion ban is particularly challenging because many women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks.
Patients who need an abortion beyond six weeks will face a hard conversation with Planned Parenthood staff, who will provide them options outside of Florida.
Patients are frustrated and sometimes unaware of the new restrictions until they are told that Planned Parenthood cannot provide the care they need.
Dr. Schickler expresses concern about an increase in maternal morbidity due to the inability to intervene before any harm occurs.
An amendment on the November ballot seeks to limit the government’s power and give patients the right to seek medical care without intervention.
Accuracy
Florida banned abortion past six weeks of pregnancy on the same day as the ban.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(90%)
No formal fallacies were found in the article. However, there are some issues with inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The author uses phrases like 'frustrated', 'mad', and 'high risk of both physical and mental harm' which are inflammatory and could sway public opinion without providing evidence for these claims. Additionally, the interview with Dr. Robyn Schickler serves as an appeal to authority, as her expertise is used to support the argument against the six-week abortion ban.
As Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect Wednesday...
Vague and inflammatory language: '...it’s a hard conversation. It’s, it’s a tiny amount of time.'
Appeal to authority: 'ABC NEWS LIVE: And what are you hearing from these patients right now, especially in regards to having to seek health care out of the state of Florida? SCHICKLER:'
A small group gathered in Gainesville, Florida to learn about self-managing abortions using pills.
Organizers emphasized that individuals do not need to disclose their abortion to medical providers, suggesting they say they had a miscarriage instead.
Attendees shared methods of supporting friends going through abortions, such as being present during the process or talking about it to normalize the experience.
Accuracy
Florida banned abortion past six weeks of pregnancy on the same day as the ban.
More than a dozen states, including Florida and all of the deep south, have implemented strict abortion bans following the fall of Roe v Wade.
Deception
(30%)
The author uses emotional manipulation by describing the event as a 'big fuck you to Florida' and encouraging attendees to 'resist the state'. The article also engages in selective reporting by not mentioning that Florida voters will have a chance to vote on a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution.
We are ultimately here to be establishing a community care network around abortion support.
It’s a big fuck you to Florida.
If you want to go to a hospital, you do not need to tell your medical provider that you had an abortion. Instead, they said, just say you had a miscarriage.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains a few informal fallacies and appeals to authority. It also uses inflammatory rhetoric and dichotomous depictions. However, the author provides examples of both sides of the argument and does not make any blatant logical errors.
. . . those bans target people who provide abortions, not women who undergo them.
For E and J, the fight for abortion and reproductive rights was nestled within a broader fight for bodily autonomy . . .
If you want to go to a hospital, E and J emphasized, you do not need to tell your medical provider that you had an abortion. Instead, they said, just say you had a miscarriage.
E and J peppered their talk with mentions of “comrades” and urged attendees to “resist the state”.
One slide celebrated the labor holiday of May Day, which coincidentally also fell on Wednesday, complete with an illustration of a molotov cocktail.
Bias
(10%)
The author uses language that depicts those opposing abortion bans as 'resisting the state' and 'comrades', implying a political bias towards pro-abortion rights. The author also encourages attendees to hide their abortions from medical providers by saying 'other people snitching on you is really a security risk' and 'nurses and doctors are fucking snitches sometimes'. This language implies a mistrust of the medical community, which could be seen as an ideological bias.
Blessed are the abortion providers.
It's May Day, we deserve access to care, we should fight for our and our comrades’ bodily autonomy. And so we did it.
Making it normal and not as fucking weird is the only way I know how to help right now.
We are ultimately here to be establishing a community care network around abortion support.
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden both blame Donald Trump for Florida’s six-week abortion ban, but their approaches to discussing the issue differ significantly.
Harris used the term ‘abortion’ 15 times in her speech compared to Biden who only mentioned it twice.
Biden has urged Congress to send him a bill enshrining abortion rights into federal law and made medication abortion more available through the mail, allowed veterans to receive abortion counseling, and allowed service members to travel for abortions.
The Biden-Harris campaign believes that their actions on protecting abortion rights have made it a fundamental part of their reelection effort.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the six-week restriction in 2023 while running for the Republican presidential campaign.
Accuracy
Vice President Kamala Harris used the term 'abortion' 15 times in her speech compared to President Joe Biden who only mentioned it twice.
Florida's six-week abortion ban took effect on a certain day according to one article but another article states that it did not immediately take effect due to a challenge.
