Florida’s 15-week abortion law hit with a second legal challenge

TALLAHASSEE — A South Florida Jewish congregation has challenged a new state law that blocks abortions after 15 weeks of being pregnant, contending the evaluate violates privateness and spiritual freedom legal rights.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Leon County circuit court by Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor, seeks to block the legislation from taking influence July 1. Abortion clinics also filed a lawsuit this thirty day period in Leon County tough the constitutionality of the restriction.

Each circumstances include things like allegations that the regulation, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April, violates a privateness appropriate in the Florida Structure that has very long played a pivotal job in abortion instances in the state.

But the lawsuit filed Friday by the Palm Seaside County congregation also contends that the legislation violates religious freedom rights.

“For Jews, all lifestyle is important and as a result the decision to bring new lifetime into the globe is not taken evenly or identified by point out fiat,” the lawsuit explained. “In Jewish legislation, abortion is demanded if required to guard the health, mental or actual physical effectively-getting of the woman, or for many other factors not permitted below the act (the new regulation). As these kinds of, the act prohibits Jewish ladies from practising their faith free of authorities intrusion and thus violates their privateness legal rights and religious freedom.”

The lawsuit also said congregation customers and other individuals who “do not share the spiritual sights mirrored in the act will experience … irreparable damage by owning their religious freedom less than the Florida Constitution violated.”

“This failure to keep the separation of church and condition, like so lots of other regulations in other lands through heritage, threatens the Jewish relatives, and therefore also threatens the Jewish people by imposing the legislation of other religions on Jews,” the lawsuit claimed.

The 15-7 days abortion limit was one particular of the most controversial challenges of this year’s legislative session and arrived as the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of a comparable Mississippi legislation. A leaked draft view in the Supreme Courtroom circumstance indicated justices could use it to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion conclusion.

When DeSantis signed the bill, he held an celebration at a Kissimmee church, with screens displaying the message, “Florida protege el derecho la vida,” or “Florida protects the correct to everyday living.”

“We are below these days to secure life. We are below right now to defend those who can not defend them selves,” DeSantis stated.

The law prevents medical professionals from accomplishing abortions following 15 months, dependent on the 1st day of the woman’s previous menstrual period of time. It incorporates confined exemptions, these kinds of as in instances when physicians certify that abortions are needed to help you save the lives of pregnant ladies.

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The lawsuit filed Friday names as defendants DeSantis and quite a few other state officers. It has been assigned to Circuit Choose Layne Smith. The other case filed June 1 by abortion clinics is pending just before Circuit Decide John Cooper.

By Jim Saunders, Information Assistance of Florida