Forty years after Roe v. Wade — the famous Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the United States—advocates for and against the ruling marked the anniversary with talk of prevention amid protests.
Sean James, a parishioner of Our Lady of Light in Estero, and other religious activists in the area protested outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fort Myers for the anniversary Tuesday.
“It’s about what is right and what is wrong and its value for human life, James says. “And just because the Supreme Court ruled that it is legal does not mean it’s right, because law is not stronger than life.”
However, advocates for reproductive rights say that abortion can be a vital health service to some women and the focus should be on preventing a woman’s need for an abortion in the first place.
Dr. Suzie Prabhakaran, a doctor at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Southwest Florida, says increasing access to birth control and IUDs has been doing the trick.
“There has been a progressive decline in the number of terminations that have happened in the U.S. And I do think that most of that is attributable to women having access to contraceptives—both the short and long acting,” she said.
In Florida, the fight over abortion access has played a big role in the state Legislature.
In the past several years, state lawmakers have passed several laws aimed at decreasing access to abortions. In 2011, 18 bills aimed at cracking down on abortion rights were introduced in Tallahassee. Four bills eventually passed.
On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, state Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Palatka, has re-introduced an all-out abortion ban in the state. It’s his fourth time doing so.
