TALLAHASSEE – A South Florida Jewish congregation has challenged a brand new state law that blocks abortions after 15 weeks of being pregnant, contending the measure violates privateness and religious-freedom rights.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Leon County circuit court docket by Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor, seeks to dam the law from taking impact July 1. Abortion clinics additionally filed a lawsuit this month in Leon County difficult the constitutionality of the restriction.
Both instances embody allegations that the law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April, violates a privateness proper within the Florida Constitution that has lengthy performed a pivotal function in abortion instances within the state.
But the lawsuit filed Friday by the Palm Beach County congregation additionally contends that the law violates religious-freedom rights.
“For Jews, all life is precious and thus the decision to bring new life into the world is not taken lightly or determined by state fiat,” the lawsuit mentioned. “In Jewish law, abortion is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman, or for many other reasons not permitted under the act (the new law). As such, the act prohibits Jewish women from practicing their faith free of government intrusion and thus violates their privacy rights and religious freedom.”
The lawsuit additionally mentioned congregation members and different individuals who “do not share the religious views reflected in the act will suffer … irreparable harm by having their religious freedom under the Florida Constitution violated.”
“This failure to maintain the separation of church and state, like so many other laws in other lands throughout history, threatens the Jewish family, and thus also threatens the Jewish people by imposing the laws of other religions upon Jews,” the lawsuit mentioned.
The 15-week abortion restrict was one of many most-controversial problems with this 12 months’s legislative session and got here because the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the same Mississippi law. A leaked draft opinion within the Supreme Court case indicated justices might use it to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion choice.
When DeSantis signed the invoice, he held an occasion at a Kissimmee church, with screens displaying the message, “Florida protege el derecho la vida,” or “Florida protects the right to life.”
“We are here today to protect life. We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves,” DeSantis mentioned.
The law prevents physicians from performing abortions after 15 weeks, based mostly on the primary day of the lady’s final menstrual interval. It contains restricted exemptions, reminiscent of in circumstances when physicians certify that abortions are wanted to avoid wasting the lives of pregnant ladies.
The lawsuit filed Friday names as defendants DeSantis and quite a few different state officers. It has been assigned to Circuit Judge Layne Smith. The different case filed June 1 by abortion clinics is pending earlier than Circuit Judge John Cooper.
