Florida’s 6-Week Abortion Ban
Florida’s new six-week abortion ban goes into effect on May 1, 2024. Abortions could be performed in the cases of rape, incest and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy and with legal documentation. The procedure would also be permitted if the life of the mother was at risk. The ban is considered a victory for Florida’s anti-abortion supporters. Mat Staver is the Chairman of the Liberty Counsel, an Orlando-based non-profit organization promoting conservative values. He joins Engage to share his take-away from the new policy.
The new policy has reproductive health providers trying to figure out how to best serve women in the state. Barbara Zdravecky, Interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, speaks about the role her organization will play in trying to facilitate abortions for Floridians seeking them.
Dr. Rachel Humphrey is a maternal fetal medicine specialist in Central Florida specializing in high-risk pregnancies. She joins Engage to talk about her future practicing medicine.
Vision Zero
Transportation Planning partnership Metroplan Orlando, reports five people die and 35 are seriously injured in Central Florida crashes every week. Vision Zero is a plan to reduce the number of traffic fatalities to zero. Central Florida’s action plan to achieve that goal involves several local agencies. Humberto Castillero is Orange County’s Traffic Engineer with Public Works. He joins us in studio to discuss changes that need to be implemented to eliminate traffic deaths and what makes this approach different from other safety campaigns.
Sedatives in Police Encounters
Police agencies began using tasers as a non-lethal alternative when apprehending people demonstrating erratic behavior. In 2006, a grand jury convened in Miami to investigate deaths that occurred after people were tased by police, and a conclusion was reached that allowed law enforcement agencies to have sedatives administered to people resisting arrests. These sedatives have led to 94 deaths according to the investigative reporting of the Associated Press’s Ryan Foley and his team of reporters. Foley found that these drugs are administered without any medical evaluation and justified by accusing the victims of suffering from a form of violent dementia. The investigation uncovered deaths in Florida. We spoke to Foley about his investigation.
Correction: We initially reported that Ryan Foley's investigation found over 1,000 deaths attributable to the use of sedatives. Foley's reporting found that there were over 1,000 deaths reported after the use of various non-lethal tools and of those, 94 involved the use of sedatives.
Increasing Volunteers
Florida community leaders are volunteering their time and services in Kissimmee today at a shelter for families affected by domestic violence. This is the start of a larger effort to increase diversity in volunteerism and encourage the Hispanic population to get involved. Leaders from Heart of Florida United Way, the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando, and Florida Technical College are among those participating. James Michael Burkett, President of Florida Technical College, and Alberto Soto with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Metro Orlando join Engage to discuss leading by example in increasing the number of people volunteering.
