Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.

Minca Davis // Alligator Staff

2 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

More than 50 years later, The Alligator is covering Roe again Reflecting on newspaper’s path to independence

By Nora O’Neill Alligator Staff Writer

Ashleigh Lucas // Alligator Staff

The Independent Florida Alligator archives from 1966, 1971 and 1985 showcase how the newspaper covered historical abortion issues through time.

Why we’re covering Roe’s reversal

T

Looking at Roe in review

he topic of abortion is relevant now more than ever. And it’s our job to keep the conversation going.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June, a national discussion erupted, focused on what place abortion access has within the country. Considering The Alligator’s storied history with abortion, tracking the overturn’s ripple-effect impact on our community was important.

It’s one of the largest projects The Alligator has taken on in recent years. We’ve spent the past semester working to cover all facets of the issue and highlight a range of people’s perspectives.

Our staff spoke with Gainesville residents who have received abortions, OB-GYNs on the impact of Roe’s reversal on their job and members of Gen Z who define themselves as part of the new “pro-life generation.” We brought attention to the experience some have had with local crisis pregnancy centers and the future of emergency contraceptive vending machines on UF’s campus.

The edition also platforms the voices of local community members through columns in our opinions section. It also illustrates the voices featured in some of our articles through the powerful portraits taken by our hard-working photographers.

These efforts culminated into the special edition you have before you. Inside, you’ll find information on: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Alligator’s personal history with Roe v. Wade The personal stories of people who received abortions The impact of Roe’s reversal on Florida OB-GYNs Crisis pregnancy centers and their tax-funded activities UF and Santa Fe College’s abortion procedures The new “pro-life generation” in Florida Future plans for emergency contraceptive vending machines at UF Navigating curriculum changes in UF’s OB-GYN department Alachua County Public Schools’ revisiting sex education standards The intersection of faith and abortion The ways Roe’s overturn has influenced Gainesville artists Reproductive health in UF athletics The post-Roe world of politics President-elect Ben Sasse’s anti-abortion stance

We recognize not everyone has easy access to abortion-related information, and we aim to make it more readily available to those who may need it through this project. We also acknowledge covering abortion is vital given its current limbo in the country.

We hope the Gainesville community sees a little bit of themselves in the coverage we’ve put forth — no matter where you fall on the issue.

It would’ve been the 50th anniversary of Roe in under two months.

As shown in our coverage — the impact of the reversal is real and ongoing.

Here’s our assessment — looking at Roe in review.

Makiya Seminera EDITOR -INCHIEF

Alan Halaly ENGAGEMENT MANAGING EDITOR

Isabella Douglas DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Halima Attah OPINIONS EDITOR

Less than two months away from what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, The Alligator is once again centering its coverage around the issue of abortion.

Reporting on Roe’s overturn and the effects on the community is historic, but The Alligator’s own history has always been intrinsically tied to abortion coverage — particularly in its path to independence.

For The Alligator’s special edition on Roe, we took a deep dive into the newspaper archives to highlight our story.

More than 51 years ago, before Roe was established as legal precedent, The Alligator was forced to become independent from the university after then-Editor-in-Chief Ron Sachs and his staff distributed 22,000 lists of abortion referral agencies in the Oct. 6, 1971 edition of the paper, defying the orders of former UF President Stephen C. O’Connell and the law.

“Everyone enthusiastically wanted to participate,” Sachs told The Alligator. “We felt we were doing our part to uphold the First Amendment and to hopefully attack an unconstitutional law.”

Abortion, and the distribution of abortion information, was made illegal in Florida in 1868 — something that wouldn’t become legal until more than a century later.

At the time the abortion referral list was created by The Alligator staff, Sachs didn’t even know it would be illegal to distribute, he wrote in a 2013 edition of The Alligator reflecting on this history.

To him and the staff, it seemed archaic such a rule was in place, he said. The lists were accompanied by the story “Archaic abortion law gets another test,” authored by Sachs, referring to the limitation on information dissemination.

“In The Alligator newsroom that evening, our entire staff divided up copies of the mimeo sheets in a felonious conspiracy to stand up for the First Amendment,” he wrote.

The paper’s printer refused to print the lists, so Sachs enlisted the help of then-UF Student Body President Don Middlebrooks, who agreed to mimeograph 22,000 copies of the list on Student Government equipment. Then, Sachs and his staff of around 30 people visited newspaper boxes early in the morning, stuffing each edition with the resource.

He was arrested at the order of the state attorney’s office the day that paper went out.

Sachs’ stint in jail was shortlived — he had Jean Chance, a UF journalism professor at the time, and then-husband Chuck Chance, a lawyer, defending him — but the act of defiance got him and the paper in trouble with O’Connell and the university.

O’Connell, who had advised Sachs not to print the list, sought an advisory opinion from Florida’s then-Attorney General Bob Shevin on whether he had grounds to exercise prior restraint on The Alligator’s coverage — that is, the power to suppress what the paper could print. Shevin’s office said no.

Then, in December 1971, Sachs was tried in court by Alachua Judge Benmont Tench. In a surprise move, Tench struck down the 1868 abortion law, calling it unconstitutional.

Consequently, the state was forced to rewrite the law.

“Facts and truth in journalism and newspapers can make a difference — they can cause change to happen,” Sachs said. “By shining a light onto dark issues, by bringing to the public view important things about important issues, change can happen.”

Not long after, O’Connell cut funding from The Alligator, forcing it — or allowing it — to become independent.

Now, over 50 years later, The Alligator remains independent.

The contentious 1971 decision was part of an ongoing effort by The Alligator to cover stories about abortion. During Sachs’ tenure, the paper interviewed women who had legal and illegal abortions and wrote about state abortion laws.

In fact, the Oct. 4, 1971 edition of the paper, originally meant to include the infamous resource list, included stories about abortion on four pages and an editorial about abortion coverage — not too dissimilar to The Alligator’s Nov. 28, 2022, special edition on abortion.

“We are in an era where the pendulum on a lot of issues, including abortion, are swinging with a lot of energy back to the right,” Sachs said. “It’s just the nature of politics.”

Sachs’ actions undoubtably marked a turning point in the frequency and nature of The Alligator’s abortion coverage. Still, prior to the paper’s independence, The Alligator was writing about abortion.

One of the first times the word “abortion” was used in The Alligator — referring to the deliberate termination of a pregnancy — was in a 1963 story called “Premarital Sex Increasing.” The story warned against sex outside of marriage and commented on the dangers of illegal abortion. A month later, the paper ran a letter to the editor condemning the story.

“Through the use of contraceptives, abortions, and other devices, the likelihood of having an unwanted child is negligible,” the letter read. “Therefore, fear of an illegitimate child is unwarranted.”

In 1966, the paper reported UF was above average for number of pregnancies at a co-ed school, many of which lead to abortions. The story described hundreds of anxious and worried pregnant students, many of which traveled to South Florida to

receive abortions.

Notably, the paper didn’t discuss abortion in more than passing terms until the late ‘60s. Former Alligator Columnist David Morris wrote about this in a 1966 column, “Recognize Student Power.”

“Students in the 1960’s are a far different breed than their counterparts of the early 1950’s,” he wrote.

“The viewpoint of the young should be considered since the adults have done a pretty poor job in certain major areas (e.g. Civil Rights) and have totally ignored others (e.g. abortion laws).”

And, of course, the paper has covered abortion since becoming independent and since Roe was passed in 1973.

In a 1985 paper, abortion protests made the front page of the paper with then-Alligator staff writer Mickie Anderson’s story “Abortion issue takes to the street.” The story details pro-abortion demonstrators holding signs that read “keep your laws off my body” and “no more wire hangers.”

On June 25, 2022, the day after Roe was officially overturned and nearly 40 years after Anderson’s protest story, The Alligator reported 1,000 pro-abortion protestors marched through the streets of Gainesville.

“Our bodies are ungovernable,” read one sign, photographed in the paper.

On Feb. 6, 2023, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, who has made his antiabortion access stance known, will become the new UF president.

Sasse is described on his official website as an “outspoken pro-life advocate.” His first visit to UF was met with a protest of over 300 students, many of which vehemently disagree with his stance on abortion.

The Alligator has covered Sasse’s anti-abortion stance and student disapproval since he was announced as a presidential finalist. And, as evident in an editorial callout by the paper asking Sasse to answer reporters’ questions, the paper will continue to cover this issue.

“The smart, tough and earnest young journalists who have labored in The Alligator newsroom throughout its history never have considered it a mere classroom or sandbox,” Sachs wrote in his 2013 column. “They have considered it a mission to inquire and to inform and, inevitably, to rankle the powerful by the newspaper’s very nature.”

In July, less than two weeks after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe, The Alligator staff took once again to the pages of the paper to remind readers where it stands in an editorial.

“We’ve been here before,” it read.

And now, we’re here again. @noroneill noneill@alligator.org

www.alligator.org

We Inform. You Decide.

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 15

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

‘Life or death’: Gainesville residents recount experiences with abortion Impact is wide-reaching

By Fernando Figueroa & Heather Bushman Alligator Staff Writers

Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff

Alexandria Gibson, a doula and medspa professional at Little Cottage MedSpa, holds a hand blended herbal remedy for miscarriages, post-abortions and postpartum care Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. “I want to help women harness their pussy power,” she said.

When Alexandria Gibson was 19 years old, she became pregnant for the first time.

She initially hid it from her mother, knowing she’d be forced to get an abortion. Then, when her firstborn child was 2 years old, she conceived again — Gibson was 21. After having four abortions and one miscarriage to twins by the time she was 25, she would go on to become a doula.

“You have to forgive yourself and know that you made the best decision for yourself as a human being here in this existence,” Gibson said.

The overturn of Roe v. Wade doesn’t just make sweeping impacts in the political sphere — it has directly influenced the lives of those seeking abortions. With Florida next in line to make further restrictions on abortion access after a Republican supermajority won in the midterm

elections, many are left to wonder what the future may bring in terms of reproductive health.

Gibson’s partners didn’t prioritize her health, she said.

While engaging in sexual intercourse with her partner at the time, Gibson started hemorrhaging, she said. This led her partner to believe she wasn’t really pregnant.

“He told me he would kill me for lying to him for being pregnant,” she said. “Because obviously, if I was bleeding, I couldn't be pregnant,” she added sarcastically.

After a checkup with a doctor, Gibson learned her partner gave her a sexually transmitted disease that caused the hemorrhaging. He didn’t take the news well.

“He said ‘b—-h, if you keep f—-g with me, I’ll kill your a–s,’” Gibson said.

It took four months in an abusive relationship for her to realize she needed an abortion, she said. As a bartender, Gibson said she relied on her looks for money, and her partner at the time said he wouldn’t support her unless he was sure the baby was his.

SEE ROE, PAGE 6

The crisis pregnancy Florida OB-GYNs grapple with Roe reversal Overturn weighs down state’s medical infrastructure center dilemma

By Melanie Peña Alligator Staff Writer

PATRON RECOUNTS RELIGIOUS PRESSURE FROM SIRA EMPLOYEES

By Aidan Bush Alligator Staff Writer

A light wooden fence and rounded shrubs separate the local Planned Parenthood from its opponent, Sira Gainesville. But the divide isn’t just physical — it’s ideological.

Jennifer Boylan found herself on Sira’s side of the fence in 2018 as she went seeking help with her pregnancy. Her experience was anything but helpful, she said, as employees were quick to pressure her into keeping her pregnancy after an initial ultrasound.

“They told me very specifically that my aborted child would go to heaven, but I would not if I got an abortion,” Boylan said.

Sira advertises itself as a pregnancy testing and counseling clinic, providing screenings and informing potential mothers about their options, according to its website.

However, the center, along with other facilities called crisis pregnancy centers across the U.S., has faced backlash from residents and former attendees who allege it pushes misleading medical information and religious agendas to pregnant women.

SEE CRISIS, PAGE 5

Six days.

All it took was six days past Florida’s 15-week abortion ban for board-certified OB-GYN Kristen Witkowski to be forced to send her patient to North Carolina to terminate her pregnancy.

“It was a lot of manpower to figure that out,” Witkowski said. “It's not easy to figure out where to send these patients, even for doctors.”

What pushed her patient beyond the ban’s threshold was somewhat routine in Witkowski’s profession: genetic testing. After the long process, Witkowski’s patient received the diagnosis that her baby would likely die in two years.

However, the lethal anomaly didn’t fit the state’s criteria for receiving an abortion after 15 weeks.

The patient was faced with putting her body through the risk of a full-term pregnancy and introducing her two children to a sibling who's going to die. The family decided to abort the pregnancy.

Witkowski is one of around 2,000 licensed Florida OBGYNs whose profession has been shaken up in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade’s overturn.

Florida’s House Bill 5 banned abortion after 15 weeks with exceptions for maternal life, severe maternal disability and lethal fetal conditions when it took effect July 1. There

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Gen Z makes up part of ‘pro-life generation’

Florida hasn’t made any changes since the ruling this summer. Read more on pg. 13.

UF OB-GYN department faces uncertainty post-Roe

Gator athletes respond to overturn of Roe Story description finish with comma, pg#

Some young people rejoiced when Roe v. Wade was reversed., pg. 5

Health care workers recount newly strained patient interactions, pg. 7v

are no exceptions for rape, incest or non-lethal fetal conditions.

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling and the state’s new 15-week ban, many are having to adjust to an influx of out-of-state patients, consider the legal ramifications of their treatments and send patients to other states who can’t be cared for in Florida.

The growing number of obstacles facing OB-GYNs can be mentally exhausting, Witkowski said, especially in a profession that requires a close relationship with the patient.

“If I already wasn't living here, I would not come and work here,” she said. “I would stay in a state where I felt like I had all of the options to take care of my patients.”

In her 14 years as an OB-GYN, Witkowski has seen a handful of patients whose health deteriorated quickly, she said. She fears this could become the case more often.

“I think about those patients every single day,” Witkowski said. “And now, my brain never stops thinking, like shuts off, and stops thinking about the next really sick patient.”

Witkowski didn’t always know what area of medicine she wanted to specialize in. OB-GYN was her last rotation in medical school. Her first day in the OB-GYN specialization was a 24-hour shift filled with deliveries, surgeries and even some emergencies, she said.

What drew her to the career was the mixture of primary care, emergency medicine and surgery. She also enjoyed

SEE OB-GYN, PAGE 6

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4 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

How doesToday’s UF, SantaWeather Fe College provide resources for pregnant students?

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 15

NEWSROOM:

UF, SFC don’t perform abortions

By Claire Grunewald Alligator Staff Writer

University reactions to the overturn of Roe v. Wade were wideranging: Few took action to provide abortion medication, while most institutions decided to keep their distance from the conversation.

UF, like most universities, chose not to issue a statement addressing the Supreme Court’s decision. The university had no intention of doing so, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote in an email to The Alligator after the decision.

Although, there were a few institutions that commented on the decision.

The University of California and the University of Michigan released statements condemning the decision. Others, largely faithbased private institutions like Liberty University and the Franciscan University of Steubenville, released statements applauding the decision.

Health protocols for UF students seeking abortions remained constant. Nearly six months later, students looking for abortion providers can still use the UF Student Health Care Center as a resource.

UF, along with every other Florida university, doesn’t provide abortions, but does supply information on where to get one locally if a student wants that option.

The UF Student Health Care Center provides support and information for pregnant students seeking options. The clinic provides a variety of resources for students that are meant to be inclusive, said Jocelyn Gravlee, UF SHCC interim director.

The clinic gives information about All Women’s Health Center, located at 1135 NW. 23rd Ave., and Bread and Roses Women’s Health Center, located at 1233 NW. 10th Ave., for students seeking abortions.

The UF SHCC also supplies students with information for anti-abortion organizations that promote other options than terminating a pregnancy. UF gives information for Community Pregnancy Clinics, located at 1800 W. University Ave., and Sira, located at 912 NW. 13th St. Jennifer Donelan, UF SHCC family nurse practitioner, said the clinic informs students about local adoption services, midwives and obstetrician-gynecologists. All of this information is on a resource list given out to students and is updated over the years, Donelan said.

“Our focus is on prevention of unintended pregnancy and empowering all UF students to stay healthy,” Donelan said.

GatorWell Health Promotion Services provides UF students with

services and information for health and wellness. It offers similar information to pregnant students seeking options such as abortions.

Samantha Evans, a GatorWell sexual health educator and health promotion specialist, said she’s only met with a few undergraduate and graduate students over the years looking for counseling on terminating pregnancies. Evans would refer students to either the UF SHCC or local clinics, she said.

In light of the Roe decision, Evans had to expand her research on referrals to abortion clinics outside of Gainesville, she said.

As of Nov. 21, Evans said she hasn’t met with a student since July about any issues or concerns regarding pregnancy options like abortion. Despite this, she knew she needed to update her resources to give out to students potentially seeking help, she said.

“I wanted to make sure that I knew as much as I could before the semester started, so that I could redirect people in the best way that I can,” Evans said. “I'm going to be on top of it more so than ever because of what has changed.”

Evans has conducted more research into abortion clinics that are outside of Gainesville, she said, in case there was a higher demand at local clinics that prevented students from being seen.

Just a few miles away, Santa Fe College students have their own pregnancy resources — although smaller than UF. SFC has a clinic with only one registered nurse. Any student who’s pregnant and seeking options in the clinic would be referred to their primary care provider, Gravlee said.

Outside of Florida, some government and educational institutions are attempting to bring abortions

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to students by offering medication abortion — colloquially known as the abortion pill — on campuses to students.

Barnard College, a private women’s college in New York, announced in October that it would give students access to abortion pills starting Fall 2023.

Prior to the Supreme Court decision, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 24 in 2019, which requires California State University and University of California campuses to offer abortion pills beginning January 2023.

At the end of July, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed House Bill 5090 into law, stating that public colleges and universities must legally offer access to medication abortion from school health services or from accessible local resources. The bill took inspiration from California’s bill.

Other Florida universities, such as Florida State University, have a similar protocol as UF for handling pregnant students. Identical to UF, FSU provides pregnancy testing and referrals to outside clinics, according to its website.

Students looking to book an appointment at the UF SHCC can call its number: 352-392-1161. There are same-day services for students with urgent concerns. SFC students can contact their clinic by calling 352-381-3777. @grunewaldclaire cgrunewald@alligator.org

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Florida taxes fund centers CRISIS, from pg. 1 Due to its proximity to the local Planned Parenthood, some allege Sira and other centers across the state actively target women seeking abortion, positioning themselves next to abortion clinics to grab confused patients.

This is true across the U.S., too, as many centers station themselves near abortion clinics to intercept patrons.

Sira is one of three Gainesville crisis pregnancy centers — or anti-abortion pregnancy clinics — that is still regularly active. Florida alone has under 100 centers according Florida Pregnancy Care Network, in comparison to an estimated 55 abortion-preforming clinics according to Floridians for Reproductive Freedom.

Multiple Sira administrative members were contacted via phone and social media but couldn’t be reached. This included Sira’s main office, Medical Director Richard Brazzel, Executive Director Katherine Gratto, Nurse Manager Bonnie Corona and Director of Client Services Marlene Gardner.

One criticism often levied toward crisis pregnancy centers is they often see funding from the state, while in Florida, abortion centers like Planned Parenthood have been defunded since 2016. Florida has funneled $43 million in tax dollars to crisis pregnancy centers since 2010, according to an Associated Press report.

In its responses to online reviews claiming it gets tax dollars, Sira claims to be “donorfunded.”

Despite this, Sira received $9,380 in government grants, according to its 2020 tax return forms. The majority of its funding still comes from fundraising events and donors.

Boylan, now a mother, kept a detailed written account of her experience immediately after leaving the clinic. While she was initially assured no religious discussion would

happen, Boylan said religious conversation quickly escalated.

Employees told her an abortion could cause her boyfriend to leave, she said. They made abortions sound dangerous and told Boylan she would have to “face God” in the event she had an abortion, she said, despite never stating she was considering one.

Boylan planned on carrying out her pregnancy to term prior to visiting, so she said Sira didn’t influence her decision. But the religious rhetoric from staff about miscarriages she had bothered her.

“Deciding for me that I should think about those pregnancy losses as child losses is a way to increase the pain women feel when that happens,” Boylan said.

A seemingly state-level survey was provided to Boylan initially, but toward the end of her visit after the staff had religious discussion, they told her she didn’t need to fill it out and crossed out her survey, she said.

In Boylan’s survey, the first paragraph prohibits the discussion of religion under the Florida Pregnancy Support Services Program, which funds crisis pregnancy centers across the state, including Sira, according to photos obtained by The Alligator.

“No religious discussion or prayer is permitted during FPSSP services,” the survey read.

Over time, more people have become vocal against crisis pregnancy centers, citing a lack of medical staff and general unethical tactics employed by employees.

Elliot Kozuch, a spokesperson for political action committee NARAL Pro-choice America, said the centers often lie or misrepresent abortion options and how far along people are in their pregnancy.

“Often these big health clinics offer very little medical services, and sometimes will even intentionally deceive pregnant people into coming into their office,” Kozuch said.

Sira operates as a nonprofit organization,

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff

Sira, a crisis pregnancy center in Gainesville, Florida, is pictured Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. not a medical center, according to their tax forms. For other similar centers, those counseling pregnant women can lack medical certification. Sira has at least one listed certified doctor in its medical staff.

To provide ultrasounds, centers are required to have a licensed sonographer. Sira does perform limited ultrasounds at their facility.

Regulations are more lenient for these centers as well. Non-licensed centers aren’t held to client regulations normal clinics see under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This includes keeping one’s medical records private, among other decisions.

HIPAA laws also require regulated clinics like Planned Parenthood to provide alternatives to abortion, especially in regard to reli-

gious objections by patients.

Kai Christmas, regional organizer for Alachua County’s Planned Parenthood center, said even when crisis pregnancy centers do have medical professionals, there’s no guarantee an attendee is speaking to one.

“Individual centers may have a doctor listed on their website, but we don't actually know if that doctor is even the one that sees patients,” Christmas said.

Read the rest online at alligator.org.

Christian Casale contributed to this report. @aidandisto abush@alligator.org

‘The pro-life generation’: Anti-abortion sentiment persists among Gen Z Student, advocate views are fluid

By Anushka Dakshit & Peyton Harris Alligator Staff Writers

Editor’s note: This story includes mentions of sexual assault.

At age 16, Julia Nolff was raped. Even though she didn’t get pregnant, abortion was never on the table.

“It doesn't treat the rape,” Nolff said. “It just makes her the mother of a dead child.”

Later on, when she attended Missouri State University, Nolff said the anti-abortion club on campus helped her process her trauma.

Nolff, now the 24-year-old marketing manager of a crisis pregnancy center in Winter Park, is one of many online activists to promote anti-abortion ideals within Gen Z. Nearly six in ten people ages 18 to 29 support abortion legality, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.

Nolff also participates in sidewalk counseling, which entails standing outside of abortion clinics and encouraging people walking inside to abandon the procedure.

As a child, Julia Nolff remembers asking her mother to take her to anti-abortion Live Action events so she could watch cartoon abortion procedures.

She learned about abortions in seventh grade, and she began going to Marches for Life and attended anti-abortion conferences right after.

Nolff was involved in the Lutherans For Life group at her church growing up and said the anti-abortion worldview is shaped from a young age in a Christian household.

Life begins at conception, Nolff said, so the issue of abortion centers around human rights.

“In order to be morally consistent,” Nolff said, “I had to be antiabortion.”

After doing research on abortion rates in the country, Nolff moved to Florida in 2020 to help reduce Florida’s number — the state has one of the highest rates of abortion in the country. Florida has the fifth-highest rate of abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Some UF students say early exposure to anti-abortion events shaped their involvement with the

movement on campus. Anti-abortion sentiment has a place at UF, too, as clubs like Students for Life and UF College Republicans lobby student opinion.

Rylee Ballard, a 19-year-old UF civil engineering sophomore, also began supporting the anti-abortion movement at a young age.

Ballard grew up in Pace, Florida — a town that voted 72% Republican in the last presidential election. Ballard was raised to align with anti-abortion stances, she said.

On a road trip to Orlando when she was in elementary school, she saw a billboard reading “My heart is still beating,” and then asked her mother what abortion meant.

But the meaning didn’t sink in until middle school, when she felt that being anti-abortion was the only acceptable stance.

She began challenging these beliefs in high school when she shifted to a pro-abortion perspective. In reflection, Ballard said, a large part of her disdain from the anti-abortion movement came from disliking people at her school who were associated with it.

“I don't think that was a smart idea at all,” she said.

Ballard did more research. And after encountering differing opin-

ions at UF, she remains unsure of her stance on abortion going forward, she said.

Introduced to the concept in middle school, it took 18-year-old UF political science freshman Gabriel Marrero years to formulate his anti-abortion stance. As a member of UF College Republicans, he said he joined to find common ground with others, including those on abortion.

Marrero describes himself as solidly anti-abortion but said exceptions to the rule are always necessary.

“Just like many other policies, abortion is just another opinion,” Marrero said. “You really can’t say that somebody has a right answer, a wrong view or a right view.”

Amanda Morningstar, a 23-year-old UF first-year pharmacy student, said she formed her antiabortion views while growing up in the Catholic Church.

“We believe that each person has a body and soul and those shouldn't be separated by human needs,” she said.

Morningstar never received backlash for her views until she started attending UF, she said.

“I definitely received people who didn't agree and came about it kind of in an aggressive way,”

Morningstar said. “They just kind of heard I was pro-life and then disregarded what I believe.”

Morningstar, who is a member of the UF anti-abortion support group Students for Life, has attended the March for Life event in Washington D.C. once in high school and has gone every year for the past two years. Morningstar continues to work with Students for Life by helping them collect items to donate to pregnancy clinics and low-income resources.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Morningstar said she was excited.

“You never really feel like you see the results always, but we know that our march and our movement is having an impact,” Morningstar said.

To Morningstar, advocating against abortion is integral to her values.

“I just see the pro-life movement as one of love because we tried to uphold each person,” Morningstar said. “We're upholding people's lives. And you have to do that in a peaceful way.” @anushkadak adakshit@alligator.org pharris@alligator.org @peytonlharris

6 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Fears realized

Listen to the Turlington c

genetic counseling and go over what their options are.

Tien wasn’t surprised when she heard Roe had been overWhen HB 5 was going to the Florida House and Senate, turned, she said, because high-risk pregnancies and abortion Witkowski did everything she could to contact her local state had been on her mind every moment of the last nearly 15 representatives. years.

“It's frustrating that nobody asked my opinion,” she said. “I The loss of the constitutional right to abortion had been from pg. 1 pla wrote letters. I wrote emails. I even drove to their office to talk something she andChamberlin her colleagues had feared for someChristianity’s time.

By Stephan atheistic.

Alligator Staffcame, Writerit was very, very devastating,” with their staff. And nobody would talk with me.”

“When the news she the idea of being able to build relationships with patients that I learned quit She felt sick when she heard Roe had been overturned, Wit- said. “The impact that we have seen since that time has, unforwould last their entire lives. kowski said. tunately, kind of confirmed our fears.” sonal struggles. I We all know the walk through Turlington Plaza.

It’s a veriThree years ago, Witkowski joined a small private practice “It was one of those things that I never felt thattable that minefield could Roe was People overturned, Tienout andpamphlets, other health care We staff bonded ove ofSince distractions. handing in Tampa. Now, her small office is one of the only ones acceptactually happen, that we could go that at to Planned Parenthood haveclubs, expanded their services tofrom accomgoing to chu students trying get you to join their doughnut sales ing new patients. backwards,” Witkowski said. “The closer it got, modate theAlachua number County of patients they’re seeing,But including manypaof the sam forthe themore nexus of evil: the Humane Society.

“There's only so many patients we can see,” Witkowski this feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, and itthere made out of the state. message. neighborly. aremealso tients thosewho whotraveled have a from less-than-appealing said. “Our labor and deliveries are full. I worry about two years physically sick.”

That was all Some of the Turlington heralds preach a very religious message from now. We already don't have enough OB-GYNs to take The impacts of changing legislation aren’t specific to smallthe rest online at alligator.org. care of the pregnant women we have.” of fire and brimstone, and some go wayRead overboard on the rheto- a turn for the he er private offices — board-certified OB-GYN and maternal-fetal HB 5 and Roe’s overturn have significantly impacted how ric. The next time you walk through Turlington try to keep an make a best effo medicine specialist Shelly Tien said her Planned Parenthood @MelanieBombino_ with Freddy, up quickly she counsels patients and the counseling process. She clinic in Jacksonville also felt the added pressure.open Tienmind also and listen to what they’ve got to say. mpena@alligator.org tries to see her patients as soon as they’re pregnant to start sient chats, I aske This thinking comes from a recent experience I had walking travels to Arizona to provide part-time care. through the Plaza of the Americas, another one of our beloved an Eagle Scout, free speech zones on campus. A man in a Yankees baseball cap munion, confirm heme wasabout transgender from a young age, hetried to slightest, approached me. He wanted toknew talk to if I had given figured he might be gay instead. if I hadn’t accep Jesus Christ a chance to enter my life. Normally, that would be As a young queer person, O’Hanlon said heI probed heaven. my cue to say something like, “Sorry, I’m late for class, I gotta seeking abortions in the state could grow. was bullied by both students and teachers.

At my m ther would from pg. 1 go,” or some other half-heartedthat utterance to excuse myself.

There was a 3% increase in patients traveling age, these experiences are But much scarier bethe Amazon.

I wanted to hear what the man hadchildren to say.are So,impressionable I introduced andinafraid out-of-state to receive abortion care between cause of She wouldn’t be financially stable if she 2011 and 2020, according to a report by the world without a myself, got his name (Freddy, what by theothers way)might and we struck up a think, he said. This leads to went through with the pregnancy, so she went Guttmacher Institute.

It was conversation about science, evil, omnipotence, forgiveness and people higher rates of suicide among trans who at that through with the abortion despite never conThere are 54 licensed OB-GYN physicians in him out, don’t receive the support they need, he added. and I d sidering one before. The procedure cost $1,100 Alachua County, according to the Florida De“I want them to know that there's someout-of-pocket because she was already 16 partment of Health. The county only has two one who has lived their experience,” O’Hanlon weeks pregnant. abortion clinics — Bread & Roses Women's said. “And I came out the other side just fine.”

“I had that first abortion and wasn't hap- Health Center and All Women's Health Center At the time, he didn’t feel comfortable anpy about the first one,” she said. “But I didn't of Gainesville — though not all OB-GYNs pernouncing his abortion to the world and was grieve because I knew that my life was on the form the procedure. still coming to terms with his gender identity. line and I had another child I had to take care Gibson wanted to expand on women’s In 2016, he came out as transgender. of.” health access in the county, and after two more O’Hanlon now fears for the future of transRae Riiska // Alligator Staff Gibson was living in Miami Lakes at the abortions at 24 and 25 years old, as well as a who might be in similar situations time, and the only clinic that would perform double miscarriage of twins, she started the Jane Spear, head of the Gainesville PFLAG gender teens 1 to his when he was a teen, he said. abortions that far along was in Homestead, Goddess Project, a local feminine wellness spa. chapter, talks about her history as an Account “Trans people are the punching bag du jour Florida, she said.

A woman’s reproductive system is neglectCAMPUS O Under Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban, ed from an early age, she said. A lack of access abortion activist at her home Saturday, for our current governor,” he said.

Pay 2 Nov 26, 2022.

O’Hanlon views recent legislation that all you GET Gibson would have been denied this abortion. to sanitary products, menstrual pain, bloating threatens bodily autonomy as justificationon foryour sm The only reasons people can get an abortion af- and sexual assault can all lead to unresolved withunapologetic eDocuments! just women. and aggressive steps, he said. The ter 15 weeks is to save the pregnant person’s trauma in a woman’s future, Gibson said.

Jameson O’Hanlon, a 54-year-old Ameri- Democratic Party has been on the defensive for life, to prevent serious health risks or if the feShe’s now a licensed esthetician with 11 can Express customer care professional and a decades, O’Hanson said. tus isn’t expected to survive the pregnancy.

MOBILE A years of experience, and she has a bachelor’s He’s sick of it, he said, and people need to “These timelines they have going on are degree in alternative medicine. Gibson is also a transgender man, also tackled the unexpected Keep on tra scary because sometimes situations are life or reiki practitioner and a certified doula, which is and often disorienting experience of needing an go on the offense instead of trying not to hurt spending an death,” she said. “And sometimes it took me a professional labor assistant who will provide abortion at the age of 17. At that age, he didn’t anybody’s feelings. want a child, and he didn’t connect with the “This is the way that it works now,” five months to have the courage to get out of physical and emotional support to women durfemale parts of his body.

O’Hanlon said. “There is no waiting around to that situation.” students, faculty and staff of the University of Florida, UF ing and after birth.

“Motherhood wasMembership never going istoopen be a to real see what anybody is going to give us. [They’re] She was involved with another abusive man Gibson works with other women to move goal for me,” he said. not gonna giveAT TIME us OF anything.

We have during her third pregnancy, causing her to keep past those sexual traumas by balancing chakras, OFFER IS FOR NEW CHECKING ACCOUNTS ONLY. OFFER MUST BE PRESENTED NEW ACCOUNT OPENING AND MAYtoNOTearn BE COMBINED WITH He didn’t waste any timeandininitial getting thedeposit aboreverything.” approval $50 opening is required.

Member must elect to receive eDocuments within the first 90 days. 2. Credit approval and it a secret for most of the time. She eventually doing shadow work, holding classes and workthere must be a minimum transactionsfight in the first 30 days.

If the requirementsrights are met and aroundand eight weeks preg-of 3 debit card Today’s for reproductive is thefa-account remain decided to get an abortion procedure when she shops and performing yoni steamings, which tion, he said. He was eDocuments $50 is considered interest and will bewith reported on miliar IRS Form 1099-INT. Offer for expires 9/30/18.

3. Credit who approvalwatched and certain eligibility his procedure territory Jane Spear, the criteria req was 19 weeks pregnant — an illegal procedure is a method of cleansing and relieving pain by nant when he scheduled of up to $250,000 on your shares is provided by Excess Share Insurance Corporation, a licensed insurance company. Federally insured by the NCU under current guidelines — and Gibson said squatting over steaming herbal waters. In a lot Gainesville’s Planned Parenthood clinic, which fallout of the original Roe ruling in 1973. The services. He never 78-year-old Gainesville resident and activist her partner beat her the entire way to and from of cases, this kind of trauma prevents women no longer provides abortionVisit campuscu.com for a complete of our convenien regretted the decision, nor did it haunt him, he saw firsthand how abortionlist activists organized the abortion clinic. from being sexually liberated, she said. said. for reproductive rights nationwide in one of the Florida has reported 61,956 abortions this “We hold space and hold workshops beA week later, O’Hanlon was walking past first public conflicts on the topic. year so far, of which 672 were performed on cause women need to talk about these things,” Alachua County residents, according to the she said. “They need to know that there are the Gainesville Courthouse where he encounRead the rest online at alligator.org.

Agency for Health Care Administration. There ways to heal and move past and stop those tered a group of anti-abortion protesters. He confronted them, he said, and they didn’t know have also been 4,780 reported abortions from generational consequences.” how to react. @fernfigue out-of-state residents in 2022, which nears the Gibson’s wellness spa closed its physical This all happened in 1985, during 4,873 abortions on out-of-state residents in location in November, but she hopes this will @hmb_1013 O’Hanlon’s first year living on his own. He 2021. ffigeroua@alligator.org open up time to work on delivering babies and didn’t have a supportive atmosphere at home, As Southern states continue to ban abor- working with women. hbushman@alligator.org so he decided to take off, he said. Although he tions, the number of non-Florida residents But the reversal of Roe affects more than

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What’s next for UF’s Plan B vending machines?

VENDING MACHINES ARE YET TO BE ADDED

By Alissa Gary Alligator Staff Writer

Amid their usual Summer session, UF student senators Faith Corbett (Change-District C), Joe Andreoli and Ryan Athay were confronted with urgent public comments from students asking for reproductive health resources. The senators were quick to step in.

About a month after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision removing federal protections for abortion, Student Senate passed a bipartisan resolution authored by the trio addressing the need for 24-hour emergency contraception on campus.

The resolution proposed morning-after pills be available through outdoor vending machines located in high-traffic areas of campus, including inside Newell Hall, the Turlington Breezeway, the McCarty Breezeway and outside The Hub. The resolution passed with 67 yes votes, one no vote and one abstention.

But those vending machines are still yet to be installed.

“Students want resources that are going to be accessible to them and known to them,” Corbett said.

“That’s the context in which this legislation was heard.”

While Senate acknowledged and approved the project, resolutions are inherently non-binding. This means the legislation didn’t include a solidified plan on how or when vending

Minca Davis // Alligator Staff

machines will become available.

But Corbett, the only of the three original authors to run and win reelection this Fall, said she’s ready to pursue the project this term.

“There’s so many resources on campus that students feel like they kind of should be given as the bare minimum, but that we have to continue to fight for,” she said. “And I think that contraception is turning into one of those things as well.”

While unconventional, the resolution wasn’t the first of its kind: In March, Boston University opened its first Plan B vending machine, selling the pills at a discounted rate of $7.25 each — as opposed to the $40 to $50 pharmacy price range.

The student government at the University of Texas at Austin passed

a similar resolution in April, asking for vending machines to sell morning-after pills at $10 or less.

The idea isn’t new to UF either.

The Gainesville chapter of National Women’s Liberation, a women’s rights organization, paired with SG to make vending machines a reality in 2018. But the idea failed in the legislative process and wasn’t reintroduced for another four years.

With the Dobbs decision limiting abortion access nationally, as well as Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, the resolution’s authors noticed their constituents wanted and needed easier access to emergency contraception.

Andreoli, who represented the graduate seat during his term, said he worried about how the decisions

would affect graduate assistants in particular. Graduate salaries often don’t cover the cost of living for one person, he said, much less the costs of having a child.

“I thought about all of the graduate students in my department and the departments I’ve worked with,” he said. “What are they going to do if now they are going to be forced to have a child?”

So, the authors revived and updated the 2018 resolution.

Aside from addressing recent judicial decisions, the new resolution took into consideration campus maps and population, which were foundational to choosing vending machines’ locations.

Having a master’s degree in geography, Andreoli said he was known in Senate as the “geography guy” — he often analyzed maps in the chamber. So when the question turned to placing vending machines, Corbett turned to Andreoli for help choosing the best high-traffic areas.

“I encourage senators who are serving and those senators who assumed their seats due to the recent election spend a lot of time researching because there’s a lot of high quality data available to improve the legislation,” Andreoli said. “You just have to find it.”

It mattered to Corbett and Andreoli that vending machines be available outdoors so students could access them 24-hours a day. Although the on-campus wellness center sells discounted morning-after pills, it’s closed for extended periods on weekends and over Summer.

Athay, a Gator senator at the time,

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022 ALLIGATOR 7 responded to Andreoli’s request for additional authors and helped write the resolution.

The delay on the project, Corbett said, was due to then-imminent Fall SG elections. Given she was on the ballot for reelection, she didn’t want to start the project without the confirmation she’d be in Senate to finish it.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity to be able to work on this,” she said.

“But I think it would mean nothing to me if I wasn’t able to do it appropriately and with the purpose of actually seeing it completed.”

Having won reelection, Corbett is formally pursuing the project. Although Athay and Andreoli are no longer senators, Corbett said she’s looking for committed colleagues in the Change caucus.

Her first step in completing the project is doing more research, she said. Her second is to find alternative routes for funding, including grants and fundraising — SG made it clear during the approval process it wouldn’t financially support the project, Corbett said.

“It’s going to be a lot of revisiting old plans, but also remodeling them to a different time, a different space and a different context,” she said.

Although she provided no timeline for the project, Corbett emphasized she would be reaching out to groups for help within the coming weeks.

“I think the importance of advocacy for resources is you shouldn’t be doing it selfishly,” she said.

“My motivation is definitely for women on campus who have been in an emergency.” @AlissaGary1 agary@alligator.org

What changing abortion laws mean for UF’s OB-GYN department BIGGEST CONCERN IS UNCERTAINTY

By Siena Duncan Alligator Staff Writer

Alexandra Monaco and her colleagues hurried to get an abortion approved for a pregnant patient in September. The patient’s doctor had recently discovered her baby had a fetal anomaly encephalocele, where one in five babies are born alive.

The patient was 14 weeks along. With Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, it was a race against the clock.

“We not only had to support her through the emotional turmoil that she’s going through but then also had to help the patient go through these logistical barriers,” Monaco said.

Situations like these have started to increase for UF health care workers like Monaco, a clinical assistant professor with the obstetrics and gynecology department.

Between the overturn of Roe v. Wade and Florida enacting new constraints on abortion, UF OB-GYNs have experienced firsthand some of the effects on their ability to provide care for their patients. Despite abortion procedures being scarce in medical school curriculum anyway, Florida’s encroaching restrictions on abortions came as a disappointment to Monaco, she said.

“We expected that this was coming,” she said. “But once it happened, it was definitely devastating for us as physicians and knowing what our patients will have to go through.”

With a continually changing landscape on abortion access in the state, many medical school OB-GYN departments at universities like UF are left to learn how to navigate it.

The 24-hour waiting period rule has been one aspect of Florida’s abortion laws that training OB-GYNs have learned to work under. It requires patients requesting an abortion to have a counseling appointment reviewing materials about alternative options a full day before the procedure. This rule was signed into law in 2015 but was caught up in legal battles until a judge upheld the law last April.

In addition to the 24-hour law, Florida also enacted its 15-week abortion ban, which allows for three exceptions after 15 weeks: risk to the pregnant person’s life, risk of serious injury or in the presence of fetal abnormalities that would result in “death upon birth.” It doesn’t allow exceptions for a pregnancy conceived through rape or incest.

After Florida legislative elections unveiled a Republican supermajority in the Florida House and Senate, incoming Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she would consider a 12-week ban. However, Passidomo also wants rape and incest exceptions, she said.

Monaco trains OB-GYN residents at UF, meaning she observes and instructs them in a hospital environment. The UF residency program gives students experience with procedures like hysterectomies and pelvic exams, as well as managing labor and delivery for both high-risk and low-risk pregnancies. The curriculum doesn’t require experience with abortions, although she often takes it upon herself to keep those students informed on what’s happening with state laws, she said.

Discussions with her colleagues over concerns about residents being unable to learn the skills needed to perform an abortion with these stricter laws have heightened, Monaco said.

However, this concern isn’t a new one.

A Stanford University study published in 2020, before Roe was overturned, found standardized abortion training was scarce in American medical schools. There was concern about the availability of abortion training back when OB-GYN department chair John Smulian was in medical school during the 1980s, he said.

Even before the Florida laws were enacted, the UF OB-GYN department didn’t offer elective abortions — abortions performed for reasons outside of miscarriages and other medical conditions like fetal anomalies.

Because of this, Smulian thinks that in terms of education, the department will remain mostly unaffected by new legislation, he said.

Techniques involved in late-term abortions are also used for procedures like cesarean sections, which OB-GYN residents do get experience with at UF. “They’re just procedures that are tools,” he said. “The fact that one might be applied in the realm of abortion doesn’t mean you don’t learn that technique.”

The main change brought about by the overturning of Roe has caused an increase in the amount of uncertainty felt by UF OB-GYN faculty, Smulian said. There’s a need for flexibility, since new legislation could be proposed to police abortions more thoroughly, he said, and UF needs to stay tightly within those guidelines.

“This is going to evolve,” he said. “You can count in months, or even days, the duration of some of these [laws].”

These increasing state restrictions also make abortions that need to happen quickly, like the patient with the sudden fetal anomaly, difficult to perform, Monaco said.

Finding time to schedule a counseling ap-

pointment and then schedule the abortion can sometimes take more than a week. But while Monaco was trying her best to speed through the process, the patient was also going through emotional stress as well — the pregnancy had been highly desired, Monaco said.

That abortion was a heavy decision.

Monaco feels the added weight of legal barriers isn’t something good for patients or medical students preparing to enter the world of health care, she said.

“It’s really difficult to watch the patients go through,” she said. “And patients don’t deserve that.”

Monaco aligns with the abortion rights movement. Working as an OB-GYN in a postRoe world can be frustrating, she said. But one of the reasons she said she chose UF as the place to start her medical career is due to comparatively less restrictive laws than other places.

She completed her residency at the University of Tennessee in 2020, where state law now bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy. She didn’t want to work somewhere she’d have to recommend patients options out of state, she said. Now she’s seeing out-of-state patients from places like Alabama, with a total ban, and Georgia, with a six-week ban.

“Realistically, patients need this care,” she said. “They will come in bleeding with a miscarriage, they will come in with an infection and need to have a pregnancy removed.”

Read the rest online at alligator.org. @SienaDuncan sduncan@alligator.org

8 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

In post-Roe Florida, Alachua County sex education lags in public schools ALACHUA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS LOOKS TO UPDATE CURRICULUM

By Sophia Bailly Alligator Staff Writer

In fifth grade, Ellie Mordujovich received her only formal sex education. She remembers being separated from her male peers to learn about female anatomy and the menstrual cycle — although there was no discussion of sex in the one-time class.

“I have no idea what the boys learned,” Mordujovich said. “They never really brought up actual sex itself and how to stay protected. I don’t remember anything about that.”

Now a 17-year-old junior at Buchholz High SchooI, she’s had no further formal lessons on sex education, she said.

“I definitely think we should have another course in high school,” she said. “In fifth grade, you’re not really thinking about that.”

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion access, one topic being revisited to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections across the country is sex education.

In a classroom of 30 Florida high schoolers, statistically eight are routinely sexually active and four have had sex at least once, data from the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows.

Comprehensive sex education — defined by Guttmacher Institute as material that covers the social, emotional, physical and biological aspects of sexuality and relationships — should begin in elementary school, according to the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Florida law doesn’t require schools to teach sex education, but health-related curriculum must address teenage pregnancy.

Alachua parents and students report a lacking sex education within Alachua County Public Schools; however, after 10 years of a relatively stagnant curriculum, ACPS specialists are revisiting the standards to hopefully revamp them soon.

In Florida, state statutes require public schools to incorporate topics such as nutrition, personal health, prevention and control of disease and substance use into their health education. In grades seven through 12, teen dating violence should be addressed. There’s no direct mention of sex education in the statute’s health

section.

In grades six through 12, promoting sexual abstinence is the expected standard, according to the Florida statutes. For instructional materials used to teach reproductive health, the content must be annually approved in a public meeting of the district’s school board.

ACPS teaches students about puberty, personal health and how to handle issues such as peer pressure and dating violence. Sex-education-related materials are taught in fifth and seventh grade.

Some students’ recollection of their sex education didn’t come from their time in school — it came from conversations with their parents.

Jada Monroe, a 17-year-old Buchholz High School senior, said her parents used the “birds and the bees” metaphor to explain sexual reproduction. These conversations ended at school, she said.

“When you’re going to school, your parents, your mom or whoever your guardian is tells you ‘Oh, this is going to happen eventually,’” Monroe said. “But in school specifically, it was just videos.”

Other students agree their sex education hasn’t been thorough.

Quin Richmond, a 16-year-old Buchholz High sophomore, said he recalls the educational videos his classmates watched seeming outdated. The videos didn’t discuss sexuality or sexual relationships.

“They can definitely teach more about the protection aspect and then also just basic relationship safety stuff,” Richmond said.

Lisa Sauberan, ACPS’ science curriculum specialist, said the county is updating its human growth and development curriculum with revised language because of new state legislation.

The curriculum has always been accessible for ACPS parents to review as the district’s website includes a link for resource materials, Sauberan said.

Parents can complete an exemption form for reproductive health and disease education lessons.

Updating the current curriculum is a welcome change for some community members who claim ACPS sex education doesn’t go far enough.

Jessica Grobman, a 28-year-old UF alumna and Miami-Dade public defender who was born HIV-positive, said she wished STDs were included in high school sex education curriculum.

Being HIV-positive had a limited impact on

Namari Lock // Alligator Staff

her childhood, Grobman said, aside from having to take five to seven pills every day. But when she entered high school, Grobman decided students needed to learn about HIV and general sex education.

“Puberty is going to come for everyone,” Grobman said. “Every person needs to know about their body and how it works.”

Sex education opens up a wider conversation to keep teenagers safe as they start becoming sexually active, Grobman said.

“Litigating and then legislating people’s bodies is just another way to have some form of control, but this is actually incredibly detrimental,” Grobman said.

Jyoti Parmar, a Gainesville resident whose 15-year-old child attends Eastside High as a sophomore, said the concept of consent isn’t discussed enough in the sex education curriculum.

“We have discussed consent at home,” Parmar said. “Every child should know how to say ‘no,’ what the boundaries are and what basic human respect demands of them.”

Parental input into curriculum has become heightened within the past year with one recent law shaking up the landscape on sex education: the Parental Rights in Education Act, known colloquially as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The law, which took effect July 1, allows parents to determine what topics related to gender and sexuality their children can be exposed to.

Faith integral to views on abortion post-Roe JEWISH, MUSLIM RESIDENTS FEEL LEFT OUT

By Alexa Herrera Alligator Staff Writer

Stepping off the plane, Jillian Melinek’s phone was spammed with notifications: Roe v. Wade overturned. Her stomach and heart dropped, and she immediately thought of her faith.

The reversal contradicts her faith as a Jewish woman — the life of the mother is valued above everything, and life doesn’t begin at conception. Along with thoughts about what this meant for her religious practices, her mind strayed to other anxieties.

“I had to think: Did I remember to take my birth control yesterday?” she said.

Religion is often thought of as a reason to be anti-abortion, but views on the matter vary widely among different doctrines. Even for people within the same religious

groups who consider themselves devout, their perspectives on abortion aren’t a monolith.

Melinek, a Jewish 21-year-old UF psychology and women’s studies senior, said she attributes her prochoice stance to her faith, which primarily values the well-being of the mother’s life. A fetus is not considered a full human being, according to the Torah and Jewish law.

In Florida, a 15-week abortion ban was implemented July 1 — when it immediately faced protest and legal challenges due to alleged violations of privacy and religious freedom.

Three rabbis, two reverends and a Buddhist lama from across Florida each filed separate lawsuits against the state over its ban for breaching their right to religious freedom. Another lawsuit from a South Florida synagogue over the 15-week abortion ban was filed in June.

Melinek said she was happy the synagogue decided to sue Florida — it helped her solidify her decision about supporting abortion rights.

Most Jewish people believe if the mother’s life is at risk during pregnancy, then they should opt to save the mother through an abortion, Melinek said. It ultimately depends on how conservative one is within Judaism, she said.

Life doesn’t begin at conception for many Jewish people, Melinek said, which falls at odds with many other anti-abortion, religious people.

In Judaism, under normal circumstances, it’s considered wrong to get an abortion depending on the stage of pregnancy. Before six months of pregnancy, abortion can be acceptable when the health of the mother is jeopardized, but a rabbi should be consulted.

In Islam, abortion is a complicated topic that also depends on how conservative the person is, said Saeed Khan, a 78-year-old Muslim Gainesville resident.

The acceptance of abortion depends on which school of thought a person follows, Khan said.

The retired UF medicine profes-

ACPS has taken the law into account, but not much is expected to change, Sauberan said.

“We definitely have to be mindful,” Sauberan said. “It’s not necessarily going to impact what we teach because what we’re teaching is aligned to the required instruction.”

The process of updating the curriculum will remain transparent and accessible to parents and community members, Sauberan said.

“We just need to make sure that our human growth and development meets the letter to the laws so that there are no repercussions to a teacher or a district for violating this legislation,” Sauberan said.

Outside of schools, some people look to organizations like Planned Parenthood for help teaching sex education.

Kai Christmas, a 26-year-old regional organizer for Planned Parenthood, said many misunderstand what sex education is.

Public schools can decide against having Planned Parenthood provide sex education-related resources to students, Christmas said. But following the overturn of Roe, addressing sex education is critical.

“What I definitely know is that the state of sex education in Florida is in a bit of a crisis,” Christmas said.

sor said there are varied views from different Islamic branches of Islam that have their own Qur’anic interpretation.

“The states are not supposed to favor one religion over another,” he said. “But, what they are doing is following one very Christian interpretation of when life begins.”

Muslim people heavily rely on what the circumstances are to make a decision regarding abortion, he said. The life of the mother has utmost importance, he said, so if her life is in jeopardy, abortion can be acceptable.

Getting an abortion also depends on how many days have passed since conception. In the first 120 days after conception, Muslims consider the fetus to be a physical entity without a soul, so abortion is acceptable, Kahn said. But, after 120 days, it has a soul and abortion is harder to justify.

There are exceptions for situations such as rape or a fetal anomaly, he added.

In reflecting on Roe’s overturn, Kahn said he found the decision to be a dangerous move by the U.S. Supreme Court.

@sophia_bailly sbailly@alligator.org

“It opens a Pandora’s box as well,” he said.

The court didn’t follow precedent in the case, Kahn said, and he fears other human rights decisions will be overturned regarding racism.

Christianity is no different in terms of the variety of beliefs followers can have on abortion. Because there are so many Christian denominations, a single answer to whether abortion is acceptable is hard to pinpoint.

Kolby Golliher is a pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in Gainesville who supports abortion rights, but he said there are a diverse range of beliefs about abortion within the Methodist community.

Traditionally, the Methodist opinion claims abortion isn’t acceptable unless there are dangerous health conditions, according to the United Methodist Church.

Read the rest online at alligator.org. @alexakherrera aherrera@alligator.org

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/the_avenue

ART

Local artists channel rage over Roe through their craft ART EXHIBITED AT GAINESVILLE FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION

By Luna Boales Avenue Staff Writer

The history of abortion access in the United States is tinged with resistance. What now can sometimes be accomplished through a pill was once reliant on wire hangers and knitting needles — procedures that often unfolded behind closed doors.

Two Gainesville residents have shone a spotlight on this storied history, but instead of expressing their outrage through organized protest, they’ve turned toward a different medium: art.

Roe v. Wade was overturned June 24 in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, reversing the 50-year federal protection of abortions and leaving abortion access in the hands of states’ laws. Following the court ruling, two Gainesville artists used painting and sculpture work as an outlet for their post-Roe protest.

Charlotte Newman, a 71-year-old activist and conceptual artist, is one of these artists.

“Women should be able to decide when and if they want to have a family,” she said. “ And without that basic protection to just control when and if you’ll have children has ramifications throughout women’s abilities to live an autonomous life.”

Most of her pieces, Newman said, tend to have a political message behind them. She has previously done war pieces on Operation Desert Storm and other feminist pieces unrelated to abortion rights. Abortion rights has been one of the newest themes in her collection, as they’re important to her because women aren’t truly free in a society without the ability to control reproduction, she said.

Newman produced three pieces inspired by the overturn of Roe — two of which were showcased at a Gainesville Fine Arts Association exhibition in August.

“The Supreme Court 2022,” the first piece exhibited by the GFAA, features nine black hangers, one for each member of the Supreme Court.

She chose hangers as the focal point of the piece because they’re a commonly used instrument for unsafe, at-home abortions and a symbol of the abortion rights movement, Newman said.

“The Supreme Court has now decided to restrict reproductive healthcare, and we’ve gone backwards,” she said. “That symbol, I think, resonates with women who remember the time before Roe v. Wade.”

She also left postcards depicting “The Supreme Court 2022” around the Civic Media Center and at the GFAA for people to pick up and learn more, she said.

The second of Newman’s GFAAexhibited pieces is “Women’s Reproductive Health 2022.” The sculpture

Sophia Abolfathi // Alligator Staff

Charlotte Newman and her protest piece “Women’s Reproductive Health 2022,” which features nine steel knitting needles and a pink string representing the fragility of women’s rights in the Supreme Court’s hands, are pictured Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. is composed of nine 6-foot metal spikes resembling knitting needles — one for each member of the Supreme Court members who voted on Dobbs. A pink string drapes down and in between the needles.

Knitting needles are another instrument used to perform illegal abortions, Newman said. The pink string, she said, represents the delicacy of a woman’s life — and how it can be completely altered by the Supreme Court ruling.

“I think that one is a little more in your face, a little more violent,” Newman said. “But it does represent what happens: People will die because of the Dobbs decision.”

Stephanie Birch, a 34-year-old mixed media artist, has been making protest art since 2020. Throughout June and July, her piece “Swallow the Goddamn Pill” was on display at the GFAA. At more than 7 feet tall, the

piece featured two pill-shaped poster board cutouts attached to a wiffle bat. The text on the pills reads: “Say yes to safe abortions! I did.” It also prompts people to mark the pill if they had an abortion themselves or assisted someone have one.

The piece, she said, was to display she personally had an abortion, as did many other nameless individuals. It was a way of showing, she said, abortion isn’t a taboo thing, and she figured her piece would encourage people to talk about abortion more openly.

“The message I was trying to get across was that I mean, I’m here, I’m in support of this safe medical procedure,” she said. “I’ve had one and I am calling on you folks in the community.”

The piece was originally created for the Bans Off Our Bodies march, which took place in May, Birch said, where she carried the sign along with markers. Fellow protestors who previously had an abortion or knew someone who did marked the pill.

It’s a call for action too, Birch said. The piece was made with the intention to encourage people to come forward if they had an abortion or assisted someone in getting one and show solidarity to get rid of the stigma around abortions, she added.

“In the eyes of a lot of people — a lot of our neighbors — we are criminals by virtue of having this very important and necessary medical procedure,” Birch said. @LunaBoales lboales@thealligator.org

MUSIC

Gainesville punk rock band Antagonizör tackles abortion access

Charged lyrics reflect discontent with overturn of Roe

By Averi Kremposky Avenue Staff Writer

If the public tunes out the conversation on abortion, local three-piece punk rock band Antagonizör will bring it to them through the music they play.

Inspired by classic D-beat bands like Discharge and Anti Cimex, musicians Tzu-wei Peng, Sarah Von Nacht and Michelle Nuñez confide in the punk genre’s ability to bridge music and activism — tackling issues such as Florida’s conservative politics and, more recently, the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v.

Wade.

Unlike other mediums of expression, music is an outlet that begs to be listened to — and Peng doesn’t take that for granted.

“On Facebook, your friends have different views, and if you talk about it too much, your

friend can just silence you,” Peng, 30, said.

“But in music, you just don’t care.”

The group originally met through mutual friends in Orlando, where one fateful jam session sealed the deal on the punk-rock triad.

Together, they realized music could be fun, cathartic and persuasive.

Gainesville boasts its own rich punk rock scene, drawing thousands each year to FEST, an underground punk rock and pop-punk music festival that recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Since moving to the city two years ago, Peng started pursuing her second bachelor’s degree in industrial biotechnology at Santa Fe College, Von Nacht, 30, became an entomology graduate student at UF and Nuñez, 34, started working for the city as a landscaper. But the trio doesn’t let their busy schedules obstruct them from being the intersection of rock and repro-

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Tweet us @TheFloridaAve.

ductive rights.

Punk music sits apart from other music genres due to its politically charged lyrics and its historical inclination to tackle taboo topics — manifesting in songs like “God Save the Queen” by 1970s British punk band the Sex Pistols and “American Idiot” by Green Day. Antagnizör, too, goes beyond just dangling its feet over this cliff of a custom — instead, leaping completely into the chasm of activism.

Made up of three women, the band has been personally affected by the June overturn of Roe v. Wade, and Peng, Von Nacht and Nuñez haven’t shied away from expressing their discontent through song.

“It’s important because it is a life or death issue for women,” Von Nacht said. “Because for some women, getting pregnant is kind of like a death sentence.”

Birmkire’s sentiments are translated into an unabashed ballad the musician wrote over the summer while in Europe. The song, called “My

Choice,” expands on her repugnance toward male opinions about abortion rights and the hypocrisy of the anti-abortion agenda, she said.

The song opens with the lyrics “It fills me with rage that we live in an age where a man gets to choose what happens in my womb” and culminates in a chorus that states “It is not murder to kill the unborn, I don’t understand why this country’s so torn. Why should I care about a clump of cells? You’re not my god, you can’t send me to hell.”

The words on paper gain new life when Von Nacht’s classic raspy yell compliments Peng’s salient bass line and Nuñez’s energetic drum beat — almost as if the trio was feeling every emotion simultaneously.

Read the rest online at alligator.org/section/the_avenue. @averijkremposky akremposky@alligator.org

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022 www.alligator.org/section/opinions

Column

Understanding abortion

T

his June, the U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade: the case responsible for upholding Americans’ abortion rights. While Roe v. Wade’s reversal has made abortion a highly discussed topic, it’s also increased the spread of misinformation. Given the current political climate, it’s important that we surround ourselves with the facts about abortion.

What is an abortion?

An abortion is a pregnancy termination. Abortion is an all-encompassing term that refers to either induced or spontaneous situations. An induced abortion refers to intentionally ending a pregnancy. A spontaneous abortion refers to an unintentional miscarriage. Either of these may be completed by medications or a procedure.

What does an abortion look like?

Medications can be used to end a pregnancy or may be used to help someone expel a miscarriage from the uterus. The medications used are usually administered in a two-step process. The first medication stops hormones from supplying the inside lining of the uterus that holds the pregnancy. Usually, people don’t notice many effects after this first pill, but occasionally, patients experience some bleeding. The second medication is taken 24 to 72 hours after the first medication and causes the cervix to soften and the uterus to contract to expel the pregnancy.

Usually, patients experience cramping and bleeding with-

in about four hours of taking the second medication. All medications have risks, but this combination has been shown to be very safe by many research studies. Patients are counseled about how much bleeding is normal and what symptoms would require someone to be seen by a medical proAlexandra E. vider.

Monaco During the first trimester, some individuals choose a procedure to opinions@alligator.org end a pregnancy called a suction dilation and curettage. This can be performed while the patient is awake with local anesthesia, moderately sedated or all the way asleep with general anesthesia. Anesthesia options depend on where the patient receives care, what the facility can provide and the patient’s health problems.

During the procedure, suction is used to remove the pregnancy from the uterus. All medical procedures have risks, but this procedure is overall very safe.

In the second trimester, an abortion can also be performed using medications or a procedure. For a second trimester medical abortion, a patient would be admitted to the hospital to receive medications and be monitored until the pregnancy is expelled. After 14 weeks, if a patient elects for a procedural abortion, the procedure is called a dilation and evacuation, and usually involves a mixture of techniques to remove the pregnancy from the uterus.

When is an abortion considered medically necessary?

An abortion is considered medically necessary if the

Column

Bigger than Roe. v Wade

I

was fortunate enough to be raised in a household where abortion was always seen as health care. It was also considered something that could be taken for granted.

Growing up in Connecticut — a generally blue state — I had always seen Roe v. Wade as the rightful law of the land. Largely due to our race and class background, my family and I didn’t consider how reproductive rights weren’t granted equally to all people within our nation’s borders, or seriously consider the possibility of it being overturned.

The overturn of Roe alarms me both abstractly and materially.

Abstractly, it demonstrates the mask-off approach many legislators and politicians have taken regarding their discriminatory beliefs.

They no longer pretend to have any respect for the autonomy of people who can reproduce. There’s no facade of separation between church and state or legitimacy given to the struggles and legal processes which led to Roe’s original ruling 50 years ago.

Materially, the overturn of Roe scares me as someone who can reproduce and doesn’t want to. I have used my autonomy to make decisions about sex that render abortion a necessary option for me.

For example, my struggles with mental illness make hormone-altering birth control methods risky and even dangerous. My weight lowers the efficacy of over-the-counter contraceptive Plan B. I have to call my doctor and get a prescription in order to access the more effective Ella brand morning after pill. The possibility of becoming pregnant is very real for me. I need to know I can get an abortion if I need one.

Fortunately, I come from a family with the financial resources and belief systems to sup-

pregnant person’s life is at risk. For example, if a pregnant person has a heavy amount of bleeding, they may require the pregnancy be removed to save their life. Another example is an infection of the uterus during pregnancy, which is rare, but may become so severe that the pregnancy would have to be removed in order to stop the infection from worsening.

There are some medical conditions that can significantly worsen during pregnancy or have treatments that cannot be used during pregnancy. Therefore, medical providers may recommend pregnancy termination to preserve the life of the pregnant person or prevent serious or permanent injury to various organs. The most common of these conditions involve diseases of the heart, lungs, kidneys, immune system or cancer.

What are some common myths about abortion?

Abortions do not increase someone’s risk of cancer.

Abortions don’t cause increased risk of infertility, miscarriages, birth defects or ectopic pregnancies. Fetuses in the first or second trimester cannot feel pain. The parts of the brain that can recognize and respond to pain don’t form until the third trimester.

Some people believe a large proportion of abortions happen late in pregnancy. But, over 90% of abortions occur in the first trimester – less than 14 weeks along. When abortions happen in the second trimester, the majority are due to fetal anomalies that aren’t compatible with life or may cause significant suffering.

Alexandra Monaco is a clinical assistant professor at the UF Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Column port me should I need an abortion. This luck of the draw is what comforts me on days when my period is late, and it is what comforted me on the day the ruling was overturned. However, Ava Kaplan millions of Americans opinions@alligator.org don’t have the same support. Abortions will continue to happen whether they are legally protected. It’s our job to ensure that everyone who wants an abortion can continue to safely and affordably access them.

We need to support local abortion networks.

We need to support each other financially.

We need to offer rides, information and emotional support to those who need them. But maybe, most importantly, we need to identify the larger struggles to which the struggle for reproductive freedoms is connected.

For many Americans, Roe and other legal protections didn’t materially impact their reproductive freedom. Although these histories go beyond the scope of this op-ed, it’s necessary to contextualize Roe within the history of reproductive rights for all people living within our nation’s borders.

Struggles don’t exist in a vacuum.

We must identify the connections between attacks on reproductive freedom and those on our LGBTQ siblings, white supremacy, the exploitation of the working class, the climate crisis and every other arm of our current governmental and economic system.

If anything, I hope the overturn of Roe serves as a wake up call for those of us who have existed in a place of relative comfort and privilege throughout our lifetimes.

Ava Kaplan is a UF political science senior.

Bringing power back to the people

E

ver since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the conversation about abortion has been brought up everywhere. As if partisanship wasn’t enough, the question of abortion’s place in America has further divided the country. How can we call ourselves the United States if we start to believe those who oppose our ideas are close-minded and immoral?

The good news is there’s hope. This country was founded on the principles of freedom of speech and the belief in the power of civil discourse and compromise. In our short history, we have faced major disagreements on slavery, civil rights, prohibition and women’s rights.

In all these previous arguments, we solved them with compromises of the law. It was the amendments to the Constitution that settled these disagreements for the nation. But how could making a law do so much?

Making an amendment is no joke. It’s taking the Constitution and adding or redacting something to it. Due to its importance, the process is long and arduous. Either two-thirds of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate or two-thirds of state legislatures calling a convention need to be reached to do so.

If either method occurs, then the amendment has to win three-fourths majority from the state legislatures or conventions — formed by each state for ratification. This process could take years, but it ensures a majority of the country wants to enact the amendment.

However, Roe wasn’t an amendment.

The legal reasoning for Roe was the government cannot ban abortions prior to fetal viability because it violated a person’s right to privacy.

They claimed if an abortion is done in private where only a doctor and their patient know, then the goverment could never find out about the abortion unless they broke the right to privacy of the doctor-patient confidentiality clause.

The court case cited the 14th Amendment’s due process clause, claiming “liberty” implies the right to privacy. The reason for the 14th

Amendment, however, was to abolish slavery.

The Supreme Court took an amendment out of context and applied it to a different situation to push their own political agenda. The Supreme Court in 2022 realized Angel Cañon this mistake which led opinions@alligator.org them to overturn Roe. The Supreme Court has the power and responsibility to make sure any action or law committed by the legislative or executive branch adheres to the Constitution, the supreme law of the land.

They don’t decide whether something should be done. They are simply there to ensure what’s being done is legally allowed. To interpret the Constitution to fit their personal ideas is wrong because it strips the power from the people. It’s the people who should get to decide how they want their country to run.

It’s up to the people to find compromises and make decisions for themselves through the people they elected into office. The Constitution doesn’t say a person has a right to an abortion, but it also doesn’t say a person doesn’t have a right to an abortion.

It’s up to the people to decide for themselves.

Roe stripped the people of the choice and now that it has been overturned, it’s up for the people of each state to choose what they want their state to be like.

This Supreme Court has taken power from the federal government and given it back to the people. So whether your stance is pro-abortion or anti-abortion, you now get to help choose for your state instead of it being decided for you without your input.

Angel Cañón is a UF mechanical engineering sophomore.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Alligator.

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FEATURE

UF athletes, athletic officials speak on reproductive health NCAA 2008 PREGNANCY HANDGUIDE NOT UPDATED SINCE ROE'S OVERTURN

By Isabella Douglas Alligator Staff Writer

In one UF athlete’s mind, reproductive health isn’t talked about enough in sports. And, at least in her experience, not at all in college basketball.

Gators junior forward Jordyn Merritt knows how to dribble a basketball up the court, hit a wide open three-point shot and defend both the paint and the perimeter with an intensity only a dedicated athlete who knows their body’s strengths and weaknesses can manage.

However, off the court Merritt said she also knows her body’s rights. And she isn’t happy.

“Being an athlete, if you happen to get pregnant, that could honestly jeopardize your career,” she said. “Not a lot of people are in the financial spaces or even mentally, physically able to take care of a child. And that could really throw your life off course.”

Merritt is just one athlete who understands the ramifications of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court ruling that guaranteed nationwide abortion access, being overturned. She hasn’t seen anyone in the athletics department actively reach out to teach athletes about reproductive health in sports, Merritt said.

UF’s 2021-2022 student athlete handbook has 10 pages dedicated to student athlete’s health. There’s no mention of reproductive health.

However, Jocelyn Gravlee, UF associate professor and interim director in student health care, said student athletes receive their care through UF’s Student Health Care Center and the women’s clinic.

“We discuss reproductive health with student athletes in the same way we discuss it with students,” she said.

As an advocate for women’s health, Merritt believes everyone — including athletes — should have a general knowledge on reproductive health, especially with the changing political and social climate.

Merritt learned about the history of Roe at Plano Senior High School, where, at the time, abortion was still federally protected. Since then, she’s become educated about the importance of reproductive health from her UF human sexuality courses she’s chosen to take.

Still, Merritt wishes health instructors would come speak to athletes about reproductive health.

“We have the resources to hire the proper people to educate us,” she said “It's just whether or not it is ever done.”

In 2008, the National Collegiate Athletic Association released “Pregnant and Parenting Student Athletes: Resources and Model Policies” to guide universities on what to do if a student athlete got pregnant.

The handout outlines protections for pregnant athletes such as not excluding them from sport activities on the condition of “pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy or recovery therefrom…”

Title IX, a law banning discrimination on the basis of sex, also protects the athlete from being penalized for taking a pregnancy leave.

However, the handout states they may not necessarily be reinstated to the specific position they formally held.

With Roe reversed, it’s unclear how states that have banned abortions will respond to a student athlete who’s pregnant — even with the handout.

With Florida’s 15-week ban, it’s also unclear how this may affect UF athletes.

"I can’t speculate on any future revisions or updates," NCAA spokesperson Chris Radford told USA Today, "but the NCAA is continuously evaluating emerging health and safety issues that may directly impact student-athletes and

Namari Lock // Alligator Staff

the membership that it supports."

Although reproductive health may be an uncomfortable topic to discuss in athletics because people have varying political and religious beliefs, Merritt said, it needs to be talked about.

“It's just like racism — not everybody wants to talk about that because it’s such a hard topic,” she said. “If you want to make progress, you need to speak about it, you need to have the difference of opinions, you need to be educated.”

Like Merritt, Gators softball first baseman and outfielder Avery Goelz agrees full bans on abortions shouldn’t be legal; however, she said it’s not the athletics program’s job to inform athletes on these matters.

“Our programs are responsible for keeping us healthy so we can play to the best of our ability,but since we are adults I feel it is our responsibility to seek information if we want it,” she said. “I think our sport doesn’t discuss the topic because we already spend a lot of time on our overall health and practice.”

UF’s nutritionist provides the softball team with vitamins and minerals if their bodies are in need of something, she said. They also hold meetings throughout the year to discuss how to stay healthy.

“If we feel something isn’t right with our bodies, we go to our trainers, discuss what the problem might be and move forward from

there,” she said.

Merritt hasn’t felt differently since Roe was overturned, she said, which may be because abortion is still legal in Florida and she takes safety precautions.

“I’m sure some of my teammates have a fear about this issue,” she said, “but it’s not something that is really talked about on our team.”

Women ages 20 to 24 had 34% of abortions nationwide in 2014, according to Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and policy organization. By the age of 45, one in four women, according to the institute, will also have an abortion in their lifetime.

And for women ages 18 to 24, sexual assault is at a higher risk, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

UF Assistant Athletics Director Denver Parler and several UF coaches reiterated health as being the greatest importance to the athletic department.

“Student-athlete health and well-being are of the greatest importance to us, and our policies, commitment of resources, and care provided reflect that,” Parler said. “Our goal is to empower student-athletes to take ownership of all facets of their lives, including healthcare.

We will continue to provide exceptional medical care and support to all student-athletes.”

Parler and several UF communications specialists — including Senior Associate Athletics Director Steve McClain, gymnastics and soccer communications director Mary Howard, volleyball and lacrosse communications director Katie Callahan and swimming and diving communications assistant Nick Yuska — declined to comment further on the specifics of what this care entailed and if there’s a concern among UF student-athletes and professionals in abortion access. @_issadouglas idouglas@alligator.org

FOOTBALL

Florida pushes Seminoles in shootout loss, ends season with even record Gators fell to rival Florida State for the first time in 3 seasons

By Joseph Henry Sports Writer

Florida State fans finally had something to celebrate after defeating the Florida Gators for the first time since 2017, and they took full advantage.

After the game clock hit triple zeros, many of the 79,650 fans inside Doak Campbell Stadium took to the field in celebration.

The Gators, who suffered a puzzling defeat to Vanderbilt in Nashville the weekend prior, entered Tallahassee and found themselves

in a dogfight. The Seminoles, on the other hand, rode a four-game win streak with an average margin of victory of 33.5 into the rivalry clash, but they faced one of their toughest tests of the season against UF. Explosive, career-high performances from freshman running back Trevor Etienne and Arizona State transfer wide receiver Ricky Pearsall nearly willed Florida (6-6, 3-5 SEC) to victory. However, FSU (9-3, 5-3 ACC) held off a ferocious second-half comeback effort and sent the Gators home with a loss, 45-38.

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UF head coach Billy Napier was satisfied with his team’s effort, but he acknowledged how ultimately losing still stings.

“I am extremely proud. The staff had them ready to compete and they showed up and put it on the line,” Napier said postgame. “Tough one to swallow. But we’re going to get better. We’re going to improve. We’re going to use that experience.”

The Gators entered the game depleted on offense, missing four of their top wide receivers. Pearsall, who was questionable to play with

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a lower-body injury, ended up playing and kept Florida in the game early with a pair of long touchdown receptions of 52 and 43 yards respectively.

UF quarterback Anthony Richardson started the game on fire; he completed five of his first seven passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. From then on, Richardson ended the game connecting on just four of 20 passing attempts for 47 yards and an interception.

When Richardson sat down for his postgame he looked down at the stat sheet on the table in front

of him. He shook his head in disappointment.

“It was just crazy to see it was only nine completions,” Richardson said.

Andrew Aleman, a 50-yard-old FSU alumnus and Seminoles season ticket holder, has watched a decent amount of Florida football, he said, since his stepdaughter went to UF. Aleman believes that Richardson’s inaccuracy throughout the game was what held the Gators back from pulling the upset. “[Florida] had such an inexperienced group [of receivers] out there and every time if Richardson was

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SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 14

14 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Sold-out crowd FOOTBALL, from pg. 13

even a little bit accurate, I think [Florida] probably might have pulled [the win] out,” Aleman said.

He added he doesn’t think Richardson fits into the offensive system Billy Napier wants to run at Florida. Both the Gators and Richardson parting ways after this season could be best for both of them, Aleman said.

The sophomore quarterback has still generated buzz in regards to a prospective NFL career. Richardson has seen his name pop up in numerous mock drafts in recent months, and his decision on whether to stay at Florida or play elsewhere next season seems to be on the horizon.

Richardson, who passed for more than 2,500 yards and rushed for more than 700 yards this season, didn’t directly address his future after the FSU loss. Going back to the drawing board and fixing the mistakes from the game are his top priority, he said.

The atmosphere inside Doak Campbell Stadium played a factor in the game. The sell-out crowd was surprising since the game was played on a weeknight and the day after Thanksgiving, Riley Kiefer said.

Kiefer, a 21-year-old UF information systems and operations management masters student, has attended all 12 Gator games this season. He made trips to Knoxville, Tennessee; Jacksonville; College Station, Texas; Nashville and Tallahassee. Kiefer thinks FSU’s home stadium was the second loudest he’s visited this year, but it still doesn’t compare to games in Gainesville.

“It definitely wasn’t anything like the Swamp,” Kiefer said.

After the clock hit triple zeros and the Seminoles had secured their first victory over Florida in three seasons, many fans elected to leap onto Bobby Bowden Field. FSU head coach Mike Norvell, who is in just his third season at the helm in Tallahassee, praised the fans who showed out.

“That's what this game is supposed to be. Energy, passion, incredible atmosphere,” Norvell said postgame. “It was an unbelievable environment to be a part of a college football

Rae Riiska // Alligator Staff

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson throws a pass between plays during the Gators game against Florida State Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. game.”

Kiefer and Aleman agree Florida State fans storming the field was a surprise. Kiefer went a step further and called the act an embarrassment.

“I just don't know how they can think that's justified,” Kiefer said.

The on-field result against the Seminoles and a turbulent 6-6 season ended Napier’s first season in Gainesville on an uncertain note. With news like Richardson’s decision to stay or leave, veteran players likely electing to forgo the Gators’ upcoming bowl game and the possibility of more transfers loom-

ing, the offseason and Napier’s follow-up season shouldn’t lack storylines.

Aleman plans to watch the Gators closely, he said, and believes Napier is going to push the program in the right direction. Aleman knows Florida is a consistent program and the closeness of this season’s game against Florida State proves that, he said. “[Napier] is a great motivator. He’s also a great recruiter,” Aleman said. “That’s where [UF] has the edge.” @Josephhenry2424 jhenry@alligator.org

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Gators women’s tennis legend returns home to help program regain former glory Lauren Embree makes successful leap into coaching

By Zachary Curtin Sports Writer

During Lauren Embree’s time as an assistant coach at Pepperdine University, she helped pave the way to a spot in the quarterfinal of the 2018 NCAA tournament for the Waves; however, it was her passion and support off the court that gained the respect of her peers.

When Ashley Lahey, who played at Pepperdine from 2016 to 2020, thinks of her fondest memory of working with Embree, she said she hears laughter.

“We would always joke around in the car, and I would always make her laugh, and she would always make me laugh,” Lahey said. “We would go out to dinners a lot; overall it was just a really great time.”

In June 2019, Florida head coach Roland Thornqvist recruited the former Gator All-American to come home as an assistant coach.

During her playing career at UF, Embree amassed five All-American titles and earned Southeastern Conference Player

of the Year honors three times.

She also played an integral role in the Gators winning back-to-back national titles in 2011 and 2012.

“Winning the back-to-back national championships with the same team was incredible,” Embree said. “They’re all my best friends. It was a huge deal to me to play for something bigger than myself.”

After her decorated college career, Embree competed in the International Tennis Federation Pro Circuit from 2014 to 2017.

As a professional, her 90 career singles wins and 60 doubles wins propelled her to two singles titles and four doubles titles.

Embree returned to Gainesville following her two-year stint as an assistant coach at Pepperdine University. At Pepperdine, she worked under head coach Per Nilsson, who has coached the Waves for nine years.

While her resume continues to develop, Embree’s love for tennis is apparent to all those she interacts with, Nilsson said.

Embree’s professionalism was something that separated her from

the rest at Pepperdine, he said.

“She doesn’t go halfway when she decides to do something,” Nilsson said. “Whether it's fitness, dieting, training or whatever it is, she's all in.”

Nilsson found her dedication remarkable and attributed much of her success to it, he said.

During Pepperdine's quarterfinal run, where it would fall to the eventual champions Stanford, Embree’s demeanor made the odds seem surmountable, Nilsson said.

“She calmed everyone down and helped us take care of business,” Nilsson said. “She has a fire in her eyes that scares a lot of people, but on the outside she's calm as can be, and that helped our team for sure.”

Embree looks back on her seasons at Pepperdine fondly, she said. However, she’s now excited to try and replicate the success at her alma mater.

“It was really hard to leave where I was,” Embree said. “[But] I was ready for a new set in my life.”

Back in Gainesville, she hopes

to coach up to the winning standard she helped establish as a player. Embree remembers the positive influence she received from coaches and academic staff, she said.

“That just really propels my drive to want to give back now as a coach,” Embree said. “I just want to make sure all of the girls I coach have that same experience [that I had].”

Thornqvist has helped Embree beyond her collegiate career and has stayed a mentor throughout her life, she said. The nature of their relationship is one of trust and respect, Embree said, which translates to success on the court.

“It’s just great that I have that relationship that we’ve had for 10 to 12 years,” Embree said.

“It’s very easy to go talk to him about things or come up with new ideas…We’re a team, and it's always been that way, and I know that he’ll be in my life that way forever.”

Thornqvist alone was not enough to draw Embree back to Gainesville, she said. Embree accredited the sense of community at UF as her biggest reason for returning.

“Everybody is here to support you,” she said. “Now looking back, I try to remind the girls to never take what they’re doing for granted.”

The sky's the limit for Florida’s current women’s tennis roster, and she sees qualities of herself spread throughout the Gators’ lineup, she said.

Senior Carly Briggs has Embree’s competitive spirit, Embree said.

Freshman Rachel Gailis carries her drive to get better, and senior Emma Shelton has her charismatic personality, Embree added.

“There’s things in everybody that I value so much,” Embree said. “I love them.”

She has no ceiling as a coach, Lahey said. Obviously Embree can win NCAA championships, but beyond that, the relationships she develops with her players will be her greatest accomplishment as a coach, Lahey said.

The Gators, with Embree coaching, will return to action in January at the Freeman Memorial championship in Las Vegas, Nevada. @zachary_curtin zcuritn@alligator.org

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022 ALLIGATOR 15

Florida braces for stricter abortion guidelines following election Republican supermajority in Florida could pave way for limited access

By Heather Bushman Alligator Staff Writer

Florida Republicans painted the post-election landscape red, paving the way for more conservative abortion policies in the upcoming legislative session.

Despite candidate emphasis on reproductive rights, Democrats didn’t pull voters in key Florida races. Now, Florida Democrats are rallying to recover from the loss while state Republicans look to stricter abortion guidelines in the coming months.

Florida voters elected a Republican supermajority in the Florida Legislature, with 85 Republicans outnumbering 35 Democrats in the House and 28 Republicans exceeding 12 Democrats in the Senate. The election marks the 12th year in a row of a Florida Republican trifecta, where the House, Senate and governor’s office are all controlled by the same party.

Abortion in Florida is banned past 15 weeks. But that could change with the new makeup of the state House and Senate.

Danielle Hawk, the former Democratic candidate for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House, said she an-

ticipates an easier path to passing stricter abortion guidelines like a six-week ban or a total ban.

“I foresee it getting worse and for them to be putting some more extreme restrictions,” Hawk said.

“They don’t need to be bipartisan, and they can really just force things through.”

Republican leaders like Gov. Ron DeSantis haven’t explicitly stated plans to tighten existing restrictions, but most ran on platforms of protecting life. Incoming Florida Senate President Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she’d support a 12-week limit to abortion, according to a Politico report.

On the national level, Democrats fared better than in Florida.

Though Republicans flipped Congress, the predicted red wave didn’t overtake the U.S. with the severity some thought it would.

Republicans hold 220 seats in the U.S. House — just two more than the minimum for a majority — and 49 seats in the Senate.

The majority is a far cry from the skew in Florida, presenting a significant challenge to the passage of Republican legislation.

SEE VOTING, PAGE 16

Namari Lock // Alligator Staff

Sasse to enter UF presidency with well-documented anti-abortion stance NEBRASKA SENATOR CELEBRATED OVERTURN OF ROE

By Peyton Harris Alligator Staff Writer

Emma Van Dyke gladly walked away from her hometown where she experienced homophobia and proudly stepped foot onto UF’s campus with rainbow-colored pins on her backpack.

Van Dyke, an 18-year-old UF theater and political science freshman, escaped outward criticisms of her sexuality by entering the college bubble.

But with the appointment of Sen. Ben Sasse as UF’s 13th president, Van Dyke said she feels like the university environment will regress in terms of sexual and reproductive health because of his history of criticizing LGBTQ landmarks and penning antiabortion legislation.

“After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it feels like a giant hand is coming to squish everything that we’ve done at UF and everything we stand for,” Van Dyke said.

Sasse’s contentious selection as President Kent Fuchs’ successor called into question some of his views and legislation while as an acting senator, despite his unanimous approval by the Board of Trustees.

Van Dyke fears for the future of accessible reproductive health resources on campus and students who are unaware or unable to seek private consultation, she added.

Some students like Branyon Skinner,

a 21-year-old UF management senior, think student opposition to Sasse is an overreaction.

Sasse has been the victim of unjust flack, he said. Skinner believes Sasse is a qualified pick.

“People act like he’s going to make it illegal to be gay on campus or make it illegal to do whatever,” he said. “If you have any sort of common sense, that’s just not something that he has the power nor the conviction to do.”

Throughout his political career, Sasse was outspoken about his opposition to LGBTQ issues and abortion protections.

In July, Sasse published an opinion piece in World News where he celebrated the overturn of Roe as a half-century’s work of victory. He touted the anti-abortion movement as the culmination of work by activists exploring options other than abortion.

“The pro-life movement’s strength never came from laws or court cases — it came from truth and love,” he wrote.

Roe soured politics and destroyed lives, he wrote. He claimed the overturn will create a future marked with love.

In a speech from the Senate floor opposing the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have codified Roe, Sasse said to improve the quality of the abortion debate, Democrats must recognize the humanity of unborn babies, and Republicans must find compassion for women and pregnancy.

“Being pro-life means being pro-science,

pro-mom and pro-baby,” he said. “It means starting with love, not with legislation.”

And in her 2014 endorsement of the senator, National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said Sasse was deeply committed to the anti-abortion agenda.

“Ben Sasse will use his knowledge and expertise to strengthen a culture of life throughout the nation and in Congress,” she said.

In 2015, Sasse authored the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which required doctors to care for infants resulting from failed abortions. For the course of six years, the act failed several times — most recently in 2021.

During his time in the Senate, Sasse was endorsed by several anti-abortion organizations including the National Right to Life Organization, the Susan B. Anthony List, the Family Research Council Action and Nebraska Right to Life.

In one of his most recent appearances at the university during his Oct. 10 UF Q&A forum, Sasse said he would defer to the state government in regard to his personal political beliefs if he were president. But not all members of the Gainesville community believe his vow of “political celibacy,” as he put it.

Adin Kortuem, a 20-year-old UF psychology sophomore, said as a female student, she believes UF should be doing its best to protect her right to choose, and Sasse isn’t an adequate face of that effort.

“If Ben Sasse became the next president

of UF, he would definitely try to limit and reduce the amount of information the school is able to give out about this topic,” she said.

Without proper resources on abortion, students could end up dropping out of UF, Korteum added.

“If they had the information out there where they could find a safe, reliable abortion clinic or a counselor to even just talk about it, they may be able to continue their time at UF and graduate,” she said.

Ashley Sanguino, a UF Generation Action Planned Parenthood spokesperson, said her initial reactions to Sasse’s finalist status were disappointment and anger.

“Many emotions that I feel ring true with how most students feel,” she said. “They feel betrayed by the institution that’s meant to protect them.”

UF’s leaders should be protecting bodily autonomy and enriching student life, Sanguino added.

Lauren Manso, a 19-year-old UF sociology and sexuality studies sophomore, said Sasse’s anti-abortion stance stands in opposition to UF’s future as a sex-positive community.

“To have someone be so anti-abortion doesn’t really sit right with me,” she said.

“This is a college campus. There shouldn’t really be someone who so staunchly supports pro-life sentiments being in power.” @peytonlharris pharris@alligator.org

16 ALLIGATOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Red wave takes Florida

VOTING, from pg. 15

Nationwide outrage following the overturn of Roe v.

Wade materialized in the general election, mostly favoring the Democrats. Around 38% of voters reported the overturn had a major impact on whether to vote, and 47% of voters said it influenced the candidates they supported, according to a study from the Associated Press VoteCast.

Voters who cited the court’s decision as the most important factor in the election favored Democrats 2:1, per the study. Among the 47% of voters who said the overturn influenced who they voted for, 64% voted for Democrats in the U.S. House.

The numbers demonstrate a national electorate engaged with the abortion issue, Hawk said. Voters approved abor-

tion protections in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont — all the states where reproductive policy was on the ballot.

In Florida, however, it was a different story. Democrats like Hawk, gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist and U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings — who all put abortion access at the top of their political platforms — lost their races to Republican incumbents.

Ben Torpey, a 26-year-old political consultant with Ozean Media, said the Democratic strategy of highlighting social issues like abortion alienated more moderate voters.

Inflation and the economy are typically at the tops of voters minds, and Torpey said an emphasis on more abstract points like abortion missed the mark.

“The majority of folks aren’t waking up in the morning and thinking about social justice and equity,” Torpey said.

Alachua voter turnout reached 53%, with 96,000 of 181,000 registered voters casting their ballots Nov. 8, ac-

cording to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office. Statewide turnout was only 47%, per a preliminary study from UF’s U.S. Elections Project.

The numbers were disappointing to OB-GYNs like Kristen Witkowski, who works at a small practice in Tampa. She fears Floridians missed their chance to safeguard abortion access in this election, and she worries policy as extreme as a total abortion ban are on the horizon with a majority Republican state.

“I hoped more people would be upset, and it would prompt people to go vote for people who will prioritize women’s health care,” Witkowski said. “That’s not what happened.”

Melanie Peña contributed to this report. @hmb_1013 hbushman@alligator.org