On this Thursday, Sept. 23, episode of Sundial.
Florida Abortion Bill
Just weeks after the Texas legislature passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, Florida is following suit with a similar proposal. This week, State Rep. Webster Barnaby filed the bill in committee. It allows private citizens to file suit if they believe an individual is aiding in an abortion of a pregnancy that’s more than six weeks in progress.
The legislative session is set to begin in January and this is likely to be among the hotly contested topics. Meanwhile, the Texas abortion law is facing its first legal challenge after a private practice performed an abortion past the six weeks granted by the state.
“Initially when the Supreme Court let the Texas abortion law go into effect, Governor DeSantis and key Republicans in the Legislature were very positive about this kind of strategy,” said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University who specializes in the legal history of reproduction, the family, sexuality, and the Constitution. “Since then, the governor’s spokespeople have been much more keeping their cards close to the vest on this. It’s not clear that Governor DeSantis is supporting this bill, in part because we’ve seen some popular backlash to the idea of civil enforcement which can kind of create a bounty scheme.”
Ziegler, who also wrote "Abortion and the Law in America," was clear that the current bill still needs to go through the legislative process and will likely face a number of changes. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the summer of 2022 on a Mississippi abortion law that could effectively overturn the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision.
'Alice in Wonderland' Art Exhibit
“Alice in Dystopia” is a new short film being showcased at the IPC ArtSpace in Little Haiti. It re-imagines the classic Lewis Carroll novel "Alice in Wonderland" through a darker lens. Instead of stumbling upon a fantasy underworld, after falling through the rabbit hole, Alice ends up in our world today — and she sees a world on fire, social unrest, disease and division.
“The story itself I was really intrigued by the caterpillar asking her [Alice], ‘Who are you?’ And I think that’s a question everybody asks themselves during transitional times,” said Jeanne Jaffe, the artist behind the short stop-action film.
The film is part of the exhibition “Tales of Transformation,” exploring classic stories and how they can serve us in times of crisis. Molly McGreevy is the other artist exhibiting at the ArtSpace and also joined Sundial for the conversation.
SunFest Returns to West Palm Beach
After being postponed two years in a row, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SunFest in Palm Beach County will return next spring. The four-day outdoor festival is one of the biggest in the region.
The event will also celebrate its 40th anniversary next year.
WLRN Palm Beach County reporter Wilkine Brutus explains the impact the festival has on the local community and the series of free concerts that will be held in the months leading up to next year’s event.
