A Young Woman in Florida: Experiencing Health Inequity First-Hand

By Liliana Sisto

I am a young woman who has lived 19 of my 20 years of life in Florida. I am a young woman who loves Disney World, the ocean, the springs, and living in Florida. But I am also a young woman who has lost her universal human right to health care. 

When Roe vs. Wade was overturned in 2022, I did not know how much it would impact my life. At the time, I relied on Planned Parenthood, a government-funded agency, for contraceptives. It was only when I met with my doctor on a telehealth call towards the end of 2022 that I realized my life would be impacted by the Supreme Court ruling. At the end of the call, the doctor provided me with additional resources for reproductive health care services, including abortion, that were not affiliated with Planned Parenthood. When I asked why, my doctor simply replied, “We may not be here when you need us.” That is when it hit me. 

Living in a Republican-majority state, there has always been a ticking time bomb strapped to reproductive rights. Before Roe vs. Wade was overturned, Florida already had a 15-week abortion ban put in place by Florida House Bill 5. It was only about two months after Bill 5 was enacted that the Supreme Court made its ruling. I remember headlines across national news over the next few months listing out “red” states that had started enacting stricter abortion bans. Alabama. Tennessee. Louisiana.  

Now, it is Florida’s turn. On November 5th, Amendment 4, protecting a 24-week timeline for abortions, failed to receive enough votes. Despite receiving a 57% vote supporting its enactment, the Amendment did not reach the required 60% support to pass. Now, abortions can only happen before six weeks in Florida. 

“Abortion can be medically necessary.” This was the statement made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2019. Abortion is medically necessary when a pregnancy complication threatens the life of the mother, and there are no alternative medical procedures to protect the life of the mother and fetus. According to the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecologists at the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, these complications can include ectopic pregnancies, severe fetal anomalies, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, and molar pregnancies. Every single one of these complications occurs after six weeks of pregnancy. 

Access to abortion not only protects women’s lives––it also reduces stress on the healthcare system. The World Health Organization finds that complications of unsafe abortions cost health systems in developing countries US$ 553 million per year for post-abortion treatments. Moreover, households in developed countries experienced an estimated US$ 922 million in loss of income due to long-term disability from unsafe abortions. For a country already facing extreme disparities in access to and affordability of healthcare, reducing costs should be a top priority. 

With all this evidence highlighting the medical and economic benefits of abortion access, it seems shocking that Amendment 4 would not receive 100% support. However, healthcare has become politicized in Florida and the rest of the United States. The failure to separate religion from the state and the use of fear-mongering tactics by Republican politicians has demonized a life-saving medical treatment.  

On a personal level, I am shocked by how many young women are publicly opposed to Amendment 4 in Florida. Every time I have been to a Planned Parenthood clinic, it has been bursting at the seams with patients. Women from all socioeconomic statuses in the same building seeking medical treatment. So many women, that I ask, “Who is voting against our rights? Because we all seem to be relying on the same services.” 

While I cannot answer that question, I can share some examples of Floridian hypocrisy. One woman, whom I follow publicly on social media, posted her disagreement with Amendment 4 after Election Day. Five years ago, her little sister, who was my age at the time, shared with me that she was recovering from an abortion because she practiced unprotected sex. Young men have been sharing their excitement about the abortion ban on Instagram, but still ask their partners for unprotected sex because “it feels better.” Fathers post about how “abortion is murder” on Facebook but have left single mothers to support the children that they abandoned.  

The disparities in access to abortion across the United States is a blatant example of health inequity. Although I may not be able to access abortion services in Florida, I am privileged enough to attend university in Canada, where I can access those services. This is not the case for so many American women. Abortion bans disproportionately impact low-income women who cannot afford to travel out-of-state and receive medical treatment. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous women in the U.S. already experience higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity due to structural inequities in healthcare. The Turnaway Study, a landmark longitudinal study, found that women who are denied abortions are more likely to experience poverty, financial distress, and adverse health outcomes compared to those who could access the service.  

Simply put, abortion bans are bans on healthcare. It is not a procedure that should be politicized, criminalized, or demonized. It is shameful that a country as developed as the United States has failed to protect abortion access and promoted health inequity. 

I am a young woman from Florida, and I am scared for American women. 

References 

Abortion legislation timeline in Florida: https://www.clickorlando.com/results-2024/2024/11/04/from-roe-v-wade-to-6-week-ban-to-amendment-4-floridas-abortion-history/ 

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists statement: https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2019/09/abortion-can-be-medically-necessary 

WHO information about abortion: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abortion 

Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists at the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland guidelines for termination of pregnancy: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/acute-hospitals-division/woman-infants/clinical-guidelines/risk-to-life-or-health-of-a-pregnant-woman-in-relation-to-termination-of-pregnancy-2019-.pdf’ 

CDC Report on Maternal Mortality in the United States (2021): https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2021/maternal-mortality-rates-2021.htm 

The Turnaway Study: https://www.ansirh.org/research/ongoing/turnaway-study 

Liliana Sisto

is in her final year of pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ecological Determinants of Health at McGill and is one of the 2024 Global Health Scholars. She has a passion for social determinants of health, specifically the interaction between culture and health outcomes. During her time at McGill, Liliana has done research on midwifery practices in East Africa, worked on policy briefs to reduce gender-based violence in South Africa, and worked for the National Institutes of Health studying sleep health equity. Liliana is currently the VP External for the Canadian Association of Global Health McGill Chapter and was previously on the planning committee for the Global Health Students and Young Professionals Summit. Outside of her academic career, Liliana is an avid traveler and enjoys any activity on or in the water. She is the captain of McGill's water polo team and loves to scuba dive and sail when she is back home in Florida.