in the us. neighbouring florida has become a destination state for the procedure... thank you very much! ..a reputation its governor and now presidential nominee wants to undo. we've spoken to people on either side of this divisive debate... i would like to see an outright ban of abortion in america. it makes me angry. it makes me sick to my stomach that, on my watch, this happened. ..and spent with patients who've fallen through the gaps. she showed us the ultrasound photo and she kept saying, "i wish there was more i could do for you". 12 months on, how are restrictions on essential healthcare impacting america? famed for its southern hospitality, you can't stay a stranger for long in alabama. the republican stronghold is also known for its conservative and christian values and has one of the country's highest per capita execution rates. come on, boss. this lawyer moved here to defend inmates on death row. i'm alison mollman. i live and work in montgomery, alabama, with my partner steph and ourfarm of two dogs, three cats and two chickens. i think living in alabama as a woman is challenging. living in alabama is a queer woman is doubly challenging. for 50 years, pregnant women in the us had a right to an abortion during the first three months. alabama had been blocked from banning terminations until last summer... woman yells: abortion is violence! _ ..when the us supreme court reversed the roe v wade ruling and lawmakers in individual states were handed the power to decide. the procedure is now illegal here, unless there's a serious risk to the mother, with no exceptions for rape or incest. in january, alison found out she was pregnant. i was at home by myself and called my partner and was like, "you need to come home," like, "something's happened". so, she was very nervous and then, got home and then, i think we were both excited. so talk me through — if it's ok — what happened next. yeah. so, it was valentine's day and i was at work and i went to the bathroom and when i wiped, i saw blood and so, i called my ob/gyn. she showed us the ultrasound photo and she just told me, "there's nothing we can do. "this is a pregnancy thatjust, like — it's not going to "make it" and she got kind of choked up, actually, and she kept saying "i wish there was more i could do "for you" and in that moment, i didn't know what that meant. i thought she was just, like, giving condolences. doctors in alabama who perform an abortion which isn't deemed to be life—saving risk up to 99 years in prison. while miscarriage treatment is not part of the ban, pro—choice advocates say the way the law is written makes it challenging for health workers to provide care without endangering their licence. alison's doctor could've offered her abortion medication which speeds up the miscarriage process. instead, she was forced to wait for it to happen naturally. so, it's been eight days since i started bleeding and seven days since i saw my doctor and was told that my pregnancy wasn't viable. it has been one of the worst weeks of my life, just kind of feeling like i'm in purgatory. i've lost a fair amount of tissue and blood in the last week and so, i'm hoping that everything has passed naturally. i'm nervous. i want this to be over. desperate, alison drove several hours to get help from another clinic in tuscaloosa. once one of alabama's only abortion providers, since roe was overturned, it's now a non—profit reproductive health service. it promises to offer medical interventions for non—viable pregnancies so, if alison had come here first, she would've had that option. i'm dr leah torres and i'm medical director of the west alabama women's center. it's something that i've seen happen more than a few occasions, where people who would otherwise should have been helped were not and fortunately, find care here and have that care that they need before something irreversible happens — whether that's death or a hysterectomy because of an infection. these are real consequences of not getting healthcare in a timely fashion. abortion is healthcare. you don't have to like it. but the politicisation, the criminalisation of this aspect of healthcare, makes it so healthcare providers are afraid. since moving to alabama in 2019, dr torres has faced death threats and had her medical licence temporarily provoked, but she refuses to back down. 84% of maternal deaths are preventable and what do we do? we make it worse. without access to abortion care, the maternal mortality rate rises. more people die. so, over the past year, patients in alabama who've wanted or needed an abortion have had to travel hundreds of miles, normally by car and, often, to florida. now, this neighbouring state does have restrictions in place but the is—week ban is far more permissive compared to other parts of the south—east. but as i think we're going to see, florida's reproductive care system hangs in the balance. once upon a time, the home of disney was viewed as a swing state but in recent years, it's slipped out of the democrats' reach — most notably following the rise of governor ron desantis. cheering the floridian native who came from humble beginnings is one of the leading candidates for the republican presidential nomination and his right—wing policies on gender, race and reproductive rights have propelled him. here he is defending his is—week abortion law. these are unborn babies that have heartbeat, they can feel pain, they can suck their thumb. months later, he was re—elected... florida held the line! ..and it was a landslide win. he signed a 6—week abortion ban into law in april, but it's currently pending due to ongoing legal action. the so—called sunshine state has more thunderstorms than anywhere else in the us. they come fast and hard. the remnants of last year's hurricane ian, which cost lives, homes and businesses, still litter fort myers beach. but many in this city are happy with how governor desantis responded. i'm olivia, i'm 2a years old and i'm the president of the southwest florida young republicans. olivia grew up open to both political parties but during the 2016 election, she couldn't afford to attend a democrats rally, while donald trump spoke for free. she sees the overturning of roe as a positive moment for local democracy. i never really felt that the federal government should have a say in, like, reproductive rights and so, when you bring it back to the state level, you're bringing it back into the hands of the people. olivia is supporting desantis�*s bid to be president. what would you say to people who think governor desantis is just trying to out—trump trump? he wants to be the next president and he doesn't really care about the people in florida? i would say that's completely false. you can just look at his response to south—west florida during the hurricane, and even after. he's always very concerned about the constituents. his number one thing is supporting families and ensuring that children are protected and safe in this state. when i think people have an issue with desantis, it very much is because the media kind of twists the story and pushes a narrative. but we know for sure with abortion that what he wants is there to be a 6—week ban and if you are a victim of rape or incest, you would need proof of that within the first 15 weeks. but that sits comfortably with you? that's not a concern for you? no, i'm completely fine with that bill. i think with abortion, we kind of lose that humanity, we kind of try and erase it, in a sense. whereas if you just allow those mothers to carry to term and give birth, you do kind of have this humanity of at least, you know, that child dying in the mother's arms and, like, being given some sort of chance. you can never be sure what's lurking beneath the thousands of lakes and rivers in florida. but for now, the waters appear calm in broward county. i'm lauren book and i'm the democratic leader in the florida senate. my two children were born same day, three minutes of each other. my daughter has fewer rights than my son than the day they were born, just by her sex. that's wrong! senator book took part in a sit—down protest over florida's proposed 6—week ban. i thought, "what a way to just sit and bear witness and let "the consequences and chips fall where they may". she and ten others were arrested for trespass. governor desantis has the support of floridians. do you not have to accept what he's calling for, what he wants? i don't — well, here's what i know. they may support this individual but not necessarily all the ideology or the policy behind it. in fact, we know that 75% of floridians don't accept abortion band it this way. don't support 6—week abortion bans? correct — don't support a 6—week abortion ban, don't want to go this far. but this is democracy and while people may not be completely in favour of this 6—week ban, they're not against it enough to not vote — or weren't against it enough to not vote for him? his need and want and desire to have political talking points has truly destroyed floridians. they have taken away their rights and i think he's trying to speak to a very... ..very specific base of people, an evangelical, religious base outside of florida for his political ambitions and for a run for president. and i think the reality is no—one can out—trump trump when it comes to abortion. governor desantis was unavailable to speak to us but has distanced himself from donald trump. he's made clear his intention is to protect children and ensure florida is a family friendly state. senator book is part of a coalition who are seeking a state constitutional amendment which would allow abortions during the first three months. they need a million signatures by december for the ballot question to be proposed at the 2024 election. it makes me angry. it makes me sick to my stomach that, on my watch, this happened. and i'll work every day to undo what they've done. there's no peace with the murder of children! you are the ones who are guilty of it, unless you repent. outside this busy abortion centre in orlando, the battle lines are drawn. murder! on one side is a group who believe they're the last line of defence before an innocent life is taken. on the other side are pro—choice volunteers known as swans, who formed last summer and offer to shield patients from people likejohn. we can help you, young lady. they'll only let one of you in there. you got my best side? it's back here. laughter. i understand that you've been protesting outside this clinic for 20 years. i don't protest but i've been here for 20 years. what do you do? i come here to offer help and hope to women that come here. what if the help that that woman needs is to have an abortion? well, i'm not going to help anyone have an abortion, and there's no need for it. there really isn't. we can take care of everything. can you understand that your presence might make patients coming here feel uncomfortable? do you have any sympathy for them? these guys make �*em more uncomfortable. these guys have gotten rid of more people here that i ever could. they dance around out here, ringing their bells and cheering and playing their accordions and it — girls are coming here struggling, girls are coming here — and these guys are out here like it's a party. it drives �*em away. so, we use a lot of noise makers as tactics to distract anti—abortion protesters, mainly because they're funny, they're silly. we don't have to yell and scare patients, we can make a lot of noise. we get a lot of chickens and stuff down here, too. bell rings. do you ever worry that your presence is making a difficult situation even more difficult for some patients? i don't think so. we have a lot of patients that say hey, "you saw us on saturday and we were so thankful that you were here". i'm sure that some patients wish that no—one was out here. but if we all look stupid and we all look absurd, then at least they don't look scary, you know what i mean? research suggests the majority of abortion patients in the us are considered poor or on a low income. time off work, child care, fuel, accommodation — the costs stack up with black and hispanic communities disproportionately affected. the swans have raised money for abortions on tiktok after they found women begging on the streets. that's your future! hellfire for you! you are a murderer! you hate... john denies he's ever harassed anyone but admits others have. some people bring cut—up baby pictures and all that stuff and i beg them, "please don't bring that stuff here. "please respect. "i've been here this long. "please respect" — what? i don't know why you're shaking your head but i've never — i don't let people bring that stuff down here. you don't agree? oh, i absolutely disagree. what followed next was a lengthy row. you told someone the other day who had a toddler, you said, "oh, killthat one and let the other one..." no, no, no — i was using their own ridiculous way of reasoning. i said, "why don't you kill one of them and let this one live?" when patients are here with a male or a perceived male partner, they're called "cowards". oh, yeah. they are. it's done, john. yeah. horrible. so why are you yelling at them? why are you yelling at someone on anaesthesia? i'm not yelling at them. 0h. you say, "oh, we could have helped you!" we could've! but is that something they need to hear when they've just had a medical procedure? you mean when they killed their baby? yes. how is that helpful? how is any of that that we just said helpful? because they need to repent of what they did. 200 miles south, it's quiet outside another women's clinic in the city of naples. hi! it treats unplanned pregnancies and ages range from i! to late 40s. this is where the patients come for their initial exam. funded by private donors and local churches, services are free, including ultrasounds. but if a patient wants an abortion, they have to go elsewhere. i'm doctor karysse trandem. i'm on a board—certified obstetrician and gynaecological surgeon. i would like to see an outright ban of abortion in america. doctor trandem trend showed us research which suggests elective abortions physically and mentally harm women. but the broad medical consensus contradicts this. the american college of obstetricians and gynaecologists states abortions are a safe medical intervention with fewer risks than childbirth. there are risks to pregnancy but they are less than the risks of having an abortion. if the pregnancy is hurting the mother physically, taking her physical life, such as an ectopic pregnancy, and i do think it is necessary for a separation of the pregnancy to occur. so, what do you think about the argument that ultimately, you are entitled to believe what you want but that shouldn't negate a woman's right to have an abortion if she feels that's what she needs? i would say there is two patients for every woman who is pregnant — it's the woman and the baby. they can continue that pregnancy which is protective for them emotionally and physically and offer that child to another family who is in need. but social workers warn these babies could end up in the struggling care system with more than 100,000 children estimated to already be on waiting lists. so, here's what they get. it's like a store, isn't it? next door to the clinic is the baby boutique. new parents can attend classes and earn baby bucks. she's able to get these clothes and diapers and wipes and everything she needs for free. it's stilljust a fraction of the cost of what bringing a baby into this world equates to. we have a job—find service that we offer to our mums and also, there's churches — local churches — who offer free daycare to our patients. hello, kim. hi! this is kim, our director for next steps... kim had an abortion in 1978, five years after the roe ruling. she says it's her biggest regret. five months later, i got pregnant with my daughter and that was when it really hit home — is when you have that baby and you hold that baby in your arms and you see what you could've had. decades on and i can see tears in your eyes. it's why i'm here. and it's not too late, you know, for us to tell the girls the truth. it's not a ball of tissue, it's a human being inside of you. back in alabama, we asked dr torres to take a look at an anti—abortion fact sheet that doctor trandem had shared with us. the resources seemed very flawed and they have been debunked and so, i didn't really give much credit to the fact sheet. i don't engage in debates about when life begins because the fact of the matter is no—one and no thing can be inside my body without my consent, and to say otherwise is dehumanising. but doctor trandem stands by the research. we've heard quite a lot about the traumatic impact of having an abortion, that a woman may go on to regret it. i would question how much that person had been shamed and stigmatised about seeking abortion care. it's not so much the procedure itself but rather, how our society treats people that is the problem. a year on since the reversal of roe, 14 states are navigating a new world where a previously held right is no more while states without restrictions have seen a surge in abortion tourism. we've heard of texan women driving for ten hours, patients from the south flying to new york or washington, and delayed care means increased risk. but for millions, this new direction is the right one, a lifesaver, and they won't rest until there is a nationwide ban. you get benny in. i'll get bad dog. we're finishing ourjourney where we started, with alison. a couple of weeks ago i tested positive, so i'm about six weeks pregnant right now. and how do you feel? it doesn't feel real yet. luckily, i had the means that if i needed to go out of state, that would be an option, but i am worried about criminality. even if you go out of state or do something that you need to for your body, there's conspiracy and other charges that could be brought against you and, of course, i'm scared but more than anything, i'm just, like, really, really hopeful. hello. friday brought us a line of slow—moving thunderstorms across eastern england, and they brought some very heavy rain. this was suffolk. further south, in essex, they saw 9mm of rain fall in just the space of one hour. so the rain was really quite intense. talking about rain, we've got more of that to come on saturday, thanks to this area of low pressure which has been named by the met office as storm antoni. now, antoni will have a number of hazards. the first — heavy, persistent rain for northern ireland. 20—aomm here, maybe more than that over the high ground in the mournes. there could be enough to bring some flooding issues here, but as the rain extends into england and wales, the winds really pick up. for wales and south west england, we're talking about gusts reaching 50—65mph in places. could be strong enough to bring down 1—2 trees, so there is the risk of seeing some transport disruption. the wet and windy weather will continue to extend its way eastwards. it will be brighter for scotland, a mixture of sunshine and a few showers here, and brighter through the afternoon for northern ireland as well, with the winds slowly calming down. for some, it will be really quite a cold day for august, with temperatures potentially just around 14—15 celsius for some. now, as we go through saturday night, the winds will continue to calm down, the rain tending to become confined to eastern areas of england, the weather drier across western portions of the uk. temperatures overnight, saturday night, well, ranging from around 7—12 celsius in our larger towns and cities. sunday is the better of the two days of the weekend. it's a day of sunshine and showers, the greatest chance of seeing showers across scotland and eastern areas of england, where some of them will turn heavy and thundery. probably largely dry across wales and south west england, but wherever you are, our temperatures continue to be a little bit below average for the time of year. now, monday looks like being a cheerier day for many of us. not completely rain—free, mind you. after a sunny start in northern ireland, we could see some rain arriving late in the day, and there will be some showers working into north—west scotland. england and wales largely dry with some sunny spells. our temperatures still roundabout the high teens to low 20s. so not a bad kind of day overall, but then, tuesday not a good day. we've got a weak area of low pressure crossing the country, and that means, yes, more rain, although things will probably brighten up in the west as we go through the day. so northern ireland cheering up through the afternoon with sunshine and may be an odd shower. temperatures still high teens to low 20s, so still not particularly warm for august. but we will see changes in the weather pattern beyond that because later in the week we'll see our first area of high pressure across the uk for some seven weeks, and that's going to be dragging in some warmer air. now, with that, we should see temperatures climb at least into the mid—20s, maybe the high 20s in the warmest spots in the best of the day's sunshine on thursday. now, the reason we get a big change in the weather pattern is down to the jet stream. this was quite typical injuly — very large waves, so we had a big ridge in the mid—atlantic, big troughs near the uk that kept developing low pressures that fired across the uk. that big—scale pattern tends not to move. the jet stream blocked, it was very unsettled. whereas looking at the weather later in the week, the jet stream taking these smaller meanders, and this kind of pattern does tend to move through. so there will still be ridges where we get high pressure, there will still be some troughs around, where we get low pressure, but nothing's blocked. the jet stream is going to continue to move those weather systems through and so, overall, a better spell of weather with some longer, drier, warmer spells, especially towards the south and east of the uk. still some rain around, especially across the north—west of the uk. that's your latest weather. live from london, this is bbc news. the former us president, donald trump, uses a campaign rally to say the latest criminal charges against him are ridiculous. every time they fail an indictment we go way up in the polls. we need one more indictment to close out this election. a powerful west african bloc agrees on a possible military intervention in niger ahead of a deadline for coup leaders to hand back power. it's been two months since ukraine launched its counteroffensive. bbc verify looks at how much progress has been made. and chaos in new york after a twitch influencer promised to give out hundreds of games consoles to fans.

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