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Synagogue sues Florida over abortion ban, saying it violates freedom of religion for Jews

Advocating for abortion access is not the religious argument we usually hear, but it is no less valid than religious arguments against it.

abortion, jewish, florida
Photo by Aiden Frazier on Unsplash, @ravbogard/Twitter

Jewish leaders are explaining that abortion is a religious right.

Debate over legal access to abortion has long been a part of social and political discourse, but increasing state-level restrictions and a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that threatens to overturn five decades of legal precedent have propelled abortion directly into the spotlight once again.

While we're accustomed to seeing religious arguments against abortion from Christian organizations, a synagogue in Florida is flipping the script, making the argument that banning abortion actually violates Jewish religious liberty.

In a lawsuit against the Florida government, Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor of Boynton Beach says that the state's pending abortion law, which prohibits abortion after 15 weeks with few exceptions, violates the Jewish teaching that abortion "is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman.” Citing the constitutional right to freedom of religion, the lawsuit states that the act "prohibits Jewish women from practicing their faith free of government intrusion and this violates their privacy rights and religious freedom."

Wow.


The Florida 15-week abortion ban only grants exceptions if the mother's life is at risk, if she is at risk of "irreversible physical impairment" or if the fetus is found to have a fatal abnormality. There are no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.

If Jewish law stipulates that access to abortion is required not only for a woman's physical well-being but also her mental well-being, then laws that criminalize such access are violating religious freedom, Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor contends.

Advocating for abortion access is not the religious argument we usually hear, but it is on equal footing with religious arguments against it. (It's worth pointing out that Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida abortion act into law not at his office, but rather at a church.)

The synagogue's lawsuit raises the question of which religion takes precedence when it comes to legislation. It also highlights the difference between "This is against my religion, therefore no one can do it" and "This is part of my religious tradition, therefore I legally have a right to access it." The former really has no place in U.S. law, as it violates the traditional separation of church and state, and the latter is a prime example of the purpose of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

Part of what makes legislating abortion so messy is that the questions at the heart of the debate are actually largely religious in nature. What is the true nature of human life and when does life begin? At what point is a zygote, an embryo, a fetus considered a full human being with the same rights as the rest of us? What is the relationship between a human (or potential human) in the womb and the person whose body is building it? What responsibilities does the person who is building it have toward that life, and what responsibility does society and/or the government have in holding the human accountable for those responsibilities?

These are all legitimate questions that don't have easy, straightforward answers, no matter how simplistic and undernuanced people try to make them. They may be simple questions for some people to answer individually, but collectively? No. We all make those determinations based on different criteria, different beliefs, different values and different understandings of the nature of life. There is no way for "we the people" as a whole to answer those questions definitively.

And the implications of those questions extend far beyond the abortion debate. The Cleveland Clinic states that one-third to a half of pregnancies end in miscarriage before a person even knows they're pregnant. For those who believe that life begins at conception or fertilization, should every death in the womb be considered a tragedy? Should we mourn the loss of lives we carried that we never even knew existed?

There are the slippery slopes that stem from those questions as well. Some religious people may see a miscarriage as God's will, but what if it was caused by something a woman did? What if a miscarriage occurred because of an action taken of her own free will? Is she culpable for that loss using the same logic we use to criminalize abortion? At what point do we start policing women's behaviors—what she eats or drinks, what medications she takes, whether she's around smokers, and so on—at all times in order to protect a life she may potentially be carrying? We're already seeing women being jailed for miscarriages. How far will we go with it?

What about things like child support payments and government benefits? Why we do not expect child support to be paid from the moment a pregnancy is detected? Why do we not give Social Security numbers to Americans in the womb? Why can we not claim a child on our taxes until they are born? If there is genuinely no difference between a life being grown inside a uterus at 12 or 15 or 20 weeks and a life outside a uterus, why does the law treat them differently?

How do we begin to answer these questions when the heart of them always circles back to individual beliefs?

The synagogue's religious freedom argument is compelling for sure, but the bottom line is we shouldn't be legislating on something based on religious beliefs in the first place. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…" That's literally the opening line of the First Amendment of the Constitution. Banning abortion is, in effect, establishing a particular religious belief as law and prohibiting the free exercise of religion for an entire group of people.

At a basic level, abortion is 1) a medical event that entails far too many individual factors that are not the business of the government to judge, and 2) a choice that is determined to be valid or invalid, right or wrong, based largely on individual religious beliefs. Both of those realities are reason enough for legislators, who are neither medical professionals nor religious leaders, to stay out of people's uteruses and leave these incredibly personal medical and religious decisions to the individual.

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Science

Her groundbreaking theory on the origin of life was rejected 15 times. Then biology proved her right.

Lynn Margulis had the audacity to challenge Darwin. And we're lucky she did.

lynn margulis, lynn margulis symbiosis, biology, scientific breakthroughs, darwin, darwinism, women in science
Facts That Will Blow Your Mind/Facebook

A photo of Lynn Margulis.

Throughout her prolific and distinguished career, biologist Lynn Margulis made several groundbreaking contributions to science that we take for granted as common knowledge today. For example, she championed James E. Lovelock’s “Gaia concept,” which posited that the Earth self-regulates to maintain conditions for life.

But by far, her most notable theory was symbiogenesis. While it was first written off as “strange” and “aesthetically pleasing” but “not compelling,” it would ultimately prevail, and completely rewrite how we viewed the origin of life itself.

In the late 1960s, Margulis wrote a paper titled "On the Origin of Mitosing Cells," that was quite avant-garde. In it, she proposed a theory: that life evolved through organisms merging together to become inseparable.

In essence, cooperation is the driver of life, not competition and domination. This directly went against Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” principle that was considered gospel in scientific circles. Margulis’ paper was rejected by fifteen journals before getting accepted into the Journal of Theoretical Biology.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Time would be on Margulis’ side, however. By the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, research proved that the two major building blocks of plants and animals, chloroplasts and mitochondria were at one time independent bacteria. This solidified the fact that on a biological level, connection trumps autonomy for longevity. And now that fact is written in textbooks, with no real story of the adversity it overcame to get there.

While it is customary for most new scientific theories to be met with criticism, especially those that completely shift the current narrative, many have noted that sexism played a key part in Margulis’ initial lack of acceptance. On more than one occasion, she herself had hinted that women were seen as mothers and wives first, and scientists second. She recalled that while married to fellow scientist Carl Sagan that “Carl would finish his sentence, unperturbed” while she was expected to “handle all the duties of a 1950s housewife, from washing dishes to paying the household bills.”

And yet, Margulis would have other ideas that were controversial that had nothing to do with her gender. Most famously, she did not believe that AIDS was caused by HIV, and instead believed it was cause by a syphilis-causing type of bacteria, despite there already being decades of research proving otherwise. That view was seen as an endorsement of AIDS denialism, which undermined prevention and treatment effort. Then later in life, Margulis became a vocal proponent of 9/11 conspiracy theories suggesting government involvement the in Twin Towers attacks.

And yet, perhaps this is one of those “you gotta take the good with the bad” situations. Margulis’ inherent contrarian nature gave us both these unfounded, even harmful stances, in addition to entirely new paradigms that altered our understanding of life itself.

And if nothing else, it illuminated the need for science to include multiple points of view in order to unlock the truth. It seems life is, after all, about coming together.

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Someone asked, 'What did the '80s smell like?' and the scent memories are a time warp

Aqua Net and Marlboros, with top notes of Drakkar Noir.

1980s, '80s scents, mrs. fields cookies, smoking, aqua net, nostalgia
via Phillip Pessar/Flickr, Simon Evans/Flickr, George Kelly/Flickr

A Mrs. Fields cookie shop, a can of Aqua Net, and a teenager smoking.

One of the most distinctive features of the human sense of smell is that it bypasses the brain's sensory filters and goes straight to the limbic system, where memories and emotions reside. That's why a simple smell can bring you right back to a place in time in an emotional way that even a photograph or a song can't do.

Scents have an incredible way of taking us to a specific time and place, and for those of us who lived through the 1980s, certain smells act like a wormhole to the Reagan era, a time defined by big hair, Cold War tensions, and New Wave music.

ThrillaRilla39, an X user who frequently posts about nostalgia, asked their followers, "What did the '80s smell like?" The question received nearly 6,000 responses. The scents people shared are sure to bring readers back to a time when you didn't come home until the streetlights came on and everyone was still wondering who shot J.R. Ewing.

Two answers, in particular, really stood out: cigarettes and Aqua Net hairspray. It makes sense. In 1980, 33.2 percent of American adults smoked cigarettes, compared with just 11.6 percent in 2022. You could smoke just about anywhere back then, in restaurants, at the mall, and even inside the house with the doors closed. It's safe to say we've learned a bit about public health since the Neon Eighties.

Here are the 18 best responses to "What did the '80s smell like?"

Many X users shared the perfumes and colognes that were popular in the '80s.





Nothing defined the '80s quite like the interior of a Pizza Hut, smelling of hot cheese, sweaty kids, and cigarettes.



That chemical smell of plastic bubbles that you could never wash off your fingers.


Or, if you were a kid in the '80s, smelly erasers were all the rage. The only problem was when your little brother thought they were candy and tried to eat one.



Big hair was everywhere, and Aqua Net, the 99-cent hairspray that could double as a flamethrower, was ubiquitous. Don't get it on your forehead, it'll never wash off.



The eggy, orangey smell of Orange Julius seemed to permeate half the mall.



Everything smelled like cigarettes because people smoked everywhere.

It may sound bizarre in 2026, but the first federal ban on smoking on airplanes didn't go into effect until 1990. Other notable bans: Arizona began restricting smoking in certain areas in 1974, and Minnesota started regulating smoking in public spaces in 1975. One of the most significant laws came in 1995, when California banned smoking in workplaces, including restaurants and bars.



Did you do a good job on your social studies assignment? No cavities at the dentist? Memorize all the books of the New Testament? Your reward in 1984 was a scratch-n-sniff sticker. Well done, Kevin.



Back in the '80s, people didn't use much sunscreen. Instead, they used lotions designed to make tanning easier, even though they increased the risk of skin cancer. It wasn't the healthiest choice, but those suntanning lotions did have a pleasant coconut-meets-olive-oil scent.




Nothing smelled better in the '80s than walking into a Kmart or Sears and catching the scent of the popcorn machine running all day.



Or walking into the mall and smelling these bad boys from 100 yards away.


There was something about the plastic in a Trapper Keeper that gave off a scent lasting the entire school year, far longer than the plastic rings inside, which usually broke before Christmas.



The '80s are long gone, but for those who lived through the era, they still live deep in the recesses of our minds. They can come alive at the simple smell of a dirty Chuck E. Cheese token, a whiff of English Leather cologne, or an old La-Z-Boy chair where Grandpa smoked for decades.

The '80s may not have been the healthiest time to be alive, but they are impossible to forget.

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15 years ago, a Russian gymnast was interrupted by her 2-year-old daughter. It became a historic performance.

"This is beyond beautiful. 🥲"

dance, motherhood, mommy daughter dance, mother daughter relationship, parenting, wholesome
Umi4ika/Youtube

Svetlana Putintseva with her daughter Masha.

In 2005 at only 18 years old, Russian rhythmic gymnast Svetlana Putintseva became a world champion, after which she retired and eventually became a mom. Then, in 2011, Putintseva came out of retirement for one special Gala performance.

Little did anyone know that her then two-year-old daughter named Masha would be the key to making that performance so special.

As the story goes, the young child refused to leave her side that night. But rather than stopping the performance, Putintseva did what so many incredible moms do: she masterfully held space for two different identities.

As we see in the video below, Putintseva simply brought Masha onto the dance floor and incorporated her into the routine—holding and comforting her at times, performing impressive moves while she ran around at others…letting it all become a lively, endearing interaction rather than a rote routine. It became something really touching:

Watch:

Now, a bit of fact-checking as this video has once again started going viral. Despite what many captions say, Putintseva‘s daughter was likely always a planned part of the performance (the tiny leotard is a bit of a giveaway). But that doesn’t really take away from the message behind it: motherhood weaves another soul into one's identity, forever. And one of the biggest lessons it teaches is how to hold someone else steady, all while becoming ourselves.

Every day, moms are engaging in a similar type of “dance”: navigating through the world while guiding and nurturing their little ones. It probably doesn't always feel quite as graceful as what Putintseva put out, and, yet, it is just as beautiful.

dance, motherhood, mommy daughter dance, mother daughter relationship, parenting, wholesome A mother hugging her daughter.Photo credit: Canva

Maybe so many thought it was an improvised moment because improvising is a very real parent superpower. That’s certainly the takeaway we get from some of these lovely comments:

“You cannot control life but you can learn to dance with it. 🤍”

"This is beyond beautiful. 🥲"

“If this isn't a metaphor for motherhood. We improvise so much.”

“A mother’s unconditional love 🥹❤️ She just made my whole month.”

“I do this sometimes while deejaying. My daughter comes up so I hit the slicer and let her chop it up. A few chops and she is happy and goes about her business. 🥰”

“I can see my daughter doing this to me soon whenever I get up on stage on perform. She already stares long and hard at me whenever I am onnstage singing. She doesn't take her eyes off me. Sure she would be running up to stand with me when she starts walking 😂😂 i look forward to it tho”

“Sobbing 😭😭😭😭 As a dancer who hasn’t performed since having a kid, this inspires me in so many ways 🥹🥹 So beautiful and it’s clear that she admires her mom so much 🥰”

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Though not much is written on Putintseva following this performance, one blog post says that Masha has followed in her footsteps by getting into rhythmic gymnastics. Maybe it all started with this one performance. ❤️

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Mel Robbins and Charles Duhigg explain how to avoid 'kitchen sinking' arguments with your spouse

"I felt like you were in the kitchen with me and my husband."

conversation tips, marriage tips, marriage counseling, arguments, therapy
Photo credit: Canva

Beat the problem as a team.

Couples fight in a marriage; it happens. However, the difference between healthy couples and toxic ones is one simple question: Are you “kitchen sinking” during your arguments? During a conversation between author and communication expert Mel Robbins and journalist Charles Duhigg, the duo discussed what “kitchen sinking” is and how it can easily turn arguments into a tornado of tension that both parties end up regretting.

The term “kitchen sinking” refers to the common phrase “Everything but the kitchen sink.” In this situation, "kitchen sinking" means one or both parties in the argument bring up unrelated grievances or past issues into the current argument. It’s a form of whataboutism in which what should be a focused conversation turns into you, your spouse, or both reopening old wounds or making fresh ones rather than approaching the problem you’re currently facing as a team.

@melrobbins

This is the most toxic thing that could be happening in your relationship that no one is talking about... according to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Charles Duhigg. On this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Charles Duhigg is sharing the science-backed strategies and tools to stop arguing and start connecting again, even when you completely disagree. Listen now! 🎧 "How to Talk to Difficult People: Proven Strategies to Stop Arguments & Feel Connected Again." #melrobbins #melrobbinspodcast #difficultpeople #stoparguing #communicationtips

This looks like an argument about whether to visit your spouse’s mother for Thanksgiving turning into a multi-pronged yell-fest: about how family finances prevent you both from doing something else on Thanksgiving, about how you never wash the dishes, about how one spouse's alarm wakes the other, and on. Instead of addressing one conflict, you both bring up “everything but the kitchen sink.”

"I felt like you were in the kitchen with me and my husband,” said Robbins after Duhigg explained the term to her. While it’s not uncommon to fall into kitchen sinking, Duhigg did offer a suggestion on how to avoid it.

Duhigg explained that the best way to avoid kitchen sinking is to maintain focus on the end goal, as it’s usually something both you and your spouse want. This way, the two of you can discuss why you disagree on topic at hand, and thus find a solution or uncover a deeper issue as the real root of the problem. Instead of piling on one another, you’re finding a way out as a team.

@dr_carla_manly

This can be damaging to your relationship, and you might not evenn be aware that you are doing it! Follow for more relationship tips, advice, conversations, & more! #relationship #relationshipadvice #relationshiptips #relationshipexpert #dating #datingadvice #womenoftiktok #couplegoals

For the example of visiting your spouse’s mother for Thanksgiving, you can bring up the end goal (“I want us to have the best Thanksgiving possible”) and the problem you foresee (“Your mother and I don’t get along very well”), and then invite their input (“Do you have any ideas on how we can make this great for both of us?”). This way it creates a back-and-forth, there's no finger-pointing, and you come up with a focused result while addressing any feelings behind it.

Licensed marriage and family therapist Chloë Bean tells Upworthy that when someone tends to kitchen sink during an argument, it may be a fight-or-flight response being unleashed.

“I see 'kitchen sinking' less as a communication issue and more of a regulation problem,” said Bean. “When resentment and feelings have gotten so strong, the body goes into a ‘now or never’ panic mode.”

@theyogacouple

It's not if you fight that determines your relationships success, it's HOW you fight. Couples who learn to fight fair, will have a better relationship in the long run. So have a relationship check in and talk about your rules for navigating conflict. This allows for more accountability and transparency moving forward and sets you up for greater success in solving relationship conflict. - if you want to learn how to do this, you can read The Inner Work of Relationships book. It's available on IG shop, TikTok shop and Amazon! #conflictresolution #marriageadvice #communicationskills #relationships #conflict

Bean also brought up that piling issues on top of issues doesn’t just end up with nothing being truly resolved, but can also make spouses feel overwhelmed in the marriage itself.

“The key to fighting fair is to slow things down first and foremost,” said Bean. “Focus on one issue at a time because when multiple issues are stacked all together, the partnership gets overloaded and no one can feel safe or truly heard.”

If this seems to be a recurring issue in your relationship, this advice helps couples focus on jointly attacking the initial problem rather than attacking one another—even if that original argument is actually about the kitchen sink.

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Mom claims she has the 'key' to being a great mother-in-law, and it's way too accurate

It's all about finding new ways to be happy.

toxic mother in law, mil, parenting, boundaries, toxic mil, mother in law, motherhood, family, mom advice
@millennialmatleave/TikTok

"Fill you own cup" is good advice for nearly every situation, isn't it?

It may come as a surprise to many of us, but not every mother-in-law disregards boundaries, questions their kid’s parenting styles, tries to manipulate, and so on and so forth. But there’s a reason why the stereotype exists. Plenty of couples have their own horror stories of being on the receiving end of toxic MIL behavior.

But for those who want to avoid being that stereotype, Janelle Marie on TikTok believes she has found the “key.” And it’s all about filling your own cup. “Fill your dang cup. Something outside of your children that makes you feel good, makes you feel fulfilled, makes you feel happy,” Janelle begins in a TikTok.

@heyjanellemarie Lets get some hobbies girls…..you know, when you can find a single free moment #hobbies #motherinlaw #toxicmotherinlaw #relationshipadvice #parentingtips #lifehack #grandparents #inlaws #parenting #boymom ♬ original sound - Janelle Marie

That means that besides devoting your identity towards nurturing kids, you should be “nurturing” your marriage, as well as other relationships, like friendships, she notes.

“I unfortunately feel like a number of mothers-in-law that are feeling really confused about this role of mother-in-law or dissatisfied with the role of mother-law, and it ends up meaning that they act in a way that comes across as desperate or controlling or with guilt trips — women who don’t have enough going on outside of their relationship and their role as a mom. And so when their kids grow up, they’re ill-equipped to replace that relationship with other things.”

Janelle concludes by acknowledging it’s “easier said than done,” and reiterates that she isn’t trying to place blame, but rather just point out that “it’s something we need to be aware of.” There are many mothers who have graduated to mother-in-law status and have built their entire identity around being a parent. It has to be a shock to the system to realize that you must find a new outlet in life for personal fulfillment. But it's probably what's best for themselves and their children.


Generate ALT toxic mother in law, mil, parenting, boundaries, toxic mil, mother in law, motherhood, family, mom advice A mother-in-law eavesdropping.Photo credit: Canva


In the comments, folks clearly resonate with Janell’s stance—many have MILs of their own who could really benefit from a hobby or a friend circle.

“My MIL’s hobby was getting into my marriage,” quipped one viewer.

“My toxic mother-in-law has had zero friends in the 18 years I’ve known her,” said another.

A few MILs even chimed in. One shared, “I noticed I got too involved/emotional/bothered by my son’s relationship and immediately looked in the mirror! Poured that energy into my marriage, friends, and hobbies.”

“OMG, you’re right,” reflected another. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m a good MIL, I don’t meddle or overstep, but boy do I struggle. I definitely need to get a hobby!”

It must be hard to create a new identity

As we know, it can be hard for any mom to not lose themselves in the demands of raising a child. And only up until recently were women allowed by society to see themselves as anything beyond being a mother. Self-care is also a fairly new concept for everyone. It is understandable that many MILs find themselves in this struggle without adequate coping mechanisms.

But still, if the goal really is to maintain loving, healthy family relationships, it’s crucial to be mindful of any self-sabotaging behaviors and continue working through those insecurities.

mother in law, father in law, wine, dinner, happy family, son in law, daighter in law A couple enjoying a nice meal with their in-laws.via Canva/Photos


For those looking to be the best mother-in-law they can be, here are a few pieces of advice:

Don't make it about you

It can be difficult to accept that you might not be the number one woman in your kid’s life anymore, but it’s important both for you and the couple that those potential feelings of rejection get reframed. After all, there's truly no love lost. The love has just been expanded into new areas.

@heyjanellemarie Mother-In-Law Support Line: Grandma Shower……we have a new character, the MIL has entered the chat 😏 Story submitted by sadly more than one follower 😳 #satire #motherinlaw #toxicmotherinlaw #babyshower #newmom #expectingmom #etiquette ♬ original sound - Janelle Marie


Use your words to uplift, not criticize

Words are powerful. Use them wisely. A little compliment now and then goes a long way. Remember, it's not your place to pass judgment on your adult children, unless it's a life-or-death situation.

Back off

Let the couple raise their kids and solve their problems as they see fit. Trust that you can let them handle their own. Even when intentions are good, offers of help without being asked for it can be seen as criticism. Also, remember that times change and so do attitudes towards parenting. Kids in the 2020s may not benefit from many 1980s tactics.

@heyjanellemarie I’m a Daughter-In-Law…… #daughterinlaw #satire #motherinlaw #inlaws #marriage #millennials ♬ original sound - Janelle Marie


Invite and Include

Leaving people out leads to resentment. Always invite kids and their spouses to performances, graduations, birthday celebrations, and other family events, even if you don't think they want to or can attend.

And, of course…fill your own cup.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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