Dr. Jennifer L Brinkley

For more than a decade, Florida has ranked among the top 3 states in America for the highest level of Human Trafficking cases reported. Although protective state laws have been implemented, there are necessary further steps in which the state of Florida could further prevent and protect against commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) crimes.
In addition to critiquing the current legislative measures taken to protect victims of child sexual exploitation, several solutions gathered from national leaders in the efforts against human trafficking were also identified in this research. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 was the fundamental act that has been used as a frame of reference for the federal course of action on the campaign against both international and domestic human trafficking. Despite several revisions and seven reauthorizations since its declaration, the TVPA does not address all concerns about the issue of domestic trafficking in the state.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, as represented by the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2022 report on Human Trafficking Data Collection Activities, there was an 84% increase in the number of persons prosecuted for human trafficking from 729 in 2011 to 1,343 in 2020. This post-pandemic online trafficking crisis must be addressed to fully minimize the scope of sexual exploitation.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 2022. Since then, fifteen states have banned abortion, with other states shortening gestational limits on abortion procedures. Legislation at the federal level has been introduced to try to mitigate state restrictions regarding abortion, however, it has stalled in Congress. This article examines the impact of banning and limiting abortion care in the United States, specifically on disabled individuals. It provides a brief history on how policies are drafted from ableist mindsets, negatively impacting those with disabilities. It discusses myths surrounding having a disability and highlights the many obstacles faced in not only accessing abortion care, but also health care, for marginalized populations. This article considers the need to recognize the variety of factors, often overlapping, that constrains an individual's ability to exercise bodily autonomy.

City councils and county commissions are being asked to pass resolutions and ordinances that designate its specific locality as a “sanctuary for the unborn.” Some declare life begins at conception, ban abortion services (including access to emergency contraception like Plan B), classify abortion as murder with malice aforethought, label pro-choice organizations as criminal enterprises, and create civil causes of action against abortion providers and those who assist women in obtaining an abortion.
The article examines the movement pushing local governments to create sanctuary status across the country. Most of the localities that have enacted the ordinances and resolutions have small populations and do not have abortion clinics.