In the states…
Remember my column yesterday about Republicans’ strategy to preemptively blame doctors for any deaths that happen due to abortion bans? This is from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday: “There are doctors who are misinterpreting the laws that exist in a way that compromises the safety and life of a mother. We have to be clear in this upcoming session what it means to protect the life of the mother.” Right on cue.
In Ohio, three Republican candidates for the state supreme court are under fire for assuring the organization Cincinnati Right to Life that they did not believe the Constitution includes the right to abortion. The three judges, who are supposed to be impartial, filled out a judicial candidate form on abortion—which ethics experts have pointed out amounts to making a campaign promise. Also in the state: During the Ohio Senate debate, Republican J.D. Vance said he supports a federal abortion ban: “Some minimum national standard is totally fine with me.” Fuck that guy. (By the way, a new poll shows that nearly 60% of Ohio voters would support a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights.)
Fuck these guys too: Republican Rep. Don Bacon, up for reelection in Nebraska, who said he also supports a federal abortion ban “on principle.” And Republican Markwayne Mullin, running for Senate in Oklahoma, who supports a federal abortion ban and says, “Thank the Lord we’re saving our children here inside Oklahoma, but children in California and children in Massachusetts are just as important as the children here in Oklahoma.” So much for the whole Republicans-are-softening-on-abortion thing!
In Arizona, abortion rights continue to be a top issue for voters; and The Arizona Republic points out that in Maricopa County (the state’s most populous voting area) voter registrations increased by 400% the day after the Dobbs decision was leaked. Arizona resident Marsha Beebe, who has been phone banking for abortion rights in the state, says, “I thought America was more enlightened.” I didn’t.
During a conversation with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about abortion rights, a Republican voter said after Roe was overturned her doctor’s office called to get permission from her husband for her to have a pap smear.
Executive director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, Francie Hunt, is walking 538 miles across the state in support of abortion rights. From Hunt:
“We’ve become familiar with the mass protests and doing direct actions and turning out thousands and thousands of people at a moment’s notice. In this moment, it felt like it required a different energy. One that reflects the way to move forward.”
The Republican gubernatorial candidate in Illinois, Darren Bailey, has been trying to convince voters that his anti-abortion bonafides won’t mean anything for the women of the state. In a debate last week, he said, “Nothing is going to change when I'm governor. I couldn't change [the abortion laws] if I could.” If you want to know what a load of bullshit that is, consider that anti-abortion groups in the state are confident that Bailey would outlaw abortion: Executive director of Illinois Right to Life said this week, “Bailey is unapologetically pro-life and he will work to undo some of the extremism that we have in our state right now.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist in Florida is pushing hard on abortion rights:
Pro-choicers in Montana are campaigning for state supreme court Justice Ingrid Gustafson, who they believe will be key in protecting abortion rights in the state; Nevada has launched a website in support of abortion rights; and LAist explains California’s Proposition 1.
Speaking of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s billboards advertising how to get an abortion went up in Austin, Texas last week—which reminded me that we need more pro-choice states doing this asap.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is being proactive about protecting abortion rights in the state: He announced Connecticut’s participation in a pro bono Legal Assistance Abortion Hotline and that he’s appointing a new Special Counsel for Reproductive Rights.
In the nation…
The Supreme Court declined to hear a case on whether or not a fetus has constitutional rights—but don’t get too excited, the anti-abortion movement isn’t giving up on fetal personhood anytime soon.
Vox notes how important it is to mobilize men around abortion rights, and points to this great Minnesota grassroots group, Dads on the Doors, who are targeting fathers to get men interested in fighting for reproductive justice.
Right now, I’ll take any support we can get—but I’m sure you know how I feel about the idea that men should support abortion rights because they have “wives, daughter and sisters.” That we are human beings should be enough. Yet it looks like it’s actually the most paternalistic messages that resonate with men around abortion:
“[Political strategist Will] Bunnett says some of their most effective ads have tapped into a ‘hyper-traditional sense of masculinity, like themes about saving damsels in distress. ‘An ad might feature a guy saying, Hey, you might not be able to get pregnant, but this is really, really important to the women in your life and they need you to step up,’ he said.”
The Washington Post reports that since Kansas’s massive pro-choice win, even more states are looking into whether to get abortion rights on the ballot:
“While in the early stages, discussions around whether to pursue an abortion rights ballot measure are occurring in states including Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, Colorado and Missouri…One person familiar with the discussions said at least a dozen states are exploring—or are expected to soon explore—whether a citizen-led petition is a viable path to restoring or protecting abortion access in their state.”
A new poll shows that 71 percent of Latinos wouldn’t vote for a candidate who supports a federal abortion ban without exceptions, and that 70 percent were less likely to vote for a candidate who wants to ban abortion and emergency contraception.
NPR looks at campaign ad spending—not so shockingly, Democrats have spent the most on ads on abortion, Republicans are running ads on crime. Axios is also reporting on ad spending, specifically the amount of pro-choice ads Democrats are pushing on Facebook.
Axios also reports that employers are expanding their reproductive health coverage in an effort to draw in new hires; more colleges in pro-choice states are looking to provide abortion medication; and anti-abortion groups and conservative media keep harping on the idea that Democrats support ‘no limits’ abortion. As I’ve written before, this is only a persuasive argument if Democrats dodge the question. I really wish that they’d go on the offense when this talking point comes up and say what we all know is true: Pregnancy is too complicated to legislate.
Bill Scher at Washington Monthly writes about the “moral bankruptcy” of anti-abortion leaders; and the Association of American Medical Colleges reports on the increase of men seeking vasectomies and the future of male birth control in a post-Roe world.
Listen up…
Iowa Public Radio interviewed professor Lina-Maria Murillo at the University of Iowa about the history of abortion rights in the state—and how the issue wasn’t always as contentious as it is today.
You love to see it…
Icon Cyndi Lauper is launching an abortion fund—the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund.
College students in South Dakota are organizing for abortion rights, and taking matters into their own hands. Lexi McKee-Hemenway, president of Students for Reproductive Rights at the University of South Dakota, for example, has been urging her peers to count on each other. At a recent protest, McKee-Hemenway told the crowd, “Look around. These are the people in your corner. This is your mutual aid now.”
Today’s hate read…
This piece is really and truly what this gif was made for. Penned by ethics teacher John Orlando, you can tell right from the first sentence that this is the guy at the bar that won’t fucking shut up and thinks he’s way smarter than he actually is. Anyway, enjoy!
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