In the states…
I’ve written previously about how the legal back and forth in Arizona has caused a lot of confusion on the ground—check out this piece from The 19th that talks to abortion providers in the state and how they’re dealing with the constant uncertainty:
“This has been the most insane roller coaster ride I have ever been on,” said Dr. Jill Gibson, the medical director at Planned Parenthood Arizona. “We feel like we’re constantly having whiplash.”
Here’s a short run-down of what happened at South Carolina’s Supreme Court arguments over abortion. Not gonna lie, it’s difficult reading people discussing our rights and humanity so blithely.
POLITICO reports on a Pennsylvania Republican who supports abortion rights, and how the current political moment is not treating him and other ‘pro-choice’ Republicans kindly.
Washington Republicans are sending out mailers in swing districts claiming that Democrats want abortion without restrictions—which is a good reason for me to remind you of this column advising Dems to stop running from this attack.
Meanwhile, in Kansas, Republicans are still trying to run from their abortion positions—not talking about it at all, and erasing anything about abortion from their campaign websites. Related: a group of pro-choice women in the state are trying to raise the alarm about Republican congressional candidate Amanda Adkins, who has a long history of being anti-abortion that she’s currently being dodgy about.
Speaking of Kansas, you may remember Rachel Sweet, the woman who managed the campaign that brought home the state’s pro-choice win. Sweet is now leading the charge in Kentucky’s battle over their abortion-related ballot measure. She says, “People understand that things have gone off the rails when it comes to these extreme anti-abortion policies. This now is not a hypothetical issue.” You can read more about Sweet and ballot measure here.
I honestly don’t know how Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has the patience that she does. Because this question made me want to set something on fire.
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(Naturally, conservative media is desperate to paint her comments as something they’re not.)
Also in Georgia, incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock had avoided talking about the allegations that Herschel Walker paid for a woman’s abortion—until now. Sen. Warnock just put out an ad about the hypocrisy of wanting to ban abortion while being just fine with it for himself.
There’s a reason Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t talking about abortion on the campaign trail—and it’s pretty clear why. Also out of Florida, watch Marco Rubio try his best to avoid saying what he really thinks about abortion:
And here’s one for the no-shit files: Michigan gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon keep changing her position on abortion exceptions, and a new video shows that she called abortion the “Devil’s lie.” Very normal stuff.
After a Louisiana woman was denied an abortion, even though her fetus was missing part of its head and skull, legislators there say they will add the condition to the list of medical exceptions for abortion. But that doesn’t really do much—because there will always be another medical issue, another problem. That’s why you can’t legislate pregnancy! As former head of the Louisiana Department of Health, Dr. Rebekah Gee, said, “[The health department] will never be able to think of everything because medicine doesn’t work like that. You will never be able to come up with a complete list.”
You know I love me some Nan Whaley: Ohio’s Democratic candidate for governor told an audience yesterday that abortion is what really that matters this November:
“It is the only thing we’re really talking about. We think it is the issue. A fundamental right has been taken away, and we have a governor who has been waiting his entire long career to make that happen.”
In the nation…
Well this makes me want to puke: In an annual meeting of pulmonologists, doctors held a special panel on how those who treat serious lung diseases can deal with anti-abortion laws. One physician pointed out that depending on what state they see patients in, they could be charged with felony for advising a patient that they should get an abortion to protect their lung health. Some of the advice included: developing a relationship with your hospital’s legal department, get to know high-risk OBGYNs, and to keep a detailed paper trail. One Texas-based pulmonologist said he already had to send a patient out-of-state for care. What strikes me is that these are doctors we want thinking about our lungs and our health—not thinking about how to preemptively avoid prosecution by fucking maniacs.
In an interview that will air on Sunday, President Joe Biden says that he would support a federal abortion fund—something that will provide money to people who need to take time off work or secure childcare in order to travel for abortions.
NPR has an interview with Gabrielle Blair, the author of Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion; The Washington Post has a column on why abortion is an economic issue; The 19th examines how personal abortion stories are being used in Democrats’ campaign ads; and The Verge reminds us that you shouldn’t trust the Apple Watch to track your menstrual cycle.
Thanks to Chris Hayes for doing this segment last night on the consequences of abortion bans across the country (and the disgusting Republican hypocrisy):
I’m reading conservative media so you don’t have to: They’re arguing that because women are smuggling in abortion medication from Mexico to help people in anti-choice states, America needs to heighten border security. This is really dangerous stuff.
I’ve already linked to this Associated Press article on the impact of abortion bans on medical students, but I just wanted to highlight this quote from Pamela Merritt, the executive director of Medical Students for Choice, who points out that doctors need the “muscle memory” that comes along with hands-on education:
“How many surgical hours do you want a liver specialist to have before they try to do a biopsy? We would never be debating how to educate people without physical patient interaction on any other major health care issue.”
I’ve written before about how Mike Pence is eyeing a run for president with anti-abortion policy as the central theme of this campaign. Well, right on cue:
Republicans are hoping that a last minute mad dash claiming Democrats are extremists on abortion will help them in midterms (here’s hoping people see through the bullshit). And the Boston Globe reports on Republican efforts to minimize abortion as an issue, arguing that there are more important things at stake.
Speaking of the GOP’s weaseling on abortion, make sure to read the inimitable Gail Collins and her latest column, “Politician, Thy Name is Hypocrite.”
I’m so grateful to all the abortion rights activists out there right now, and I especially appreciated this quote from Morgan Hopkins, interim executive director of campaigns and strategies at All* Above All Action Fund, on what we need from public officials right now:
“[T]he time is now for candidates to have the boldest plans that they can have on abortion rights and access. It’s not enough to say that you would restore protections or restore the right to abortion, especially if you were in a state that has had restrictions for decades. We really need to see full, comprehensive policy platforms from all candidates running for office.”
A new group is running ads in key states and districts about the Republican war on birth control. You can watch them all here, this one is my favorite:
Listen up…
NPR in Austin talks to law professor Elizabeth Sepper about Texas abortion laws in the fourth part of their series on abortion in the state.
You love to see it…
Abortion medication start-up Hey Jane raised $6 million—but as I wrote yesterday, abortion-related start-ups have been having a hard time raising this kind of money. CEO Kiki Freedman said to Bloomberg yesterday, “I’d be lying if I said it was easy.”
And despite the best efforts of anti-abortion groups, a judge ruled yesterday that they can’t stop the city of Philadelphia from donating $500,000 to abortion funds, or stop the organizations from spending that money. Aw, sorry!
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