Hey, it’s Grace Haley, researcher for Abortion, Every Day. We wanted to send a quick newsletter out now that the House finally has a new Speaker (and one who has an anti-abortion history worth spotlighting). We’ll return to our usual newsletter tomorrow. Let’s get to it—
In the Nation
The Republican-led House elected Rep. Mike Johnson, vice chairman of the House Republican Conference and former litigator, as the new Speaker of the House this afternoon. The last few weeks have painted a stark picture of Republican disarray after then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his post, and Rep. Jim Jordan, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer all tried and failed to secure the votes necessary for the job.
This is a major win for the anti-abortion movement. Although Johnson is known for supporting former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, his abortion record is crucial to underscore.
Before his tenure in Congress, Johnson served as a lawyer and senior spokesperson for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the right-wing legal organization behind the Dobbs decision and the Texas mifepristone lawsuit. Most recently he introduced the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) to Congress, the legislation aiming to criminalize the act of transporting minors traveling for abortions.
He’s also worked to strengthen the Hyde Amendment, the restrictions that ban federal funding for abortion procedures. On the day Dobbs was announced, Johnson was one of the first GOP House members to go on a media run supporting the overturning of Roe and said on Fox, “There is no right to abortion in the Constitution; there never was.”
Democrats are likely to use Johnson’s anti-abortion record against him—minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries already called attention to it during his remarks at a Center for American Progress conference today. We expect to see this become a focus in battleground House districts the further we get into the 2024 election.
More on abortion politics on the Hill: Former president George W. Bush’s institute called out congressional Republicans blocking the reauthorization and funding renewal for PEPFAR, the highly successful global AIDS program. As we mentioned on Monday, anti-abortion Republicans have been working to block PEPFAR funding reauthorization over allegations that its money is going towards abortions (which is not only false, but illegal).
In a letter addressed to Congress—signed by over 30 retired ambassadors, foreign policy experts and organizations—the institute restates the impact the program has had on millions of lives across the globe and the importance of its current funding structure. Notably, the word abortion was not mentioned once in the letter.
Quick hits:
Dark-money groups are fueling the fight against abortion up and down the ballot;
Planned Parenthood will be facing trial in the $1.8 billion lawsuit by the state of Texas falsely accusing them of Medicaid fraud;
WIRED with an explainer on how to scout abortion misinformation;
And a Military Times op-ed from Rep. Jason Crow, Army veteran and a member of the House Foreign Affairs and House Intelligence Committees, on how restrictive abortion laws threaten the lives of military personnel.
If you missed the special edition to the newsletter earlier today, you can find it here:
Stats & Studies
We’ll be talking more about this new study throughout the week: New data shows that the total number of abortions in the US did not fall since Roe was overturned. The research from #WeCount shows that although abortions severely dropped in states with abortion bans—the national abortion rate has increased. From Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, #WeCount Co-Chair and professor at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH):
“A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion access in the United States plummeted to zero in some states while increasing to meet the acute need in others, leading to a complete disruption in the healthcare system and people’s lives.”
It’ll be important to keep an eye on these rates as abortion restrictions in Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina slowly fall into place. Amber Gavin, vice president of A Woman’s Choice, an independent abortion clinic with locations in Florida and North Carolina, said, “The impact of the Dobbs decision is just as devastating as we expected.”
“Clinics are striving to meet the needs of people from within our own state, and we’ve had a huge influx of people traveling from out of state to get abortion care. With new restrictions in North Carolina and a potential six-week ban looming in Florida, I’m not sure where all the people seeking abortion care in the Southeast will turn.”
More on this study tomorrow, but in the meantime, make sure to check out this map of the data published by The Guardian:
Around the Globe
Powerful US anti-abortion groups, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, are gaining momentum abroad (and increased funding) in their efforts to ban abortion globally;
The number of women who are traveling to Mexico from the US for abortions has increased by 42% after Mexico decriminalized the procedure in September;
Mexican abortion rights activists (acompañantas) are changing their tactics to help US abortion-seekers travel to Mexico and use their strategies to widen medication abortion access;
The abortion rights movement in Poland is setting new goals for legalization now that a new liberal government is moving in;
And abortion rights are on the line in Argentina as the far-right libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei gains popularity, in part due to Tucker Carlson promoting his profile.
Listen Up
The new podcast, “This is What it Feels Like” has an episode on abortion rights:
I wasn't sure how to share this, but I want you to see it. It's part of a story on dailykos.com today, Oct. 28.
ABORTION SPECIALIST DROPPED FROM PANEL AT AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS CONGRESS FOR REASONS OF “SECURITY.”
DOCTOR CALLS IT “CENSORSHIP”.
In May, 2023, Dr. Hern was invited to participate in a panel discussion entitled “What Every Surgeon Needs to Know: Management of Post-Roe Obstetric and Gynecologic Emergencies” at 4:15 PM on October 24, 2023 at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress to be held at the Boston Convention Center.
Thanks, Grace. Mike Johnson could not be more frightening. Such a dangerous, far-far-right religious extremist trying to pass himself off as a serious politician in his business suit and nerdy glasses. And he got the unanimous endorsement of his party! If things weren't bad enough....