Content warning: Today’s newsletter contains descriptions of pregnancy loss and fetal abnormalities
In the states…
Here’s some more information on the Indiana Attorney General’s government harassment campaign against abortion provider Dr. Caitlin Bernard. Bernard’s lawyers call the investigation—in which the AG has subpoenaed patients’ private medical records—a “fishing expedition.”
A Kansas Planned Parenthood that opened its doors just a few days after Roe was overturned has been, unsurprisingly, inundated with patients—so much so that they’ve only been able to help about 10-15% of patients. From President Emily Wales:
“The ecosystem, it’s not even fragile. It’s broken. I think there’s a perception that if you are seeking care, you can find it somewhere. And that’s not true.”
North Dakota’s abortion ban remains blocked until the Supreme Court hears arguments later this month. Among other issues, the lawsuit takes issue with the affirmative defense mandate in the law (similar to the one in Tennessee) that would require doctors who give rape and incest victims abortions to be charged with a felony first and then prove that the abortion was necessary.
Doctors in Wisconsin are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion ban. OBGYN Dr. Kristin Lyerly says the threat of enforcement of the ban “prevents me from providing comprehensive, evidence-based care for my patients.”
In Ohio, an abortion provider talks about what it was like to have Roe overturned not just in terms of patient care—but fear of criminalization. David Burkons, one of the doctors who provided affidavits on the impact of turning away patients, says one of his first post-Roe moves was to meet with a criminal lawyer:
“When we were leaving, the attorney said ‘Doctor, I hate to tell you this, but you’ve entered my world. You have to assume that every patient you have, every person you’re dealing with, is wearing a wire. And you don’t know who in the hospital is going to say — maybe because they honestly believe that you’re doing (illegal) abortions or they don’t like you, or whatever — they’re going to turn you in.' Physicians are very, very worried about that.”
In an op-ed at the Salt Lake-Tribune, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, along with a doctor, say that “lawmakers are pushing Utah into the abyss of 19th-century medical ignorance.” They point out that Utah’s maternal mortality rates are abysmal (and about to get worse) and that the state has become a “cruel perpetrator of long-term anguish and trauma.”
Texas Planned Parenthood is sharing patient stories, which is fantastic. From Angie:
“After my abortion, I felt one single feeling: relief. While having my abortion was not an easy decision, it was the right decision for me and for my family. I considered my financial stability, my children’s mental health, and my personal independence. Talking about this shouldn’t be taboo. It should be something that we are all able to do together. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I knew I was going to be okay.”
A Montana mother is sharing the story of losing her daughter in hopes of raising awareness about an anti-abortion ballot measure in the state that would prevent parents from being able to hold their dying babies in their last moments: “If they had taken her away to try to get those body systems going, she might have died in another room completely without me and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to hold her while she was alive.”
Chantal Stevens, the executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina, is warning voters that elections for state Supreme Court seats will be pivotal for abortion rights in the state: “It’s critical we learn about the candidates who may soon become our next state Supreme Court justices and hold the power to protect–or weaken–our cherished constitutional rights.”
What a bunch of fucking hypocrites: Anti-abortion groups have spent over $1 million supporting Georgia Republican Herschel Walker since the allegations came out about him bringing women to abortion appointments. The majority of that money came from the PAC of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion women’s group. Speaking of hypocritical assholes:
Abortions are up by 33% in Colorado, which has seen an influx of out-of-state patients; public radio in Pennsylvania has a big piece on how Democrats in the state have bet on abortion as a winning issue for the midterms; and a Tennessee doctor shares the story of his wife’s abortion, and how she would have died today under the state’s laws.
In the nation…
Democrats have spent $415 million in campaign ads on abortion alone, but The New York Times reports that they’ve found “the impact to be uneven.” Public opinion on abortion hasn’t changed—voters oppose abortion bans—but there’s a concern that other issues may outweigh reproductive rights. You know what I’m going to say: All those other issues are also about abortion.
Abortion providers in pro-choice states are dealing with an incredible amount of burnout as they see exponentially more patients traveling from out-of-state. One Planned Parenthood staffer says, “We’ve seen patients who have driven 1,000 miles one way. We’ve seen women come with kids sleeping in the backseat because they can’t find day care or take a day off work.” Despite that exhaustion, The Guardian reports that doctors are concerned about their ability to provide care at all, should the midterms not go the right way.
ABC News reports on the increase in people in anti-abortion states seeking abortion medication; The 19th has a roundup of what Republicans in tight races have said about abortion; and Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticizes the FDA for coming out against advance provision of abortion medication: “Policymakers should follow the science, not impose unnecessary political restrictions to reproductive health care.”
What conservatives are saying…
Whew are conservatives pissed off right now. Last week I told you about this NPR piece on nine days in a Michigan abortion clinic—part of the segment included audio of a woman ending her pregnancy. Conservative media has glommed onto that snippet—calling it horrific and ghastly because you can hear that the woman is in discomfort. (If they think that’s bad wait til they hear about childbirth!) It’s not enough that they want to ban abortion, they don’t want people even talking about what it’s like. This is why those pictures of early pregnancy/abortion got so much backlash—anything that doesn’t paint abortion as a tragedy is suspect to them.
And I’m sorry, but this Fox News headline accusing Michael Moore of ‘mansplaining’ abortion was just too much for my brain to handle.
Hope everyone has a good weekend, and gets some good rest before the shitshow of the midterms next week. Thanks, as always, for the support—and if you have any tips for the newsletter, please send them to jessica@substack.com!
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