Abortion, Every Day (12.20.22)

In the states…

Planned Parenthood in Kansas has started to offer telemedicine appointments for medication abortion, an important shift in a state where providers are being inundated with patients from out-of-state. This comes just a few weeks after a judge blocked a law that banned doctors from prescribing abortion medication using tele-health.

There’s been a 40% increase in second-trimester abortions in Iowa because of the state’s mandated waiting period and the hurdles facing out-of-state patients traveling to Iowa for care. Mazie Stilwell, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood North Central States, says this “is a direct result of the burdens being put on our patients and on our health centers.”

Medical and OBGYN residency programs in North Carolina are preparing for the fact that Republicans could pass an abortion ban in the state, which would mean not being able to adequately train doctors. Assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine Jonas Swartz says, “If I were in the shoes of medical students right now, who are choosing a residency program, I think I’d think long and hard about committing to a place that I didn’t know was committed to giving me training in abortion care.”

Anti-choice states are already losing potential OBGYNs, who understandably don’t want to risk being arrested for doing their jobs—and women in the states will suffer as a consequence. Gabby Davis, a UNC-Chapel Hill student studying to be an OBGYN, told The Charlotte Post about being torn over what to do if North Carolina were to pass a ban. “Me being a Black woman, I want to go into OBGYN because of how we don’t get the proper care we need, we’re not listened to, we’re statistically more likely to die during pregnancy.” If doctors start leaving, Davis said, “Who knows how much worse that’s going to be?”

Remember Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who said that the story of the 10 year-old rape victim who had to travel to Indiana for abortion care was a hoax? After months of making excuses—even saying “I don’t understand what you think I need to apologize for”—Yost has caught on that nobody is going to forget his comments anytime soon. In an interview with the Associated Press, Yost said that even though he still believes he said nothing wrong, “what people heard created a lot of pain—and I regret that deeply.” Sure you do.

We already know that it’s marginalized women who are most impacted by abortion bans. But one group we haven’t heard a lot about since Roe was overturned is unhoused women—and how they’re at particular risk of not being able to get abortion care if they live in an anti-choice state. The Washington Post has a short news video looking at a shelter in Dallas, Texas, where there’s been a real uptick in pregnant women who need their help. Thana Hickman-Simmons, the executive director of Viola’s House, says, “The middle class, and the upper middle class, and the rich will find a way to get an abortion. They can cross state lines, they have help. It’s the poorest who won’t have access to it.”

Quick hits:

• A reminder that California’s new abortion protections go into effect with the new year;

• Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul once again called on Republican lawmakers to repeal the state’s 1849 abortion ban

In the nation…

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute says that abortion bans are disproportionately impacting Latinas in the U.S., more than 5 million of whom live in states with strict anti-abortion laws. A report from the group found that nearly half of Latinas of reproductive age live in anti-abortion states, and that a majority of Latinos want abortion to remain legal. Sonja Diaz, the founding director of the organization, told the Los Angeles Times that “there isn’t the nuance and attention and full treatment to the Latina experience in this country that is afforded to non-Hispanic white women.” She said, “When we talk about Dobbs, we’re really thinking about the universality of women, but there’s a central focus on white women…so the research was trying to put a spotlight on Latinas.”

Another demographic that is taking a particular hit in our post-Roe world is young people. Teen Vogue looks at how young women are behind left behind in policy and conversations about abortion—and the way that youth are treated as if they’re too immature to decide whether to get an abortion, but mature enough to parent. Rachel Neal, an OBYN and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, says, “My teens and my adolescent patients, when they’re coming to me for abortion care, they are just as certain. They are just as capable of making medical decisions for themselves.”

Since Roe was overturned, there has been a surge in men getting vasectomies across the country, particularly in those states where abortion is banned. One doctor in Ohio told NPR that vasectomies are at “sky-high, record rates.” Understandable.

A government funding bill released this morning from Congress has not only kept funding restrictions on abortion (aka the Hyde Amendment) in place—which we expected—but also didn’t increase the funding for Title X, the nation’s federal family planning program. Which is insanity considering everything happening with abortion. Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson said, “Congress had a clear directive and they failed to deliver. At a time when Roe v. Wade has been overturned and health care access is under increasing threat, this bill fails to meet the moment.”

Meanwhile, the anti-abortion movement is sifting through potential Republican presidential candidates—looking for someone who will be as extreme as possible but not scare voters (the majority of whom are pro-choice). One anti-choice leader told POLITICO, “All the presidential candidates, they all will talk about how they value life, and champion the sanctity of human life…I don’t think you should hide from it, but the question is, how do you message it, and if people sense a degree of compassion when you do message it.” This is just a fancy way of saying they know abortion bans are deeply unpopular, and they need a politician who can play down the horrific real life consequences of the laws.

Quick hits:

• A new survey shows that over 40% of American women don’t know that most insurance plans are required to pay for the full cost of their birth control;

• TIME magazine reports on the increase in people seeking help from abortion funds, especially as women need to travel out-of-state for care;

• The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating a Texas school district for banning books about LGBTQ issues, abortion and more;

• and the Associated Press has a brief rundown of what’s happened with abortion since Roe was overturned, from bans enacted to what’s next politically.

Listen up…

You all know I’ve been hammering on the fact that anti-abortion organizations are working hard to restrict and ban abortion medication. Caroline Kitchener at The Washington Post had a great piece about these efforts, and yesterday she spoke to the Post’s podcast about what’s happening behind the scenes at anti-choice organizations. She says they are furious over abortion medication, and the fact that it’s allowing women to end their pregnancies whether it’s legal or not. They’re so pissed off, in fact, that the biggest anti-abortion organization in Texas is sending out their own staff to try to find people who are breaking the law that they can hand over to prosecutors.

Definitely listen to the whole thing.