In the states…
Some (mostly) good news out of Arizona. A state appeals court ruled that the 1864 total abortion ban cannot be enforced. The combination of this decision and an abortion ban passed earlier this year means that doctors in the state can provide abortions through the 15th week of pregnancy. Brittany Fonteno, President of Planned Parenthood Arizona, called the ruling a victory, but made clear that “the work is not over.” Incoming governor Katie Hobbs criticized the 15 week ban that the court kept in place, noting that it has no rape or incest exceptions, saying, “The decision to have a child should rest solely between a woman and her doctor, not the government or politicians.”
Also in Arizona, some distressing news that gives us a glimpse into the kind of rights violations we can continue to see in a post-Roe world: The Department of Corrections is forcibly inducing the labor of incarcerated pregnant women. Three women have come forward to The Arizona Republic about their experiences—all were induced before their due date against their wills:
“[A]ll three women said they were told by prison medical providers they were being induced because it was a policy of the Arizona Department of Corrections for all pregnant incarcerated women, not due to their individual conditions. The women say they were given no explanation for the policy, but they believe it is being implemented to reduce liability for the prison system.”
Stephanie Pearson, who had her labor induced despite her wishes, says, “Just because I made some bad choices in my life, they shouldn't be allowed to make bad health choices for me and my baby.” (By the way, not only were these women forced into labor before they were ready—they were sent medical bills by state as well.)
Last week I wrote about my fear that abortion bans wouldn’t just impact the medical care of those who need abortions—but pregnant patients set to give birth whose treatment might change because of laws requiring equal care to women and fetuses. Though the Department of Corrections here seems to be forcing inductions because of legal liability rather than abortion legislation, fetal personhood laws have been used in the past to force pregnant women into medical procedures they didn’t want. And the way that the most marginalized among us—like incarcerated women—are treated is a glimpse into the future that conservatives want for all American women.
Iowa Republicans are abandoning their plan to push an anti-abortion constitutional amendment—and while they won’t admit as much, as all know it’s because they can see that voters won’t go for it. That’s why Republicans across the country are working so hard to stop abortion-related ballot measures: The pro-choice side will win. And like the conservatives in other states, anti-abortion activists are claiming that voters don’t need to have a direct say on abortion. The executive director of Pulse Life Advocates (formerly Iowans for Life) says “the people of Iowa spoke very loudly and very clearly in terms of Republicans having a super majority…so I think the people of Iowa spoke very clearly this last election that abortion is very important to them.” The truth? The majority of voters in the state want abortion to be legal.
In California, where abortion providers have been inundated with out-of-state patients, some clinics are getting requests triple and quadruple the number of patients they’re accustomed to seeing. This doesn’t just mean an increased wait time for abortion, but for all kinds of reproductive health and preventative care. It also means that clinic staff is not just helping to provide abortion services, but taking care of patients who have been through the ringer:
“Now in addition to providing abortion services [staff] have to make sure patients who have traveled hundreds of miles for their appointment have someone to watch their children during the procedure, a change of clothes and food for their hotel stay, and someone to hold their hand and help them navigate the harrowing experience.”
Stacy Cross, president of the Planned Parenthood that serves half the counties in California, says it’s been traumatizing for employees, “because people are essentially escaping their states where they used to receive essential health care and they’re coming to our health center.”
Quick hits:
Taxpayers in Idaho have been footing the bill for private attorneys to help the state government keep abortion restrictions in place—which to date has come to more than $330,000;
Tennessee Republicans say they’re going to add exceptions to the state’s total abortion ban (reminder that exceptions are bullshit);
New Mexico’s governor-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham reiterated her support to codify abortion rights in the state;
And starting this year, New Jersey is requiring individual and small business health plans to cover abortion care.
In the nation…
Supreme court chief justice John Roberts released his end of the year judiciary report without any specific mention of abortion. But as The Guardian points out, it was clearly on his mind:
“Judicial opinions speak for themselves, and there is no obligation in our free country to agree with them. Indeed, we judges frequently dissent—sometimes strongly—from our colleagues’ opinions, and we explain why in public writings about the cases before us.”
Since Roe was overturned, public trust in the Supreme Court has sharply decreased.
An important reminder in the wake of Benedict XVI’s death:
And the women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch writes about the link between restricting abortion and authoritarianism, and how the erosion of women’s rights is a sign of a weakened democracy:
“[E]quality with men in rights and opportunities is a sign of a strong democracy, while reduction of women’s rights is a troubling sign of a weakened one…We should explicitly recognize that when governments tell women where they can go, whom they can or must go with, what they must wear, and whether they can be pregnant or not, those are signs of authoritarianism.”
Quick hits:
A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that abortion remains a top priority for Democratic voters;
A call for all women to learn how to self manage an abortion;
And Trump continues to say that Republicans’ midterms losses were because of their radical anti-abortion position.
Keep an eye on…
Conservative students targeting any professor that appears to be pro-choice, or even say something that could be construed as being pro-choice. We’ve already seen this happen in Indiana, and now a professor in Utah is being targeted for a Schrodinger's Cat-type thought experiment about when pregnancy begins. It’s terrifying.
You love to see it…
Poppy Noor at The Guardian has a profile of ballot measure queen Rachel Sweet—the organizer who helped Kansas and Kentucky voters beat back anti-abortion amendments. Sweet says the key is reaching out to Republicans, and not necessarily getting them to change their mind on abortion—but helping them to see what the consequences of abortion bans are. She gave one example of a Kentucky woman who shared her story:
“'She was suffering a miscarriage. And her pharmacist tried to deny her prescription for the medication she needed to manage her miscarriage because it’s part of the medication abortion regimen. He literally said: ‘I need you to prove that you’re actively miscarrying.’ The cruelty of that situation is just really powerful.”
But here’s the quote from Sweet that really stuck with me: “There is no need to sell people on some dystopian future. That future is already here.” I’ve never been more grateful for abortion rights organizers.
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