Abortion, Every Day (4.25.23)

In the States

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has signed legislation effectively banning abortion in the state. The law will (supposedly) allow for abortions in cases of rape and incest—but only up to six weeks. An earlier ban, which would have required doctors give an affirmative defense a la Tennessee if they needed to provide a life-saving abortion, was blocked. And so Republicans have been framing this new bill as “clarifying” legislation, rather than what it is: just a new ban.

South Carolina lawmakers are set to debate a near-total abortion ban today that has been a point of contention among Republicans. The bill outlaws all abortions with (fake) exceptions for rape and incest. South Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that a previous 6-week ban was unconstitutional, and legislators have been trying to come to a consensus on a law that they think will pass legal muster ever since.

As we wait for Georgia’s Supreme Court to rule on a challenge against the state’s 6-week abortion ban, activists there are raising the alarm about what Florida’s new abortion law will mean for the region. A woman in Decatur County, Georgia, for example, will have to travel over 450 miles to get an abortion once the Florida ban goes into effect. And Melita Easters, executive director for the pro-choice group Georgia WIN List, points out that the bans have made it near-impossible for rural women to get any kind of reproductive health care. “What you have to think about is half of Georgia’s counties do not have an OBGYN,” she said.

Speaking of Florida: The Cut has an interview with Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book about the state’s 6-week abortion ban, which will likely go into effect this summer when Florida’s Supreme Court rules on the state’s existing 15-week ban:

“Abortion has always existed; it’s whether or not it’s safe. What they have done is force women to take an unsafe option, or create a situation where there are medical refugees, or people go medically bankrupt because they can’t afford it. This isn’t cheap. Now you have to travel somewhere for days.”

For more from Sen. Book, you can read Abortion, Every Day’s interview with her from last month.

You may have seen that North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson announced he was running for governor this weekend; what you may not know is just how anti-abortion he is. In a 2021 speech, Robinson said that once a woman gets pregnant, “it’s not your body anymore,” and mocked victims of rape and incest. Yes, seriously.

During his speech at the state’s Republican convention that year, he put on a fake voice of an abortion rights advocate, asking, “What about in cases of rape or incest?” Somehow, it got worse:

“It reminds me of the argument about seatbelts. I can remember this as a young man, when we were arguing whether or not we should be required to wear seatbelts or if we should wear seatbelts. I can always remember there would be one person who would say, ‘What if I get stuck on the railroad tracks and my seatbelt won’t come off?’ No. 1, if you are stuck on the train tracks, that is Darwin. That’s not any of my concern, that is Darwin. You saw those train tracks. If you couldn’t get past them, I cannot help you.”

So rape victims got themselves into that situation? It’s Darwinian? In another 2021 speech, Robinson suggested that some states allow infanticide, saying “some places it doesn’t even matter if you’re out of the womb.” And, of course, he’s disgustingly homophobic and transphobic. If you know anyone in North Carolina, make sure they know about this asshole.

Speaking of assholes saying horrific things, in a mayoral debate in Lincoln, Nebraska, former state senator and Republican candidate Suzanne Geist said something that had me doing a double take. When asked about her anti-abortion voting history, Geist, who is white, went on a rant about abortion and the Black community:

“Those of you who are African American, let me speak to you. You are 4.78% of our population, but 21% of abortions are from your community. Twenty million of you have been aborted. Is that positive for your community? No, it’s not…That’s why I’m pro-life. It’s not because I want to restrict women; it’s because I want you to be free.” (Emphasis mine)

Sorry, WHAT? Please tell me this insanity is making waves in Nebraska, because that is a truly wild thing to say.

A tax break for those who donate to anti-abortion centers cleared its first legislative hurdle in Louisiana. This is part of the state’s multi-million dollar funding campaign directed at the religiously-based groups—a move that we’re seeing across lots of anti-choice states at the moment. It’s horrific enough that states are giving so much money to fake clinics that don’t offer actual medical services and scare women, but here’s something that really set me off: Louisiana Republicans are claiming that the funding is a way for the state to reduce their maternal mortality rate.

Sen. Beth Mizell, for example, who authored one of the bills, said, “We have talked for years about how low the rankings were in Louisiana on maternal wellness and health…something had to be done to address it.” We know, though, that these centers don’t do shit for women. Michelle Erenberg, the executive director of pro-choice groups Lift Louisiana, said the legislation would be “throwing away” millions a year. “They do not actually provide healthcare,” she said. “They’re not regulated.”

Ohio Republicans continue their efforts to raise the standards on ballot measures in order to keep abortion banned in the state: Yesterday, Gov. Mike Dewine said that he would sign a bill allowing for a special August election on the matter if it was brought to him.

And Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is calling for a ballot referendum on abortion rights in the state—the results of which I don’t imagine he’d like much! Apparently Johnson is one of the few Republicans who hasn’t caught onto the fact that when you put abortion rights directly to voters, abortion wins. (In Wisconsin, 68% of respondents to a September poll said they believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases.)

Johnson said that he believed voters would approve a 12-week ban if they were showed “what a little baby looks like inside the womb at 8, 10, 12 weeks.” (A reminder that this is what early pregnancy looks like.)

In New York, a professor at SUNY Albany (my alma mater) was arrested for unplugging the electronic display put up by an anti-abortion group projecting fake images of fetuses. Since then, the professor has been targeted by conservative media outlets—a trend we’ve been seeing more and more of since Roe was overturned. (I’m not publishing her name or linking to the pieces in an effort to not add fuel to the fire, but all of the attacks are easily-findable.) Anti-abortion groups have been using extremist media attacks as a way to target everyday citizens who stand up for reproductive rights: this is especially true when it comes to professors and teachers. Something to keep an eye on.

Quick hits:

• Utah’s Supreme Court is delaying a challenge to the state’s (blocked) abortion ban to give more time for filings;

• A mobile clinic in Mississippi is working to make emergency contraception more available;

• California providers are stockpiling both mifepristone and misoprostol;

• Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she’s going to be “front and center” in the fight to ban abortion (the state’s ban is currently blocked);

• And a column out of North Carolina points out that Rep. Tricia Cotham still has time to do the right thing on abortion.

In the Nation

I’ve written before about how companies are trying to grapple with abortion—and the way that activists are using shareholder proposals to pressure businesses into doing the right thing. The latest comes to us from Coca-Cola, where investors voted today against a proposal asking for a report on how abortion bans will impact the company. Coca-Cola’s headquarters are in Georgia, where abortion is banned at six weeks. Meredith Benton, who works with As You Sow, said, “Coke may not want to get involved in the politics of this topic, but the politics of this topic have gotten involved with Coca-Cola.”

Over at Roll Call, columnist Walter Shapiro writes about the Republican prediction that voters’ interest in abortion would wane and how poorly its aged:

“What is hard for [Republican Speaker Kevin] McCarthy and his fellow Republicans to grasp is that the political damage is already done even if the word abortion is never again mentioned by anyone in the GOP caucus.”

I think that’s right—and all of the dancing they’re doing around the messaging isn’t going to help them nearly as much as they think it will.

Always read New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, but especially read him when he’s writing about the Republican effort to fuck with ballot measures as a way to keep voters away from abortion:

“There are times and circumstances where demanding a supermajority makes sense. But the Republican opponents of majority rule for ballot initiatives aren’t thinking about the best way to structure direct lawmaking by the public. They are thinking about the best way to keep voters from stopping their efforts to ban abortion (or legalize marijuana or give health insurance to working people), as if all power belongs to them and not, say, the people.”

Quick hits:

• NPR on Republicans’ problem with suburban women voters who are furious about abortion rights;

• MSNBC on how Republicans are doing their best to ignore polls on abortion;

• POLITICO on how politicians on both sides of the aisle aren’t saying anything particularly new on abortion;

• Ms. Magazine on how Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk embraces the lie that women need to be protected from abortion;

• And yet another Republican repeats the party’s new messaging around ‘pain capable’ fetuses.

Care Denied

An Oklahoma woman with a molar pregnancy that had become cancerous was told to sit in the hospital parking lot and wait to crash, otherwise doctors couldn’t provide her with legal care. Jaci Statton told NPR, “They were very sincere; they weren't trying to be mean.”

“They said, 'The best we can tell you to do is sit in the parking lot, and if anything else happens, we will be ready to help you. But we cannot touch you unless you are crashing in front of us or your blood pressure goes so high that you are fixing to have a heart attack.’”

Statton, who also spoke to The Oklahoman, lives an hour away from the hospital—her husband was afraid she wouldn’t make it there in time. And so she and her husband drove to Kansas for care, having to make their way past signs that said ‘stone all the whores’. “I felt so alone,” she said. 

2024

Nikki Haley has clearly decided to make abortion a centerpiece of her presidential campaign: The former United Nations ambassador gave a speech today at the headquarters of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America in Virginia about how Republicans can win back moderate voters on abortion rights.

“Abortion is a deeply personal topic for both women and men. I understand why someone's body and someone else's life are not things to be taken lightly, and they should not be politicized,” Haley said.

The Washington Post reported earlier today that the speech didn’t get into policy details because the goal was to focus on messaging and tone: “Haley wants to change the way abortion is discussed, returning to the less aggressive strategy adopted by the antiabortion movement in the late 1990s.”

It’s smart for Haley to lean into abortion, and the messaging is on par with what we’re seeing across the country: Republicans feigning that they want to take a softer approach on the issue. But keep in mind, if Haley has the support of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, that means that she’ll be pushing a federal ban—something the organization has made clear is their line in the sand. Haley also repeated common Republican messaging/lies about later abortion, so we can expect more of that, as well.

All of which is to say: The tone may be different, but the restrictions and bullshit remain the same.

Meanwhile, conservative consultants are suggesting that presidential candidates try to ignore abortion. (Good luck!) GOP strategist Keith Naughton told The Hill, “They should talk about it as little as possible. They should change the subject at every opportunity.”

President Joe Biden announced his bid for reelection today with a campaign video that gave a nod to abortion rights without mentioning it by name. Vice President Kamala Harris is also expected to make the case for his reelection in a speech on abortion rights today.

And if you want to hear some analysis on abortion and President’s Biden re-election campaign, check out this conversation at PBS NewsHour:

Stats & Studies

A new NBC poll shows that abortion is top of mind for voters, despite Republicans’ insistence to the contrary. Respondents were asked how important the issue of abortion was to them on a scale of one to ten, with one being ‘not at all important’ and ten meaning ‘extremely important’. The results probably won’t surprise you: 61% gave a rating of 8 or higher, with 43% ranking abortion as a 10.

And a report about abortion access in Oklahoma shows that hospitals in the state often don’t know what the law is, or are confused about what kind of care is legal. Researchers posed as pregnant women who were asking about what kind of emergency abortion care they were able to offer: 65% of the 34 hospitals called were unable to provide accurate information. Some hospitals said they couldn’t perform abortions at all, which isn’t true, others refused to share their policies.

According to one of the study’s authors, Dr. Michele Heisler, one person told her, “Oh, well, you know, in the case of a medical emergency, we would try to use the woman's body as an incubator to just try to keep the pregnancy going as long as possible.”

Keep An Eye On

You know that I’ve been raising the alarm over the way that Republicans are using abortion bans as an excuse to “streamline” adoption and terminating people’s parental rights. The latest comes out of Tennessee, where Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation that Republicans are touting as a family-friend win—but that actually empowers an already-problematic adoption industry. For example, the state’s law previously required that birth mothers surrendered their children in a judge’s chambers where they could be advised about their rights and what the termination of parental rights entails. Under this new law, that can happen over Zoom.

The law also lowers waiting periods for adoption and increases the number of months that biological mothers to be paid by the adoptive parents or adoption agencies for what they call reasonable expenses. It feels very much like offering financial incentives for vulnerable women to give up their children, and then rushing them through that process.