Very happy to report that activist Olivia Julianna, who has been raising funds for abortion since being attacked by Matt Gaetz, continues to be an absolute legend.
In another activist win, Hulu has responded to the huge backlash against their policy of refusing to carry advertisements about abortion, and announced that they will accept political ads after all.
Now onto some less exciting state news:
The West Virginia House passed an abortion ban yesterday with no exceptions for rape or incest. 12 year-old Addison Gardner, speaking at a public hearing about the law, said it better than anyone ever could:
My daughter turns 12 in a couple of weeks, and watching this really fucked me up. I’m so impressed by this young girl—by her poise and conviction—but I’m also deeply ashamed of us, as a country. Children should not have to be this brave. They should not have to beg to be seen as human beings.
Wyoming’s abortion ban was blocked by a judge yesterday, as was North Dakota’s. That’s good news, but only temporarily as the suits go forward.
In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton is telling local prosecutors that he will offer the full support of his office in pursuing criminal charges related to abortion. (Paxton is also suing the Biden administration over their guidance to hospitals, reminding them that federal law requires offering abortions in medical emergencies and to save a person’s life.)
Also in Texas, Planned Parenthood has written an open letter to folks in the state, assuring them that they’re not going anywhere:
“In a state that does not prioritize the health of its citizens and consistently cuts back support for mothers and their families, Planned Parenthood is a lifeline. And we’re here for good.”
In Ohio, LGBTQ groups are worried about how a post-Roe landscape will impact their right to healthcare. Maggie Scotece, interim executive director of the Abortion Fund of Ohio, says, “This impacts all of us, and it's not a single issue fight.”
The editorial board at The Charlotte Observer is calling out the hypocrisy of North Carolina Republicans, none of whom voted in support of the Right to Contraception Act. The board points out that access to birth control is the best way to prevent abortion, but that to Republicans, “there only seem to be two options: abstinence and procreation.”
You should also listen to this 3 minute NPR segment on how Missouri activists are working to protect abortion rights in neighboring Kansas, where there will be a special vote in August 2nd. Also in Missouri, where abortion is banned unless it’s a ‘medical emergency’, OBGYNs and doctors are struggling with how to interpret the law, and (rightfully) fear losing their license and criminal consequences.
A local news station in Indiana looks at CDC data showing that the number of people traveling out-of-state for abortions has increased five-fold over the last nine years. They also interview a woman who went to Florida for her abortion, who talked about the fear she has for others who don’t have the same financial ability to travel.
In Pennsylvania, the Republican nominee for governor seems to have a waning enthusiasm for restricting abortion rights. State Sen. Doug Mastriano once called banning abortion his “number one issue,” but in a recent interview he softened his tone and said that governors don’t dictate abortion policy. “The people of Pennsylvania, you decide what abortion looks like...You decide on exceptions. You decide on how early. And that’s in the hands of the people.” I’m sure this has nothing to do with how wildly unpopular abortion restrictions are right now. Cowards, all of them.
Colorado Democrats are crafting legislation to protect abortion providers—and anyone else who helps someone obtain an abortion—from out-of-state prosecutions. Massachusetts is doing the same: An abortion rights bill to shield doctors from out-of-state legal actions has passed both the House and the Senate. The law would also expand access to emergency contraception and require college campuses to have plans that ensure students have access to medication abortion. By the way: Over three-quarters of Massachusetts residents believe abortion should be legal.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills said she might advocate for an amendment to the state constitution to protect abortion rights if she wins re-election. She told reporters yesterday that she didn’t have a legislative plan to do so, but that “all of those things are on the table.” I don’t know enough about Maine politics to weigh in authoritatively, but I think we can do a bit better than ‘maybe’, no?
And Chicago is joining other progressive cities looking to support abortion rights; new legislation there would ban the city’s police officers from helping with out-of-state investigations and would fund $1 million a year to help patients with housing and security needs.
On the national front:
Axios has a good roundup of why Democrats’ fear that Republicans are coming for birth control is well-founded. (Though we’ve known that for a while!) A few key points: Nine states already restrict access to emergency contraception (allowing pharmacists to refuse to dispense it, banning it from coverage in the state family planning program, etc); 12 states allow health care providers to refuse services related to any contraception; and several states have already tried to include vague language in bills that would outlaw or prevent funding for contraception.
Yesterday I told you about a study showing that states with abortion bans also tend to have the worst sex education. Well, in more unsurprising news, The New York Times has published a really comprehensive article on how anti-choice states are also the states that are least supportive to mothers and children.
The NYT also has a piece about the rift among Republicans about how far to go with abortion bans and exceptions—as you can imagine, the worry seems to be less about what will help or hurt women, and more about how voters are going to react.
In The Washington Post, an oncologist writes about what abortion bans will mean for his patients. He recalls one woman who was having a pregnancy ultrasound when her cancer was detected:
“My patient chose not to undergo an abortion, and both she and her fetus died. Others have made the same decision, and both mother and baby survived...One of my patients chose to undergo an abortion and went into remission from their cancers. Others, with slower-growing cancers, were able to delay chemotherapy just long enough to deliver their child. In all of these scenarios, my patients could make independent choices, weighing the risks and benefits of maintaining or terminating a pregnancy.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at how abortion bans are impacting people with arthritis and immune disorders who can’t get the medication they need. And Mother Jones has a great piece on the GOP’s surveillance state and the way that conservatives are depending on everyday citizens turning each other in on abortion and other issues.
Earlier this week, I pointed you to this article about how Texas hospitals put a woman’s life at risk after her water broke 18 weeks into a wanted pregnancy. If you’d like to listen to Elizabeth Weller talk about her experience in her own words, NPR has the segment here. (Hard to listen to, but important.)
The 19th News looks at how abortion rights activists are working online to ensure web searches lead women to the care they’re looking for—and not to anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers. And SELF has a short piece on how cis men can help support abortion access. It’s probably nothing you haven’t heard before, but I’m glad to see articles like this in mainstream magazines and publications that you might not necessarily expect it from.
To end on an uplifting note: Interview magazine has a really terrific profile and interview of Viva Ruíz, founder of the collective Thank God for Abortion. She’s incredibly smart and interesting, and is doing the kind of innovative, in your face activism that a lot of other people shy away from.
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