Lots happening on the state level today:
The state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Kentucky’s abortion ban will remain in effect while the legal battle in the state continues. And in Texas, anti-abortion groups want to expand their already-extreme law so that people can sue out-of-state groups that mail abortion medication to women in Texas.
There’s good news out of Michigan, though: A judge blocked county prosecutors from enforcing the state’s 1931 trigger law. Abortion in Michigan will likely be on the ballot this November, but anti-choice groups are doing their best to stop that from happening. They filed a challenge yesterday to the proposed amendment, claiming that there are multiple errors that should disqualify it from being voted on. The kinds of mistakes they’re arguing make it ‘gibberish’? Typos like ‘postpartumcare’ where a space was missing. If Republicans want abortion to be decided by the state, why are they working so hard to keep the issue out of voters’ hands?
Indiana’s attorney general is attempting to do some damage control after targeting the abortion provider who helped a 10 year-old rape victim from Ohio. Todd Rokita published an op-ed with a headline that would give any public relations expert an immediate migraine: What I said (and did not say) about the underage Ohio abortion patient. YIKES.
In anticipation of the state’s abortion ban going into effect later this month, hundreds of Idaho doctors are raising the alarm about the danger of the law. One OBGYN tells the story of a young woman with cancer who got pregnant—she was in the middle of chemotherapy, was in bad shape, and had an abortion to ensure that she could continue on with treatment. Dr. Erin Berry said if the same thing happened now, she could be convinced of felony.
In Arizona, providers spoke to U.S. Health and Human Services Director Xavier Becerra this week about what it’s been like in the state since Roe was overturned. Planned Parenthood Arizona CEO Britanny Fonteno said, “we have been living in a state of crisis and confusion when it comes to our fundamental right to control our bodies, our lives and our future.”
Abortion isn’t illegal in Nebraska (it has a 20-week ban), but that hasn’t stopped some towns in the state from trying to pass local ordinances to ban abortion. These town resolutions won’t be legal or enforceable if they go against state law, but they could have a seriously negative impact by making folks who need abortions confused about what the actual law is.
I’ve written a lot about the ways that cities in anti-abortion states are trying to decriminalize abortion or make clear that city funds won’t be used to go after abortion-related cases. New Orleans, Louisiana was one of those cities—Mayor LaToya Cantrell has called New Orleans a “safe haven” for abortion, and police have been directed to not enforce the state’s anti-abortion law. However, in a move that appears to be a way to appease the city’s anti-choice contingent, police will be making reports on abortion:
“[The] policy that says officers ‘shall generate an incident report and advise dispatch’ of a specific markup for ‘every incident involving a possible violation of law associated with abortion or violations’ of the abortion ban, ‘whether or not enforcement action is taken.’”
That doesn’t feel like a “safe haven” to me.
In Louisiana more broadly, there is massive confusion about who can and can’t get an abortion: The New York Times points to the woman whose fetus was missing part of its head and skull, and how it took her going to the media to finally get clarity on what kind of care she was legally allowed to get.
In Pennsylvania, the mayor of Philadelphia is being sued by two residents (backed by a conservative organization, obviously) for promising to donate $500,000 to a city abortion fund. And in Missouri, Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing St. Louis after the city used federal funds to help city residents find access to abortion care.
Just a reminder that a South Carolina legislator is pushing a bill that would make it a felony to provide information about abortion to a pregnant person or anyone seeking information on behalf of a pregnant person. That means that anyone with a website of pro-choice resources, a friend who gives out information about a clinic over the phone, or a reporter who publishes an article about abortion medication could go to jail. A free speech group has put up billboards in the state targeting the legislation, which (as you may remember) was taken from model legislation put out by the National Right to Life Committee. Something to very much keep an eye on.
North Carolina public radio has a segment up about abortion doulas, what they do, and how to get involved if you’re in the state. And remember when I told you we’re going to see an increase in anti-abortion activist activity in pro-choice states? Well, in New York, extremists targeted a Planned Parenthood in Brooklyn, harassing workers there.
A mother’s nightmare in the Dominican Republic shines a light on what’s to come here in the U.S.: In 2012, Rosa Hernández’s 16 year-old daughter, Rosaura, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. With treatment, the survival rate for childhood ALL is about 90%. But Rosaura was a month pregnant, and hospital staff refused to give her an abortion. They even delayed her chemotherapy for nearly a month because of the pregnancy. By the time they finally agreed to start treatment—without giving her the abortion—it was too late. Rosaura died a few weeks later. This can, and will, happen here.
I’ve written a bit about this before, but it bears repeating: A study shows that anti-abortion restrictions will shrink women’s income by 5%. Feminists have been screaming this from the rooftops for decades: Abortion isn’t just a political or cultural issue, it’s an economic one.
The Federal Trade Commission may sue an adtech company for revealing people’s private information—including women’s visits to abortion clinics; NPR gets into why some of the suggestions on how to provide abortions despite bans—like setting up clinics on Native American reservations—won’t quite work; and the Associated Press looks at the fight among Republicans on how extreme to be on abortion.
Walmart has expanded its health coverage for employees who need abortion care—but don’t get too excited. The company said it will only cover abortion in cases of rape, incest, or danger to health and life of the pregnant person. (I find this pretty insulting, actually.)
Also on the business front: The number of online companies offering medication abortion are growing. They’re all betting on the idea that the increased demand for the abortion pill will make the legal challenges worth it.
More doctors are speaking out about how they can resist immoral abortion bans that make it impossible for them to give their patients adequate care. In The Washington Post, a doctor and Georgetown law professor writes, “rather than retreating out of fear to risk-aversion that amplifies the new abortion bans’ cruel impact, physicians should stand up to champion their pregnant patients.”
“Doing so will demand courage. Some ideologically motivated judges might push back, permitting prosecutions to go forward against abortion providers who act on these clinical standards. A few providers, at least, will need to risk this on their patients’ behalf. But lawyers are already volunteering to represent doctors willing to champion their patients’ reproductive liberty. And convicting health professionals for saving women from serious harm is unlikely to appeal to courts and jurors — or to voters.”
The Cut looks at abortion clinics that are remaining open in anti-choice states and how they’re working to change the services they provide. The piece also points out the importance of clinics that can remain doing so; because if the laws are changed, they will be there to resume abortion services immediately.
As expected, crisis pregnancy centers are on the rise—which is bad news for American women. These are not medical clinics, though they often present themselves as such. Most importantly: They don’t provide accurate information to the women who go there, and they aren’t beholden to the same privacy laws that actual medical clinics are.
Random event news: If you’re in California, there is what looks like a pretty epic event: Twenty-five DJs in San Francisco are performing tonight at 1015 Folsom, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the National Network of Abortion Funds and Planned Parenthood.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks, as always, for the support. -Jessica
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