It feels very good to be able to type this: Kansas voters made their voices unequivocally heard last night, and they said fuck your abortion bans. The GOP’s attempt to remove abortion protections from the state constitution failed spectacularly, and the rest of America got a glimpse at what future elections are going to look like. I wrote about the results in my column today; the short version is that abortion is a winning issue, and politicians need to start acting like they know it.
And in case you missed it, Republicans knew that they were on the ropes in Kansas—that’s why anti-abortion groups were sending out misleading (aka lying) messages trying to trick pro-choicers into casting an incorrect vote.
In Michigan, abortion is top of mind for voters; one woman told The New York Times, “I’m three months pregnant...If something goes wrong, the doctors could just let me die.”
The Idaho Supreme Court heard arguments today on the state’s abortion law. Planned Parenthood lawyer Alan Schoenfield argued the language in the law is so vague around the exception for a person’s life that "no healthcare provider would subject themselves to criminal penalty." He pointed out that each individual doctor would have to make an independent judgment about how close to death the pregnant person is—knowing that deciding ‘incorrectly’ could send them to prison.
While some cities in red states are passing resolutions to protect or decriminalize abortion, one city in very blue California is trying to pass a resolution that would ban abortions. The San Clemente City Council will vote in a few weeks on on whether or not to declare the city a “sanctuary for life” and an “abortion-free zone.” Gross.
We’re already starting to see the chipping-away attacks on abortion providers: An abortion clinic in Florida is fighting back against $41,000 in government fines. State regulators claim doctors didn’t give women mandated information before their procedures. (If you know about TRAP laws, essentially they require clinics to lie to patients about abortion’s risks.)
I told you yesterday that Kentucky’s ban went into effect, making abortion illegal immediately. Clinics there have appealed that decision, asking the Kentucky Supreme Court to vacate the ruling.
In Georgia, where abortion is banned after six weeks, taxpayers can now get child tax credits for their pregnancy if there is “a detectable heartbeat.” Just as a reminder, this isn’t a move to help families, but a way to further enshrine the idea of fetal personhood. Some good news in the state, however: The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution making a $300,000 donation to an abortion fund to help people pay for out of state travel if they need to end their pregnancies.
Montana’s governor is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a 1999 ruling that says the state’s constitution ensures a right to abortion. Here’s a response from Martha Fuller, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Montana:
“Montanans’ constitutional right to privacy protects the right to seek and obtain an abortion — full stop…the governor’s insistence that the Legislature has the final say on the restriction or elimination of a fundamental right is an insult to Montanans and our Constitution.”
And in Tennessee, abortion rights are impacting local elections—there’s a spotlight on the race for district attorney, for example, because once the trigger law takes effect, abortion could be punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Who wins will literally determine if women and doctors are prosecuted. Also in Tennessee, a judge had to issue a restraining order against an anti-abortion group (known for straight up domestic terrorism) after several people made threats and were arrested at a clinic.
In national news:
President Biden signed an executive order to help protect those who want to travel out of state for an abortion. Among other suggestions, the order asks the Health and Human Services secretary to consider inviting states where patients are traveling to apply for Medicaid waivers. (I’m trying to sort out how this is going square up with the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding going to abortions.)
The Department of Justice is asking that Texas’ lawsuit against them be dismissed. (The Texas AG is suing the Biden administration over their guidance to hospitals that federal law requires them to offer abortion in medical emergencies.)
And Gallup reports that nearly 40% of Americans said they felt the urge to protest; one third of those people wanted to do so for abortion access.
Media Matters also has a new investigation out: They report that Facebook earned tens of thousands of dollars in ad revenue from anti-abortion misinformation—and that the ads were seen millions of times.
Bloomberg has short profiles of 10 women sharing their abortion stories and how the choice impacted their lives; while the CEO of Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (where I interned in college!) has an op-ed in the Albany Times Union about why people should not feel as if they have to share their abortion stories.
The 19th looks at the lack of exceptions in abortion bans for fetal abnormalities—even when that fetus can’t survive; and USA Today follows up on the women who are being denied arthritis medication because of abortion bans.
Something to pay close attention to: New research shows that women’s wages fall at least 5% after abortion restrictions are enacted. The authors write:
"The findings remind us how gender inequality is closely attached to freedom and opportunities, and how state decisions can meaningfully impact women’s economic opportunities. Every time you become more restrictive you basically push women down the food chain — from succeeding in their careers to just surviving.”
And I’ll probably write a column about this one, but anti-abortion activists have gone full fucking evil, arguing that 10 year-olds can’t consent to abortion (but somehow can consent to giving birth??)
That’s a lot, I know—but I’m glad that I was able to finally bring you all some objectively good news. Hope you’re all hanging in there. -Jessica
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