In case you missed it: I've been writing about abortion every day since Roe was overturned—reading stories from different states, small towns, random counties. And my biggest takeaway is that the men enforcing abortion bans are literally the worst people you've ever met. Here’s my column about it.
In the states…
An update to my Tennessee story: After I published my interview with Sara Chambers, who was told by her state representative that IVF doctors could be arrested for discarding embryos, a local news station reached out to the state Attorney General. When asked if his office would investigate IVF clinics, a spokesperson replied in a text message that the reporters should "check the statute." (The law says a fertilized egg is an 'unborn child'.) To me, that non-answer is a very clear answer.
Meanwhile, the Republican running for Attorney General in Michigan, Matt DePerno, was caught on tape talking about banning Plan B: “You have to stop it at the border. It would be no different than fentanyl.” And in Kentucky, the attorney general—who is also running for governor—filed a brief with the state Supreme Court defending the state’s sweeping abortion ban. Good reminders that every single elected official matters.
Speaking of elections that matter: Candidates for prosecutor in Indiana’s Marion County, which is the largest county in the state, faced off in a debate and talked about abortion. Incumbent Democrat Ryan Mears said he wouldn’t prosecute anyone who had abortions or the doctors who provide them:
“We as a community need to stand up for women and make sure that we send a clear message to the rest of the legislature in the rest of the state of Indiana, that we love women, we respect women and we're going to protect their rights.”
His opponent Republican Cyndi Carrasco said that prosecuting abortion wasn’t her priority but that she would “uphold the law.” Not quite as convincing!
A Casper, Wyoming abortion clinic that was nearly destroyed by an arsonist in May won’t be opening until next year. More in anti-abortion violence: In North Carolina, a longtime clinic escort was hit by a car—driven by an anti-abortion protester—this past June. Now, Kirstin Cassell is sharing her story and talking about the violence against clinic escorts and pro-choice activists.
Love this: At Middlebury College in Vermont, students held a protest when the administration allowed a crisis pregnancy center to have a table at their student activities fair. Good for them.
If you want a deep-dive look at who is working to keep abortion legal in Pennsylvania, this is a really good piece that gives you a sense of the players (and who you should be donating $ to).
Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried—who lost the Democratic primary for governor—is leaving office and launching a political committee dedicated to getting an amendment protecting abortion rights in the state constitution on the ballot in 2024. Fried said, “Women in Florida are losing our freedom. But mark my words, we will not be silenced. We will not be controlled. We will persist and win.”
More and more Republicans have looked at the polls and are doing their best to stay quiet on abortion—like this congressional candidate in Minnesota who once said banning abortion would be a top priority and now doesn’t even mention it on his website.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called on lawmakers to vote on a constitutional amendment allowing statewide referendums as a way to get abortion on the ballot; Republican politicians (who control the state legislature) rejected it immediately. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Republicans don’t want abortion on the ballot because they know they’ll lose.
Missouri Democrats have filed a bill to repeal the state’s abortion ban; it’s not likely to go anywhere but I’m still glad they’re shining a spotlight on how horrific these laws are.
In Illinois, the Chicago city council passed an ordinance that prohibits city police or any other government agency from cooperating in abortion investigations of women who come to the city to get abortions. (Also in Illinois, the Rockford Register Star asked local officials—from the mayor to county board members and city council aldermen—their position on abortion. This is the kind of local news we need; make them all attach their name to their beliefs.)
And while Kansas voted to keep abortion protected in the state constitution, elections for the state supreme court could throw a wrench in that—definitely keep a close eye.
As November approaches, doctors in Michigan are speaking out in support of abortion rights. Dr. Timothy Johnson, a high risk OBGYN says, “Limiting our options, tying our hands in terms of what patient's choices are and what we can do to take care of the patient. I don't think is in the interest of the best health of women.”
In Ohio, where a block on the state abortion ban has been extended to October 12th, a doctor running for a state senate seat has written an op-ed on abortion. Dr. Patricia Goetz writes, “Let’s be clear about what this new law really does—it eliminates bodily autonomy by forcing pregnant people to give birth, puts their lives at higher risk and intimidates doctors while limiting the care they can administer to the patient.”
And here’s what Republicans candidates are saying about abortion in Colorado, one of the few states that doesn’t have gestational limits on abortion.
In the nation…
Sen. Lindsey Graham continues his media tour of bullshit: On Fox & Friends yesterday, Sen. Graham said abortion “is not a states’ rights issue; this is a human rights issue.” It was just in August, of course, that Graham said “I’ve been consistent…states should decide the issue of abortion.”
Speaking of Sen. Graham’s bill: Doctors point out that this ban would force women to have transvaginal ultrasounds—something that activists have argued in the past is tantamount to rape. Because the bill bans abortions after 15 weeks—and is punishable by prison time—doctors say they would need to perform the ultrasounds to be sure. And in the early weeks and months of pregnancy, that ultrasound is almost always done transvaginally.
Speaking of fucking liars, former Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech in Utah yesterday where he applauded Roe being “sent to the ash heap of history where it belongs,” and forgot about his whole ‘less federal oversight’ thing and called for people to not “rest or relent” until the “sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state.”
Actress (and All in Her Head subscriber!) Busy Philipps talked about getting arrested this summer while protesting for abortion rights at a get-out-the-vote event this week:
“It was an act of civil disobedience, and it was the first time that Planned Parenthood has had a planned act of civil disobedience in their history…And just to keep people paying attention; you have to show up and demand that people continue to pay attention.”
Republicans are trying to distract from abortion rights by focusing their campaign ads on crime, Bloomberg reports; EMILY’s List keeps updating its roster of endorsements if you want to look for candidates to support in your state; The Washington Post looks at abortion battles in key states; and the Associated Press gets into how Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stunt flying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard was in part about distracting Americans from abortion rights.
Forward gets into how Jewish students are steering away from colleges in anti-choice states. One high school senior in California, for example, told the magazine, “I don’t want to go somewhere where I definitely can’t have all my rights when I need them.”
Reuters examines the five states where abortion will be on the ballot in November (to date: California, Vermont, Michigan, Kentucky and Montana); and Politico looks at how doctors are moving towards telehealth to prescribe abortion medication.
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