Content Warning: Today’s Abortion, Every Day includes a story of child sexual assault and pregnancy loss.
In the states…
I told you yesterday about South Carolina legislators advancing an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest—a move that has divided Republicans in the state. Sen. Katrina Shealy laid into her male colleagues yesterday, saying “it disgusts me.”
“Yes, I’m pro-life. I’m also pro-life for the mother, the life she has with her children who are already born. I care about the children who are forced into adulthood that was made up by a legislature full of men so they can take a victory lap and feel good about it.”
I have a hard time with this, to be honest. I’m glad she’s speaking up about how awful the ban is—but what did she expect? Any woman who fights against access to abortion or aligns herself with men who would do the same shouldn’t be surprised when they make laws that are as cruel as possible.
No news yet on the Michigan Supreme Court weighing in on getting abortion on the ballot in November, but they’re expected to rule today. (A new poll shows strong support for the amendment, which would protect abortion rights in the state constitution.) We do have some good news out of the state, though: A judge has permanently blocked Michigan’s 1931 trigger ban. Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ruled that the state constitution “protects the right of all pregnant people to make autonomous health decisions.” More from the judge:
“Exercising the right to bodily integrity means exercising the right to determine when in her life a woman will be best prepared physically, emotionally and financially to be a mother.”
When the story of a raped and impregnated 10-year old in Ohio went viral, conservatives rallied to claim that the case was an anomaly. They didn’t want Americans thinking about just how many children are raped in this country. Now new data out of Kentucky shows that very young children were given abortions in the state—including two 9-year-olds in the last two years. The response from Kentucky Right to Life? Their executive director says, “It is still a life that has been formed. All life is sacred.” Unless, apparently, if you’re 9 years old.
An Idaho OBGYN wrote a column explaining how the state abortion ban puts people in danger:
“Even medical experts cannot perfectly predict outcomes in pregnancy. How do lawmakers presume to make medical decisions for a patient without acknowledging or understanding the complexities of health care in pregnancy?”
New doctors in the state are also speaking up, frustrated and distressed that they can’t get adequate training in reproductive health care and procedures because of the law.
In Texas, Beto O’Rouke traded barbs with Gov. Greg Abbott over abortion, saying his policies will “kill women.” Which is correct. And in North Carolina, abortion rights activists are putting up billboard ads to remind folks that abortion is still legal in the state.
Nebraska Public Radio gets into the disproportionate risks that abortion bans pose to Black women; a Washington, DC theater is highlighting abortion rights in a new play; the Planned Parenthood in Iowa has a new CEO (you can read more about Ruth Richardson here); and Chicago joins the spate of cities using local ordinances to protect abortion rights.
Even more politicians are slyly shifting their position on abortion (or lying about it) in light of the national fury over abortion bans. In New Mexico, Republican candidate for governor Mark Ronchetti deleted language from his website describing himself as “strongly pro-life”; and in Oklahoma, Democrat Joy Hofmeister, also running for governor, now says she supports overturning the state’s abortion ban after previously stating it should only be legal to save the life of a pregnant person.
Executives in Georgia have written an open letter about how the abortion ban is already hurting businesses in the state:
“Companies now face the choice of moving to or staying in a state where half of their workforce is facing second-class citizenship and may be subject to investigation or prosecution for routine healthcare.”
Florida’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, wants the state Supreme Court to reverse a decision that found a privacy clause in the state constitution protects abortion rights. Well fuck you, too, lady.
A panel of experts in Arkansas spoke about the state’s abortion law this week; you can watch below. Notable: The one doctor on the panel recommended that women who want to be pregnant move to another state.
Minnesota crisis pregnancy centers, partially funded by the state health department, are telling women that having an abortion will lead to irrevocable emotional damage. Which is...not at all true.
In the nation…
In an interview with GQ, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says that “we need men to be speaking up” about abortion. Agreed, big time.
The military is trying to handle a recruitment issue that’s only been made worse by Roe being overturned. They say that those who enlist can’t refuse to be stationed someplace that bans abortion, but that they can ask. Hmm.
Conservatives are poised to go after the Department of Veteran affairs, who just announced they will provide abortions to veterans who are victims of rape or incest, or whose health or life are in danger—even if they are in a state where abortion is illegal.
From Iraq War veteran Allison Jalsow:
“Our country trusted me to make life and death decisions on the battlefield. Our country trusted me with my troops’ lives in combat. But my country no longer trusts me with decisions regarding my own body and my own health care.”
The Guardian reports that students are (rightfully) worried about being surveilled by their schools in the wake of Roe being overturned. According to the Center for Democracy and Technology, student info that is collected by surveillance companies is “regularly shared with police,” a move that is even more dangerous now. A director at the organization, Elizabeth Laird, says, “If you are in a state that has a law that criminalizes abortion, right now this tool could be used to enforce those laws.”
Remember all that talk about returning the issue of abortion to the states? Well, anti-choicers have officially asked the Supreme Court to take up the issue of fetal personhood as a move towards supporting a federal ban.
The Washington Post reports on how dangerous (and legally impossible) it is to legislate what constitutes a medical emergency when it comes to abortion; workers at Google continue to press the company to do more to support abortion rights; and a new poll shows that voters’ concerns about abortion are only growing: 22 percent name abortion as their top issue, up 4 points since July.
Today’s Hate Read…
I told you about the story of the nurse who says she was fired because she refused to prescribe Plan B—and how The Washington Post majorly fucked up their coverage, calling emergency contraception “abortion drugs.” The distinction is important because conservatives want to classify birth control as abortifacients—as evidenced in this Catholic news item about the case. Hate read away!
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