What’s happening with abortion policy in red states?
Something wild has been happening in my state as well as several others whose GOP is owned by right wing dark money among other strange funding situations.[1] My state is Texas, where one of the most publicized incidents since the Dobbs decision was made involved Kate Cox’s reproductive health. Her reproductive health was at risk at the very least and her life may have been as well when she was denied an abortion by the Texas Supreme Court that would keep both intact. She went elsewhere to take care of herself while in a dangerous state of health.[2] I’ve lived here all of my life. I wonder if I’m dreaming. Are we back a hundred years or so, or maybe only 60 when women couldn’t have their tubes tied without their husband’s consent, much less legally and safely have an abortion?
My head is spinning right now with the absurdity that not only is there a ban on abortions, but that in one fell swoop, Roe vs. Wade went under and women’s health went with it. Suddenly abortion also means born women grown to reproductive capacity have less value than the developing fetus in their wombs. Why are those two linked and how can it ever come to the situation that women’s health should, under any circumstance, be illegal to medically treat?
Not only is women’s health devalued by state abortion bans, but most of those laws result in a world in which any licensed medical doctor can go to prison for simply practicing medicine as they are trained and know how to do and are obligated to do.[3] This all started with allowing the South to be trusted with voting laws[4] — the result of 30 years of right-wing Supreme Court justice appointments. Then Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the electoral — the 5th time such a thing had happened in US history but the second time in the previous four presidential elections, only 16 years apart.[5] The Republican-led Senate blocking Pres. Obama’s Supreme Court nominee had occurred several months before that. Then Pres. Trump nominated three justices while in office that he boasted would overturn Roe v Wade as Supreme Court justices.[6] They were all voted in by the Senate.
These situations are all about who gets to make policy and whether that policy is for a world in which people are broadly served by it based on reason and scientific knowledge or only a select few are served by it and is based on greed. Greed in the South and other red parts has the grip.
The number one reason cited by women for choosing abortion is financial[7]. When a mother cannot see having the financial resources to raise a child, their love of that potential child as well as other children under her care, often results in a decision to have an abortion. That is a compassionate and reasoned decision.
Women and families need conditions that are supportive of child raising to choose to have children. Policy chosen that supports communities in clean environments and with good employment possibilities, as well as educational opportunities and federally mandated paid leave policies; affordable, quality healthcare and childcare and too, family planning services, will foster less abortion and healthier communities. Options many families and women face now are draconian, created by vote manipulated, exclusivity oriented, greed supportive policy. Democratically supportive reason and knowledge based, inclusive policy is needed to get us to fewer abortions and better environments for raising children.
[1] https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/11/02/u-s-rep-jim-jordan-issues-warning-to-ag-investigating-conservative-donor-leonard-leo/ https://www.businessinsider.com/state-abortion-ban-sponsors-bankrolled-by-att-walmart-citi-corporations-2022-5
[2] https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kate-cox-texas-exceptions-e85664b2ab76bcb689b1b91913d3e33e
[3] https://www.aamc.org/news/what-doctors-should-know-about-emergency-abortions-states-bans
[4] https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2023-06-06/supreme-court-opened-the-door-to-states-voting-restrictions-now-a-new-ruling-could-widen-them
[5]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_in_which_the_winner_lost_the_popular_vote
[6] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trumps-justices-decisive-long-campaign-overturn-roe-v-wade-2022-06-24/
[7] https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6874-13-29/tables/2
