This Week in Abortion, Reflections on Event

A collection of good reads, events from the week, and policy insights.

Welcome back to your weekly roundup of good reads, legal updates, and legislative tracking on abortion. Many states’ fiscal years begin today, which typically also means many laws come into effect. This time is also correlated to judicial decisions happening, as we saw this week in North Carolina and Indiana (and the Supreme Court).

Our feature reflects on an event Rachel attended last week, and is a great reminder that access advocates are still pushing in states with bans and supporting them is essential to the work. 

“Good” Reads

• A recent Five-Thirty-Eight poll found that nonreligious Americans are becoming the nation’s abortion voters. Interest from this group in securing abortion access now outpaces the interest white evangelicals protestants have in taking away access. While it’s an interesting stat and good news for Democrats and for abortion access in some parts of the country, it is in our nature to throw a bit of cold water out there… 

  • This is not surprising, the Dobbs decision was a big win for anti-access, and big wins often take the wind out the sails for a while. Meanwhile, the pro-access movement now has something salient to fight for.

  • Politically, what Americans think doesn’t matter right now. As long as white evangelicals are concentrated in many of the states with bans, and in the Republican party, and 39% of them still think it’s a priority issue, and anti-access group are powerful special interests their politicians are going to act to those interest…it’s not a politician’s job to care about what the rest of America thinks.

  • On that note, fellow Substacker Andrea Grimes had a post this week reflecting on the futility of trying to turn anti-access politicians that we really appreciated.

• Some local anti-access commentary on the Ohio amendment, and more from Fox focusing on parental consent provisions are interesting. 

  • On the whole, it’s actually not clear what the Ohio amendment would do to parental consent. If the amendment passes it doesn’t negate Ohio’s current consent law. First, someone would have to sue under the premise that the law conflicts with the constitution. Then the courts would decide. So, it could stick around, or not. But, the anti-access campaign is leaning heavily into the notion that parental consent will go away. 

  • They are also trying to tie the amendment to transgender issues, which is confirmed, and stinky, malarkey (Rachel wanted to say horseshit, but Mollie stopped her). 

• A few weeks ago we talked about the federal budget being the most likely place we’d see movement on nationwide abortion policy this year - for better or worse. Farnoush Amiri in the AP goes into some of the ways some House Republicans are trying to move anti-access policy in exactly that way. 

State and Local Events of the Week

• 👎 North Carolina’s abortion ban came into effect today after a judge cleared the way and did not block the main provision.

  • Legislators passed revisions to the law that were tailored to concerns raised in the ongoing lawsuit, which were signed by the Governor. 

  • The amendments made the ban less restrictive - made clear that medicated abortions are also allowed up to 12 weeks - and more restrictive - made it clear that in person exams are required. 

• 👍 New Mexico has a new hotline for women seeking access to abortion clinics, transportation or other assistance. If you’re in the region, keep it handy: 833-767-3776.

• 👍 Wisconsin passed a law that “will allow pharmacists to prescribe some birth control without a doctor's prescription.” 

Legal Updates

• 👎 The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the full abortion ban passed last summer does NOT violate the state constitution. Access advocates have 30 days to seek a rehearing before the ban would go into effect, and another pending lawsuit on religious grounds remains pending. 

• 😡 A crisis pregnancy center in Massachusetts is being sued for not diagnosing an ectopic pregnancy. It’s good they are getting sued, it’s infuriating that it happened in the first place.

• 👎 Missouri’s ballot measure is still stuck in court! 

  • We previously wrote that advocates could move ahead on signature collection, but nope. The Supreme Court has decided to intervene and will hear the case in mid July. 

  • Advocates will need to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures from around the state by early May 2024. Time is ticking.

Feature: Reflections On Event - One Year Since Dobbs, Moderated by Forward Midwifery

This week Rachel was excited to listen in on an event with abortion advocates, providers, and educators hosted by Support Abortion Access and moderated by Forward Midwifery. Speakers include Midwest Access Coalition, Our Justice, Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, WISP, Online Abortion Resource Squad, and more. 

It was a great discussion with some themes that resonated with me:

• Something everyone agreed on was that any groups funding reproductive health, education, or related aid to be on the lookout for crisis pregnancy centers. They are growing in number and boldness. At least one speaker commented that she knows of instances where a crisis pregnancy center received money from otherwises access friendly donors and government TANF programs.

• Laurie Bertram Roberts from the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund shared that one of her biggest challenges right now is reminding big funders that she is still around. She said that for her, and similar groups in other states that have banned abortion, people have forgotten that they are there and that there is still a need for in-state support. The fund provides financial assistance for those seeking abortions and other health and family related services like free contraception, period supplies, and diapers. Given the crisis pregnancy flag above, it seems that if anything, there needs to be more responsible educators and basic service providers on the ground, not less.

• As far as what the average individual can do, one important ask came from Ariella Messing of the Online Abortion Resource Squad: Be informed about how and where to get access where you are, in your neighborhood and state, and be ready to direct people who need help to ACCURATE, and RESPONSIBLE resources. Bad information can be worse than no information. (My words) OARS is a good place to start, especially if you are on Reddit.

• A final ask was for anyone with sign language and other language translation training to make yourself known and, hopefully, volunteer your time to help access orgs in your community. The ask came with a recognition that the field has not done a great job making broader accessibility of their own services a priority and that they need help to do better.