ABORTION REGULATIONS: GET INFORMED

No need to read The Handmaid’s Tale; author Margaret Atwood’s novel is the direction of the steps after the overturning of Roe v. Wade! So, if you decided to turn off social media or any news outlet, here’s what you missed.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote a statement that was accidentally sent to the press about abortion rights being banned.  One month later, on June 24, 2022, the court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that gave women the right to have an abortion. The decision sent abortion law back to the individual states.  In its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court upheld the state of Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, the fight to use  medication like GenBioPro is still under debate, especially as states such as Mississippi are trying to exile this substance.

The push from pro-lifers is quite contradictory with this controversial issue. Let’s think about it: conservative values are designated for Republicans. First, they frown upon the idea of teen pregnancy, only wanting to promote abstinence. Then these circumstances come along, and your child has to carry a baby for nine months (or so), but these traditionalists will shame you for being a young parent and having sex. Yet they think it’s wrong to go through with an abortion? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!

You have to pick a side. This party is constantly wanting to control others, or worse: take their freedoms away. Further, the G.O.P. always finds a way to sabotage minorities; hence the restrictive laws on abortion today.

There are 27 major U.S. cities considered “abortion deserts,” where the nearest clinic is more than 100 miles away. If you are a person of color in a difficult socioeconomic situation, such as not having transportation, where should you go? That was a rhetorical question, but the legalities of abortion now leave no alternatives.  Just view the number which further proves the singling out: “In the most recent data from the CDC in 2019, Black women had the highest rate of abortions, with 23.8 abortions per 1,000 women,” ABC News reporter Kiara Alfonseca finds. This makes citizens question Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, as she has two children of color, but somehow aligns with anti-abortion groups.

Small-circle wise, Pennsylvania has already begun trying to limit abortions, although Governor Tom Wolf vetoed several bills that would have limited abortion rights. It is relevant to mention that abortions caused by rape, incest, or endangerment of the mother’s life during pregnancy or birth can be covered under Obamacare plans.

Activist strategies from professionals: “We’ve leaned into our grassroots strategies of taking care of each other. This move [by the Supreme Court] does not take away our power,” said Krystal Redman, an executive director of Spark Reproductive Justice Now. “For folks who are new to this movement—folks who don’t reside within the margins—try to connect with a reproductive-justice group within your community.

“We are continuously working to expand our reach so that more people can get what they need despite being faced with systems that weren’t created for us,” Redman added.

Being solution-resistant in a time of need is not helpful! If abortion rights are an important issue to you, then you should be doing more than posting your opinions about it on social media! Go be a part of something bigger than yourself. Do the research; don’t wait for answers to just come to you.