This past week and a half has left a lot of people feeling shaken to the core. By now, you’ve likely heard about the new abortion laws that have been signed in both Georgia and Alabama. This is not the first time that states have proposed restrictive laws surrounding abortion, and it will likely not be the last.
In order to understand what can be done to stand up against such restrictive legislation, it is important to understand exactly what these states are proposing. In Georgia, the new “heartbeat bill” states that women will not be able to to have abortions as soon as the fetus’ heartbeat can be heard. This generally happens around five and a half to six weeks after conception when many people don’t even know that they’re pregnant yet. In Alabama, lawmakers had an almost unanimous vote to nearly eradicate all abortions, including those for victims of rape and incest. This “Human Life Protection Act” makes abortion at any point during pregnancy worthy of a felony. The only exception includes situations where refusing medical attention and termination would pose “a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.”
It is important to keep in mind that as of right now abortion is not outlawed. The Georgia law, for example, will not be enforceable until 2020, but it is unsettling nonetheless that politicians continue to try and decide what I can or cannot do with my own body. One of many reasons why criminalizing early abortions can be so detrimental is due to the fact that doctors often can’t tell the difference between a miscarriage or a potentially self-induced abortion. This would force medical providers to interrogate their patients with whom they are supposed to form a trusting relationship with. As a result, this criminalization will likely harm immigrants, people of color, and people living under the poverty line more than anyone else. Even in the state of Maine there are still a handful of fake reproductive health clinics that try and dissuade people from having abortions using shame and guilt tactics.
As disheartening as this all might be, it is important not to give up. In my eyes, regardless of the decisions you want to make about your own body, nobody should have the right to tell someone else how to treat theirs. All this being said, if you are interested in learning more about abortion rights or taking a stand, here are a couple of resources that are worth your time:
To learn more about reproductive health issues as a whole:
https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues
To learn more about how you can help and to get involved:
https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/how-to-help-alabama-6-week-abortion-ban-georgia.html
https://secure.everyaction.com/p/qKBMR94g_kCh8DP0elzulg2
To learn more about fake clinics and report those around you;
https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/issue/fake-health-centers/
https://www.exposefakeclinics.com/