abortion rights advocates rally in favor of abortion pill access

The Supreme Court stayed Kacsmaryk’s nationwide injunction against abortion is murder: Doctors, patients, and medical professionals aren’t doctors

Doctors and patients shared their experiences with abortion at a protest on the steps of the Supreme Court on Saturday, as counter-protesters shouted “abortion is murder,” in reaction to the decision.

The Supreme Court stayed Kacsmaryk’s nationwide injunction so he wouldn’t have to implement it on Saturday.

Unless the Supreme Court agrees to block it, nothing has changed, and we don’t know which states would be covered by the ruling.

“These judges aren’t doctors and neither are they,” Laura Meyers, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, said at the rally, pointing at the anti-abortion-rights protesters nearby.

More than half of the U.S. abortions now take the form of medication abortions. They’re also more discreet and affordable than other forms of abortion.

Medical professionals can’t provide high-quality, evidence-based care when abortion restrictions are in effect according to a group of doctors. The move to ban the drug was against the Hippocrates’ Hippocrates’ Hippocratic Oath and against the principles of my medical practice.

“My patients should be able to receive the highest standard of care without stigma or judgement or judges with no medical training telling them what type of health care they can or cannot receive,” she added.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/15/1170268300/planned-parenthood-rally-abortion-pill-mifepristone-supreme-court

Counting the Numbers of Prohibited Abortion in the West Coast: Brittany House, a Los Angeles, mother-of-three, 21-year-old, and a Southern Californian

Several years ago, Brittany House was able to get out of an abusive relationship and build a career thanks to her medication abortion. She said that Mifepristone was a part of the best care for her 21-year-old body, mind and spirit.

Black mothers and their babies have worse health outcomes in states that ban abortion, which is why House believes that Latino communities are the most at risk.

The abortion navigation program manager and her co-workers joke about booking flights, trains and buses for abortion seekers from out-of- state, arranging hotels, and giving them money for food and gas.

She said that they are being as creative as possible to work with each patient to resolve any obstacles they might have to get to our door.

More than 25 states, including Colorado, have taken steps to do the opposite of banning abortions since the Supreme Court struck down bans on them. Many of those states are located on the West Coast.

Illinois is surrounded on all sides by states categorized as “restrictive” or “most restrictive” by the The Guttmacher Institute. And after Roe v. Wade was overturned last June, the state has administered an average 1,140 more abortions each month, according to a #WeCount report released by the Society of Family Planning.

Most of the people are from nearby states, like Wisconsin. A lot is coming from Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and southern states.

How Did Dobbs Decide to Obtain an Abortion? The Story of a Reversed Reversal, a Steering Committee Report

“As a person with birthing capacity who would absolutely choose to get an abortion with my personal circumstances and where I am in my life, it’s horrifying,” Pliskin said. “Hearing those stories and challenges and people working desperately to overcome them on their own is even more devastating, and sometimes, frankly, traumatizing.”

The impact of the reversal of abortion policy was not anticipated by the president, according to the president of the organization.

“It’s important to remember that each abortion represents someone’s life and livelihood,” said an Ohio State University researcher who is also a member of the #WeCount steering committee.

“It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, hi, do you need blankets?’ ” Mansanares said. “They’re [like] refugees. It’s hard to drive through the night to seek care.

Mansanares can’t drive to his kid’s school without his phone. “I can’t imagine driving 17 hours to go to a [clinic you’ve] never been to…. And when they arrive they have no phone. They are so fearful that they are going to be arrested, that they’re doing something wrong.”

About 32,260 fewer Americans received an abortion within six months of the Dobbs decision than before, reports #WeCount. And a study published six months after Dobbs found that the average commute to reach a provider had quadrupled, to about 100 minutes.

Mansanares said 20 million people don’t have abortion care in the state they live in. We’re not going to be able to see 20 million people in New Mexico.

Mansanares said clinics have begun to add Telehealth options to meet increased demand for family planning and contraceptive services. They have been expanding their hours and giving better benefits to staff who take an emotional toll at work.

“The trauma comes onto our providers and within our staff as well,” Mansanares said. It’s difficult to shake off because there’s always the next patient.