By now, I’m sure we’ve all heard about the Alabama IVF ruling in which the Alabama Supreme court cited the “wrath of God” in their ruling that frozen embryos are people. It’s bleak to say the least. The evangelical pro-life movement has always done the most while also trying to claim it would never go this far. And yet, here we are.
It reminded me of how, in my perusal of trad-wife content, there is a not so subtle movement toward going off birth control pills and removing IUD’s because of ‘toxins’ or because ‘we just have no idea how this stuff impacts us longterm’ (not true). And while I do think there needs to be greater research into birth control (because duh), this is a dog whistle indicating a far more fanatical stance on abortion than they would ever say explicitly. “I’m just against murdering babies” they’ll say, but actually what’s becoming more and more apparent, is that it’s not that they believe abortion is murder. It’s that they believe all women should be mothers — right now, all the time, always. A woman’s place is at home with so many children that she doesn’t have the time or energy to fight for her liberation.
And of course, of course, it is low income women of color who suffer the most. It is Black women who will continue to die at disproportionate rates — and even higher ones if women are forced to carry multiple embryos or can’t receive life-saving D&Cs when experiencing miscarriages or must go through with a progressively riskier pregnancy with an unviable fetus because no doctor will perform an abortion.
I’m going to be honest. I’m scared. I’m scared to get pregnant while I live in a state with a 6 week abortion ban. I’m scared to raise a daughter in a country with dwindling reproductive freedoms.
These aren’t what ifs any more. We’re not being dramatic. Restrictive abortion laws make women unsafe. And what’s obvious now, is that’s the point.
Abortion Primer
Resources
Worried about getting pregnant while living in a restrictive state? Order abortion pills online.
Find out your state’s policies (and the nearest safe abortion state) with this interactive map.
Stay up-to-date on all the latest abortion news with this excellent substack, Abortion Everyday.
Abortion funds in your region: the southeast, the northeast, the midwest, central US, western US.
Education
Women have been dying from unsafe abortions for hundreds of years. Here’s a look at some of those stories.
Let’s not whitewash the abortion conversation.
The racist history of abortion and midwifery bans.
The latest PEW research data on abortion in the US.
In the news
Anti-abortion advocates are becoming more openly anti-birth control — and wellness influencers are getting in on it too.
Biden invited Kate Cox, the Texas mother denied an abortion for an unviable pregnancy that would threaten her health, to the State of the Union. Check out this moving CNN interview with her.
“How many women have to tell their most heartbreaking journey publicly? How many have to speak out before something changes?
“Pro-life” groups want you to believe they care about women: this is a lie.
A snap shot into the aftermath of the Alabama IVF decision.
