ICYMI (we’re guessing you didn’t), the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, June 24, officially reversing the landmark 1973 decision that once protected citizens’ right to an abortion. Now, the power lies in the hands of state governments, where trigger bans in 13 states “will prohibit abortion within 30 days,” with at least eight states’ laws going into effect immediately. As thousands took to the streets in displays of sadness and rage, celebs far and wide used their platforms to share their thoughts on social media. I guess it’s true—celebrities, they’re just like us… really fucking mad when we lose fundamental rights.
Here’s what a few stars had to say on Twitter:
Taylor Swift
I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are – that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that. https://t.co/mwK561oxxl
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 24, 2022
Padma Lakshmi
People who have the money, time, and resources will still find avenues for their procedures.
But the most vulnerable of our community? What choices are those individuals, who are mostly BIPOC, left with?
This is the catalyst for a public health crisis.
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) June 24, 2022
Lebron James
It’s ABSOLUTELY ABOUT POWER & CONTROL!! https://t.co/Bx9VJH1PTj
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 24, 2022
Keke Palmer
I’m past disgusted w/ my country and their constant inability to protect one another’s right & keep their word. How u overturning the wrong things? So many things to overturn that make sense. But this is what you chose??
— Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) June 24, 2022
Andy Cohen
What a sad day for this country. Guns for everybody and no reproductive rights. Twisted. Twisted.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) June 24, 2022
Meanwhile, as Glastonbury returned for the first time since 2019, musicians like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish used the festival to voice their opinions loud and clear.
Rodrigo was joined by special guest Lily Allen for a performance of “Fuck You” dedicated to the Supreme Court, telling the crowd, “I’m devastated and terrified. So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this. I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they don’t give a shit about freedom. This goes out to the justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you!” Say it louder for the people in the back.
Eilish also addressed the decision before singing her song, “Your Power.” She explained, “The song we’re about to do is, I think, one of the favorites that we’ve written and it’s about the concept of power and how we need to always remember how not to abuse it,” she said. “And today is a really, really dark day for women in the US. I’m just going to say that as I cannot bear to think about it any longer in this moment.”
Megan Thee Stallion and Phoebe Bridgers also used the stage to express their frustrations, leading chants of “My body, my motherfuckin’ choice” and “Fuck the Supreme Court,” respectively, while Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told the crowd he’s renouncing his U.S. citizenship as a result of the decision.
If you’ve also noticed a general lack of male responses in your feed, you’re not alone. In her acceptance speech for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist at the BET Awards on Sunday night, Jazmine Sullivan addressed the issue head-on saying, “I want to speak directly to the men. We need y’all. We need y’all to stand up. Stand up for us, stand up with us. If you’ve ever benefited from a woman making one of the toughest decisions of her life, which is to terminate a pregnancy, you need to be standing with us. This is not just a women’s issue. This is everybody’s issue. And we need your support more than ever, okay, fellas? Y’all got us? ‘Cause we got y’all. Y’all got us?”
In addition to voicing their opinions, celebrities are also sharing resources and making donations of their own.
Hollywood icon Viola Davis reposted a series of informational slides from the account @so.informed, writing, “And so it goes… .Gutted. Now more than ever we have to use our voice and power! WE the people…”
Ariana Grande also shared slides from a post by @impact to her Instagram story highlighting safe abortion resources for people in areas where abortion is, or will soon be illegal, while Lizzo announced she’s pledging $500,000 from her upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights, with Live Nation agreeing to match the donation for a total of $1 million.
As we continue to cope with the consequences of the ruling, know that it’s okay to feel. Whether you’re sad, angry, or confused, we feel that too. Check out The Betches Sup for more updated information, resources, and places to donate.
Images: Harry Durrant/Getty Images; @taylorswift13, @PadmaLakshmi, @KingJames, @KekePalmer, @Andy / Twitter
I’m not sure whether or not this story can be categorized as good news or bad news. The limited nature of binaries fails us once again.
An…interesting new development in the history of Roe v. Wade has come to light this week, as a new FX documentary AKA Jane Roe about the woman known as Jane Roe was released. “Jane Roe” was the then-unnamed plaintiff in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. Jane Roe was Norma McCorvey. McCorvey herself never actually got an abortion, but for years after, she was a part of the pro-choice movement. Then, in the ’90s, McCorvey suddenly flipped her stance and began speaking out against abortion. She claimed to be “born again” as an evangelical Christian, even despite her identity as a queer woman. A real bummer that we ultimately did hate to see.
Turns out that change of heart — like many elements of the anti-abortion rights movement — was all based on a lie.
In the film, McCorvey reveals that her shift to pro-life ideals in the 1990s was all a farce, and that she only claimed to be anti-abortion because she was paid. Yay?.
In AKA Jane Roe, a documentary about McCorvey’s complex life, she reveals why flipped and started doing live speeches for anti-abortion groups. “I think it was a mutual thing. I took their money, and they’d put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say. That’s what I’d say. It was all an act. I did it well too. I am a good actress.” A tit for tat, as they say.
In the documentary, McCorvey wants to set the record straight while she has the chance — she passed away in 2017, before the movie was released. She says, “If a young woman wants to have an abortion, that’s no skin off my ass. That’s why they call it choice,” she said in her colorful “deathbed confession.”
Aside from the fact that it’s not just “young” women who need to end pregnancies, I can only hope my last words include the phrase “no skin off my ass.”
McCorvey’s shift to the opposing side of the abortion movement was disappointing, but it wasn’t random. In one of the interviews in AKA Jane Roe, McCorvey explains the resentment she felt towards the left-wing feminists who often looked down on her. They felt she was too uneducated to give public speeches, and instead wanted to use her as a silent symbol for the movement, without ever really treating her as wholly human. Naturally, McCorvey was turned off by that.
McCorvey was, in fact, uneducated. She came from poverty, and had endured abuse throughout her life. She represented the kind of woman who is often left behind in America, especially when it comes to reproductive rights. And yet, the leftwing feminists who fought for her still didn’t treat her with respect. In a sense, they used her too, just as the evangelicals did. So, I guess McCorvey went to the people who were going to pay her.
There’s a lesson here, that I *hope* we can remember. On the left, we often claim to be for the working class, but too often, that’s just symbolic. And that is how we lose their support.
People don’t want to be part of a movement that looks down on them. Why would they? Food for thought!
Image: mark reinstein / Shutterstock.com
Want more news like this? Sign up for Sup’s daily newsletter to laugh (instead of cry) about the news.
If you think politicians would put trying to take reproductive rights away from people on hold during a global health crisis…think again, bitch! Several states are trying to ban abortions, deeming them as “non-essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one has done so successfully. Because a time-sensitive procedure that will affect the rest of a person’s life and is not essential. Sure, Jan.
On Tuesday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a lower court ruling that would block the temporary abortion ban in Texas, following a long legal battle between the state and reproductive rights groups. The judges noted that the state has the power to restrict resident’s rights, such as peaceful assembly, during an emergency, and that “abortion is no exception.” As a result, nearly all abortions are banned in Texas.
This fight did not begin on Tuesday for Texas. This all began on March 22, when Texas Governor. Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning abortions during the coronavirus outbreak, deeming them medically unnecessary and claiming they use up valuable medical supplies. After reproductive rights group sued the state and secured a temporary pause on the ban, the circuit court this week ruled against them to allow it.
Republican-appointed judges in Texas wrote that the state is allowed to “to restrict, for example, one’s right to assemble peacefully, to publicly worship, to travel, and even to leave one’s home” in a public health emergency and that therefore: “The right to abortion is no exception.”
So they agree it is abortion is a right, and one they are choosing to allow the governor to curtail. Excellent. We’ll remember that.
Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive rights said they’re reviewing their legal options and may attempt to take the case up to the United States Supreme Court. The ban is set to expire on April 21, and states that a medical professional who provided an abortion before then could be fined $1,000 or face jail time of up to 180 days. For sure what we should be focusing our energy on rn, great job everyone.
To anyone seeking abortion care right now, we see you, we trust you, and we support you.
Abortion is 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡. It is not something that can be delayed or forgone without serious impacts on the pregnant person’s health and life. #MyRightMyDecision #SustainingCommunity pic.twitter.com/V181IhRGke
— Center for Reproductive Rights (@ReproRights) April 8, 2020
The problem here is that abortion is incredibly time-sensitive, so, uh, maybe it should be an exception? Just a thought. It’s also worth noting that this decision claims to be based on the fact that abortion is “medically unnecessary” and would use up supplies needed to treat COVID-19 patients, but the reality is that the most common method early in pregnancy is administering medication abortion. This requires no medical gear. In fact, the ban on abortion would simply delay this process, which would then force people to seek a surgical abortion or give birth. And what do you know, both of those procedures require more medical resources
Other states that are trying to impose similar bans are Alabama, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Oklahoma. Did you really think Alabama would miss a chance to fuck shit up for womxn’s right? Abortion rights groups have acted immediately to get some of these bans lifted, and so far judges have sided with them in Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio.
Banning abortion is taking away fundamental human rights, period. But to use a pandemic as an excuse to do it is especially heinous. This is a time when people are losing their jobs, and consequently, their health insurance. Denying them access to abortions at a time like this is asking them to completely throw away their livelihoods.
Plus, we all know banning abortions does not stop abortions. It simply creates more harm.
First of all, people who can’t get their abortions in the states banning them will likely travel to other states to get what they need. Crossing state lines is not ideal during a time when we are asking people to stay at home, and could lead to further spreading of COVID-19.
People seeking abortion care in West Virginia would need to drive much further to reach a clinic due to the state's #COVID19 abortion ban. This is shameful & puts the health & well-being of patients at risk in the middle of a pandemic. #AbortionIsEssential pic.twitter.com/qpfO3FYveL
— Guttmacher Institute (@Guttmacher) April 8, 2020
Or, people will be forced to try to conduct abortions illegally and unsafely. Research shows that after Roe V. Wade was passed in 1973, the number of deaths associated with illegal abortion decreased dramatically. Banning abortion doesn’t stop abortions from happening, it simply makes them more dangerous and leads to more deaths. So, if you’re pro-life, lives might be something you want to consider.
It’s scary how quickly lawmakers jumped at the chance of using a pandemic as an excuse to take our rights away. It reminds us that we can’t stop paying attention to this shit, even in a time like this, when everything feels overwhelming. Of course, give yourself breaks and practice self-care, but stay vigilant.
Anyway, I’m sure Republicans will agree to give all the womxn who can’t get abortions because of these bans a $500 check as part of the coronavirus stimulus because their fetus is actually a child.
To stay informed on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on reproductive rights, subscribe to The Betches Sup newsletter.
It is with great displeasure that I must tell you that a proposed bill to outlaw abortions after a heartbeat is detected in South Carolina has gone through its first round of approval after Republican Senators stripped away exceptions for women who have become pregnant from rape or incest. We. Hate. To. See. It.
In case you’re not mad enough already, let me give you a lil’ push: the bill was approved by the Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee which consists of six men and one woman. One — count her — one woman. Glad to see women’s bodies, lives, and fates are constantly in the hands of men who couldn’t point out the clitoris on a labeled map.
The proposal must be passed by the full Medical Affairs committee next, and then can make its way to the Senate floor, where it will *hopefully* will face a lot of backlash, preferably too much backlash.
Unfortunately, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has said that he will sign the bill into law if it is passed by the Senate.
Even before the recent removal of exceptions for rape and incest, this bill was already scary AF. It would make it illegal for doctors to perform abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which is typically around 6 weeks, aka before most women know they are pregnant. This would outlaw about 55 percent of abortions performed in South Carolina.
The bill is, of course, part of a larger plan for pro-lifers to get an abortion case to the newly conservative-leaning Supreme Court (thanks to frat boy Brett K), where they are hoping Roe V. Wade can be overturned. So far most laws similar to this have been blocked by Federal Judges, but it’s still horrifying to see lawmakers come together and try to find ways to strip women of the right to control what happens in our own f*cking bodies. Like, can these old dudes get another hobby besides trying to desperately control women? That would be great, thanks.
Images: Giphy (2)
As a woman, I can’t recall a time (before childhood) when I didn’t feel as if my body and my rights were up for debate — if not under attack. But now, with a president who has been accused of sexual assault and rape by upwards of 25 women, an accused sexual predator in the Supreme Court, and access to abortion being chipped away in states like Alabama, Texas, Georgia, and Missouri, I am experiencing the legitimate fear that my body and my choice might actually be taken away from me by federal law.
As women, we have been fighting for our rights for a long time, but since Roe v. Wade determined that we had the right to abortion in 1973, we at least have been able to say we have the legal right to decide what happens when we get pregnant. This is not to say it’s a right we haven’t had to continuously and rigorously defend, but it has at least stood in place. As a woman of privilege, I have always felt that if I needed to get an abortion, I could. But now, with the newly conservative-leaning Supreme Court, I have found myself asking, “What would happen if abortion became illegal? What would I do if I got pregnant? What would this mean for American women?”
A powerful new film called Ask For Jane explored and answered these questions for me, as well as made me ugly cry on my couch while reflecting on the resilience of women. It’s a film we should all watch like, yesterday, and I’d like to tell you why.
Ask For Jane follows a group of women who took matters into their own hands when abortion was illegal in most states throughout the 1960s. The film is based on a true story and is set in Chicago, where a group of college women created an underground network that helped women with unwanted pregnancies get abortions. The women were known as “The Jane Collective” because they referred to themselves as Jane and instructed women to call them on their secret landline and to “ask for Jane.” This was the code that was used to perform an estimated 11,000 safe abortions for women who couldn’t afford to travel to the few places where abortion was legal. We god damn f*cking love to see it.
A film that shows women banding together and building an incredibly organized and highly effective system that helps keep women safe and in control of their bodies is obviously very inspiring, but it also serves as a warning, or as producer Caroline Hirsch told Betches: “This is a reminder of what could happen.”
The opening scene of the movie shows a desperate pregnant woman punching herself in the stomach and eventually jumping off of a building in order to terminate her pregnancy. It also shows us young middle school girls who discuss drinking rat poison; one ends up dying as a result. Additionally, we see a character with slit wrists because she is pregnant and doesn’t feel she can go through with it. As we know, when women aren’t given access to safe, legal abortions, many of them turn to unsafe alternatives, which can tragically lead to death.
Abortion saves lives, and this film reminds us of the dire situation that led these women to doing what they did. While what they did is amazing, we hope we never have to do it again, because too many lives are at stake.
The specific story told in Ask For Jane is inspiring because it shows a particular group of women in a particular place who were able to overcome the law’s attempt to strip them of their freedoms, but the film as a whole shows us a dark world where this freedom wasn’t available to most women — a world we ourselves are heading towards today. Hirsch told me, “This couldn’t be any timelier. We had a screening in New York this past May and when we were finished, everyone’s phones lit up because what had happened in Alabama, where it would be made a criminal offense if a woman was seeking an abortion or had an abortion.”
The film is made by women, which is apparent by its authenticity and clear understanding of the nuances of feminism and autonomy. Hirsch told us, “Of course this movie would be made by women. If it was up to men, this movie would never have been made. And of course the cast is made of women because it’s a true story of women. There were women behind and in front of the camera.”
The film is written and directed by Rachel Carey, and the original concept came from the film’s lead actress Cait Cortelyou. And while the premise’s main focus is abortion, it also gives us a close look at how other issues of feminism played a major role in how women were denied agency over their own bodies during this time.
For example, the main character, Rose (played by Cortelyou), attempts to obtain birth control from her doctor so she can practice safe sex with her fiancé. However, her doctor refuses to give it to her before she gets married, and when she tries to protest, he says he would need to speak to her male fiancé about it. Another character, Joyce (played by Sophie von Haselberg) sits idly by in her hospital bed while a group of male doctors discuss with her husband whether or not they should do a procedure on her that would save her life but endanger the baby growing inside of her. Another main character, Janice (played by Cody Horn) sums the significance of all of this up by saying, “Women will never truly be liberated unless they can control whether or not they are pregnant.”
You can stream Ask For Jane on a variety of platforms including Amazon Prime, Apple TV, iTunes, DirecTV and more, and I highly recommend that you do. It reminds us of the strength women have and the length we will go to and the risks we will take for no other reason than to protect to each other. It also sends an urgent and important message: the fight is here and now, and it’s time to get started.
As Hirsch told me: “The reason why we originally did this film was to tell the stories of very courageous women. More than ever, this film needs to be seen by every young girl today because they do not realize what could happen again and what is in the process of really happening right now in…Alabama, Georgia and Missouri. I think it’s a very important reminder that people need to use their writing privileges, voting privileges and get out to the polls to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
You know what to do.
Well, if “The Handmaid’s Tale” writers room was short for plot points to continue the series, might I suggest just turning on the news? Because Alabama is currently putting the Aunts to shame.
Actual footage of the Alabama senate going for drinks after the vote. pic.twitter.com/5I3BTvHMA2
— Stay??Ready?? (@jtaysma) May 15, 2019
This week, 25 (white, male) state senators passed a measure that all but eliminates abortion access in the state and a white lady signed it into law today. The bill allows exceptions when the mother’s life is in jeopardy, but none for cases of rape or incest. Yes, this means a woman or child who was violently raped by a relative will be forced to continue a pregnancy that results in a baby. Doctors who perform abortions will face up to 99 years in prison.
Alabama’s law adds to a long list of state-wide bans designed to trigger a Supreme Court battle over a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion as protected by Roe v. Wade. The state’s chilling move comes mere weeks after Georgia became the fourth state to pass a “heartbeat bill,” which I’d like to rename “Heartless Bill” — where abortions are banned after six weeks, AKA before most women know they’re pregnant. Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi have all enacted similar bills.
The law is expected to take effect in six months. But legal groups like the ACLU have already announced their intention to challenge it long before that. However, it’s important to note that you can still access abortion legally in these states.
When news like this strikes, most people (or should I say, people with souls) feel enraged and heartbroken and a little bit directionless. How can I help? What can I do? Unfortunately, people with human decency don’t run the country yet, but there are a number of things you can do to help individuals directly impacted by recent threats to abortion access — from donating your time and money to raising awareness and voting out the bastards responsible in the first place.
Alabama
This is the fund you’ll be seeing a lot of in the coming weeks. The Yellowhammer Fund provides funding for anyone seeking care at one of the three abortion clinics in Alabama — along with helping women with travel and other expenses they may incur while trying to access their right to abortion. They’re also apart of the larger National Network of Abortion Funds organization.
I just donated to the @YellowFund, which is a grassroots organization funding safe abortion access in Alabama. Their work quite literally saves lives.
Can I get my friends on here to toss $5 their way?https://t.co/XDGGh8RCpQ
— marisa kabas (@MarisaKabas) May 15, 2019
Alabama Reproductive Rights Advocates
The ARRA is a great place to learn more about how to help out in the state of Alabama in terms of protests, organizing and also information about laws and their effects on Alabama residents.
Georgia
The National Abortion Rights Action League works across the country to oppose these regulations and unfair rulings, but after the “heartbeat bill” Georgia’s will need a lot of help to fight back.
A Georgia-specific organization that fights for reproductive issues. Read up about them and their open letter after the signing of HB481 here — and stay there to learn how to donate and get involved.
The Southeast U.S.
Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates
This is the organization of Planned Parenthood specifically for the Southeast, so they’ll need all the help they can get for Alabama.
Access Reproductive Care Southeast
This organization focuses on the area Alabama and Georgia are in and provides financial and logistical guidance for families or individuals looking for proper healthcare.
Other Actions:
Share the If/When/How hotline
This hotline is a great resource for women who need to end a pregnancy but don’t have access to an abortion clinic nearby, are considering abortion pills as a way of termination, or just have questions in general. Share this number with someone who may need it, or click the link above to get involved in their cause yourself: 844-868-2812
Become a clinic escort
Clinic escorts accompany women entering health clinics to obtain an abortion or other reproductive-health related services. They’re necessary because scums of the Earth with literally nothing better to do oftentimes protest, insult and berate these women while they attempt to access health care. Learn how to get involved at your local Planned Parenthood charter here.
Find local charities and get involved
Either from word or mouth or research, they’re out there! And more and more every day they need your help.
Organize
Get a group of people together to plan your action to help. Whether it’s raising money or awareness, the more people that can speak out about this and help educate, the better.
Vote!
The men who passed this bill were elected into their positions of power, and the best way to ensure they aren’t able to make laws and rules like this again? By voting them out. Stay educated, keep your eyes open. I know there definitely gets to a point in keeping up political news when you’re exhausted and just want to zone out to some reality TV (which is fair! And take care of yourself) — but make sure you keep up the fight to move our country forward, not backward.
While Tomi Lauren and Milo Yiannopoulos have technically been getting paid to act for years, thanks to a new pro-life film called Roe v. Wade, it’s unfortunately official. Milo Yiannopoulos, the British right-wing political commentator, will be playing an abortion doctor while Lahren, a product of the white, bleach-blonde women factory at Fox News, will be playing the daughter of Supreme Court Justice David Sopher. According to The Daily Beast, Yiannopoulos will be featured performing 32 abortions in the only scene he has in the film as an “Anglo-Jew from India, with an unusual habit of an awkward giggle at the end of every sentence.” Lahren’s big scene will have her confronting her father as a Planned Parenthood volunteer. Meanwhile, Meryl Streep’s scene will show her crying quietly in the corner at the destruction of her art form. (JK, but a girl can dream).
A story originally published in The Hollywood Reporter from the perspective of Roe v. Wade’s writer-director-producer duo Cathy Allyn and Nick Loeb, said the film documents “the 1973 Supreme Court decision that guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion” with a “pro-life tilt.” Considering the alt-right leader Yiannopoulos and Trump loyalist Lahren are on board, it’s probably more like a deep dive than a tilt. Several other conservatives have agreed to play Supreme Court justices and other roles including conservative pundit Stacey Dash and actors Jon Voight and Robert Davi. The filming, which has been primarily in New Orleans, is scheduled to wrap July 15.
While all of that is low-key nightmarish, here’s where things get interesting. Cast members have been reportedly bailing on the project in large numbers due to the fact that the filmmakers have been misrepresenting the film’s true content. A crew member said, “When people finally receive the script, they’ve dropped out really fast. After people started dropping out, they said, ‘OK, don’t send people the scripts anymore.” I’m not sure how to tell this film crew that eventually actors have to read the script. Maybe they’re hoping they can just edit a bunch of out-of-order sentences together like my eighth grade video production project?
Not only the actors are dropping, though. Most of the filming was taking place at Tulane University, until the school discovered the message of the film and kicked them off the premises. The original director and assistant director dropped out on the first day of filming, as well as a costumer, location manager, and several other crew members the second they learned they were about to make an anti-abortion propaganda flick with the production quality of a Lifetime Christmas movie. As for Lahren and Yiannopoulos, a crew member reported that nobody knew they were even on board and “somebody requested that no pictures of them be up” in the production office. Hate to break it to you Lauren and Milo, but we’re all going to find out about this movie, and we’re all going to host viewing parties that benefit Planned Parenthood.
Heads up, you need to keep up with the news. It’s not cute anymore. That’s why we’ve created a 5x weekly newsletter called The ‘Sup that will explain all the news of the week in a hilarious af way. Because if we weren’t laughing, we’d be crying. Sign up for The ‘Sup now!
America, land of the free, unless you’re a woman who wants an abortion. Per usual people are trying to get all up in other people’s business here in America. Like, WTF I thought we moved past this back in 1973 with that whole Roe v. Wade thing? You know, the one where the Supreme Court decided that abortion is legal and none of your damn business? Some people (aka “anti-choice activists”) just can’t move on, and find ways to make it harder, if not impossible, for a girl to go out there and make her own choices. Since Roe v. Wade is legal at the federal level, the only way that anti-abortion crazies get to pass laws are through the states. So before you start hooking up with your new Hinge guy you may want to find out what your options are in your state. Let’s be honest, he could turn out weird and who knows if you want to be tethered to him for like forever, forever.
Who TF is Stirring the Pot?
You ever wake up in the morning and think that had to have been a dream, no way that shitty thing actually happened irl. Bet that’s how a lot of people woke up feeling in Iowa this week after state legislators passed the “Heartbeat Ban” early in the morning. This is the strictest abortion law that has been passed to date, TY Iowa you suck. As you can guess by the name as soon as there is a heartbeat, no more abortion. And that happens somewhere around 6 weeks, which gives you no time at all to even realize you’re preggers. Like most people seeking an abortion prob weren’t planning to get pregnant so then why tf would they be checking to see if they were?
Types Of Laws To Watch Out For:
1. Laws Based On How Long You’ve Been Pregz
This week Iowa passed the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S. with their “heartbeat bill” a bill that bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected, usually around 6 weeks. Casual reminder many women don’t even realize they’re preg until 7-8 weeks, aka after your first missed period. While Iowa is the worst (congrats Iowa!) other states do have a variety of rules saying what is the acceptable time to get an abortion. The most common is at 20 weeks in states like Texas, Missouri, and Ohio. Slightly later at 24 weeks in Pennsylvania, New York, and a few other states. Then at viability for states including Illinois, Maine, and Washington. In case you aren’t a human calculator: You are pregg for 36 months so basically these laws prohibit abortion in the third trimester. 43 of the 50 states have these laws, so like, everyone.
2. Laws Based On Who Knocked You Up
Some states only let you get an abortion is you are a victim of rape or incest because that’s apparently the only legitimate way to not want to give birth. So like, if you weren’t violated you have to have a child even if you do not want to. Shout out to our betches in Ohio, because the state wants to pass legislation that would prohibit abortion even if you were raped. Ohio can go suck a dick because that is literally the worst thing I have ever heard. Anyway, Now feels like a good time to plug our Handmaid’s Tale recaps.
3. Laws Based Off Health Of The Mother
If your baby is killing you, or you or the fetus might be endangered if you carry the baby to term, you can still get an abortion pretty much everywhere. Yay? Tbh the fact that this is not literally legal in every state is disturbing me more than I am happy women can make the difficult decision to get an abortion for health reasons.
4. Laws That Make You Wait
Ok so this one had me shook. 27 states make women wait for a period of 24-72 hours before they can receive the procedure. So you go in a wreck because this is a huge life altering decision and then you talk to a counselor who says ok come back in a couple days and if you still want to do this we can. This means 2 trips to the doctor where you are prob taking off work and don’t want to be like “Hh yeah sorry boss gotta go abort a baby, so I won’t be at the meeting Tuesday or Thursday.” That’s also two times you have to walk past the inevitable protestors calling you a baby killer at the clinic. Seems like a lot of peer pressure to really think about what you are going to do… not like it’s been keeping you up at night for weeks already by the time you decide to go to the doctor.
5. Laws That Make It Expensive Af
Bad news for anyone with insurance (or without insurance – go get insurance!): it prob won’t cover all, or even part. of your abortion. You can purchase additional plans that cover insurance and if you live in a state that allows coverage for abortion, maybe think about getting it? You never know when you might need one – hence the “unplanned” part of “unplanned pregnancy”. But don’t even bother if you live in one of the 11 states that actually restrict private insurances’s ability to cover abortion. Also don’t even consider being uninsured and having an unplanned pregnancy because 32 states and DC don’t provide public funding for abortions. If that isn’t fucked up I don’t know what is.
Now that you’re fully pissed that Roe v Wade is essentially a hoax meant to make women feel like they have control of their bodies, you prob want to see what laws your state has. Hopefully you aren’t from Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, or Mississippi because then you’re laws are all under attack anyways and may have total abortion bans in no time. In fact, many of these laws (hi Iowa) are specifically designed to go to the Supreme Court with the aim of getting Roe V. Wade overturned.
Again, we’re recapping The Handmaid’s Tale, and you should check it out.
Heads up, you need to keep up with the news. It’s not cute anymore. That’s why we’ve created a 5x weekly newsletter called The ‘Sup that will explain all the news of the week in a hilarious af way. Because if we weren’t laughing, we’d be crying. Sign up for The ‘Sup now!