People Explain What The Average American Can Do In Response To Roe V. Wade Being Overturned
The news that the Supreme Court had published a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that once protected a person's right to choose reproductive health care without excessive government restriction, was not a surprise.
That doesn't mean the development hasn't shocked and angered citizens nationwide. Activists have already taken to the streets in protest. But what can the average American do in response, especially at a time when confidence in the Supreme Court and our democratic institutions is so low?
We heard some recommendations after Redditor johnnybeefcakes asked the online community,
"What can the average American do in response to Roe v. Wade being overturned?"
"Consider: The day Iceland's women went on strike https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34602822"
seolchan29
Yup. A general strike is best led by the existing unions. If you're in one, talk to your leadership. If you're not, spread the word and follow their lead.
"A general strike..."
"Voting is pissing into the wind the way our government is structured. It's not completely ineffective, but how many women will we allow to suffer and die between now and however many voting cycles this takes?"
"A general strike that grinds this country to a halt will have abortion rights enshrined in the Constitution within two weeks, and I'll tell you why.
"Paralyze the economy, shut this country down, fill the streets and REFUSE TO BACK DOWN and this will be resolved in no time."
whattothewhonow
This is exactly it. Corporations are the gods our politicians look up to. We need to hit them where it actually hurts.
"Adding this..."
"Adding this as a top level comment as well. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. All these posts saying "vote"? Yes, you need to vote- but your representatives need to hear from you *now and often* about what is important to you. Tell them what you want, and why you are voting. That is what "remain engaged" looks like."
me2x
This is how the gun legislation just got passed. There was a huge coordinated push of people contacting their representatives. Even Republicans were getting consituent calls at a ratio of 10:1 in favor of reasonable measures- so they felt confident in voting for a bill with the support of their voters.
"The 18-24 adult voting group votes way less than any other age group. It would make a solid difference if that wasn’t the case."
akap21
This is the first year many young people will be able to vote. It pays to keep them motivated, now and into 2024 and beyond.
"Help young women and young men obtain birth control. Pass out condoms. Be willing to buy Plan B. Educate. Educate. Educate. Don’t shame. Meet people where they are."
dualsplit
We need more secular public squares that don’t just exist on the internet.
"If you’re in Michigan (or other states where pro-choice folks are fighting to get it on the ballot), figure out where they’re collecting signatures for the petition to get it on the ballot in November, sign, and volunteer to help find more people to sign the petition." - User Deleted
And here’s a link!
"The state Democratic Party..."
"This is a little bit of a long one, but the story is important."
"In 2011 in Virginia, Republicans swept statewide elections. They had the governor, lieutenant governor, both houses of the legislature, and they had appointed the majority of justices on the state Supreme Court."
"They immediately began trying to ban abortion. House Bill 1 was a fetal personhood bill and there were about a dozen more ugly ones too. These bills were expected to sail through with no real hurdles."
"A grassroots movement sprung up, a core group of people who had met and networked during the Occupy protests began planning protest actions. They were able to attract support from people who were not your typical protest crowds, and throughout the actions a lot of suburban, older women drove into Richmond to participate."
"Over several protests about 2 dozen people were arrested (and later acquitted), protests were confronted by riot police as well as 'little green men' hiding in the bushes with assault rifles. However the protests largely remained peaceful."
"The state Democratic party and organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL were literally calling the organizers and begging them to stop antagonizing the Republicans, but the organizers remained steadfast."
"In the end, we won. Most of the bad bills were defeated, and Republicans proceeded to lose every statewide election for the next ten years. They ultimately lost both houses of the legislature as well, for the first time since the 90s. Bob Marshall, who authored HB1, was defeated by Virginia's first openly transgender legislator, Danica Roem."
"So ultimately, here is what I would say to remember. The protests are important. What's more important is the networks that form at them. When you attend, try to meet people. Have potlucks. Get to know each other. You will come to rely on each other more than you think."
"Voting is important too, but only showing up to vote every 2 or 4 years and posting angry memes in between is not going to save us. Our institutions have repeatedly failed us despite more people voting in every election. We will be the ones to save ourselves."
Diet_Coke
Yes, 1000000 percent this. Labor, abortion, everything needs to be well organized and unrelenting. None of this will be handed to you, it needs to be fought for.
"Stock up on pregnancy tests, plan B, and birth control. I've already noticed a shortage of pregnancy tests in the last week. Be an advocate and an educator for any woman you know that may need help."
whattheplfuke
Being an advocate for others is so crucial! They need our help and our kindness.
"Vote in your local elections and force abortion rights to be election issues. R v W says that abortion rights is now up to the state government, so vote accordingly and let them know how they can get your votes."
ClownfishSoup
To add to this, vote even if you live in a state that will not ban abortion. It should be clear to everyone now that we take our rights for granted because it could be taken away one day. So vote, no matter what.
Much to do in the coming days, months, and years.
The 2022 midterm elections are coming up in a few months and only time will tell whether the Supreme Court's ruling will negatively impact certain politicians at the polls.
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
Here we are... we could be weeks or minutes away from Roe v Wade being overturned.
And this country is not ready.
This is a war on so many levels.
And the sides are clearly defined.
There are many people who have switched sides.
Let's hear from them...
Redditor Honeydew-Popularwanted to hear from the people out there who now have different ideas about a person's right to choose. They asked:
"Ex-pro-lifers, what changed your mind on abortions?"
How can we come together on this topic?
Let's try...
Birth
"The birth of my son almost killed us both. I am almost certain another would kill me. The thought of leaving my husband alone with two children, one grieving and one motherless, breaks my heart. I’m one and done for the sake of my family. We take precautions, but I’m not sure if I became pregnant I would carry to term. With my health and habits I’m not sure adoption would even be feasible if I could. I don’t know what I would do, but I want the choice."
NeedARitaThe Household...
"I grew up in a religious household where sexual relationships before marriage were considered a sin and abortions were considered murder. A friend of mine dated an abusive a**hole and she got pregnant, we were all in college at the time and she didn't have enough money nor support to raise the kid."
"Her parents were extremely angry and refused to speak with her because she ‘ruined' her life . We became roommates because I saw she needed a place to stay. Until then I'd always thought of women who got abortion as cruel. But i saw how helpless she was and how torn she was about the whole thing."
"After a few weeks of hospital visits she realised that she didn't have any other choice because of her financial instability and she also felt like she wasn't mature or ready enough to give birth to and raise another human being while she was still getting over the trauma of a relationship."
"And she was afraid of messing up an innocent kid's life so she got an abortion. After seeing all that happen I realised that abortion wasn't just people f**king around and then murdering an innocent child, it was when people were in situations where they knew they weren't ready for a child."
RavennaKeres
Realities
"I was raised with the religious pro-life outlook, and to believe all who had abortions were just devastated for the rest of their lives, that they didn’t comprehend the gravity of what they had done until it was too late. Then I went to college and met someone in a women’s studies class who shared she had had an abortion while married to a man nobody knew was abusive."
"I realized I had been misled about the realities of why people have abortions. When I suffered an assault a year later, I knew what choice I would make if it came down to it. And I was grateful to know I would have had a choice in that scenario."
"Working with homeless adults and at risk teens/social work really solidified that for me, when you see abused and neglected kids and you know the parent didn’t want any of those babies but has them because they were pressured out of an abortion… children should not be punishment or accountability lessons, they should be wanted and loved."
diamondtoothdennis
Family Friend
"Myself, this one is genuinely really trigger very sorry. When I was younger I was assaulted by a family friend, I wasn't pregnant but when i had to get the test the lady told me. 'If anything goes wrong, my sister works at planned parenthood.' She was a very sweet woman, but at that time i was like 'I would never abort a child' I remember genuinely shaking and crying before i had to take the test because it reminded me of what happened. I was negative, but the fear of having the raise the child that was forcibly put into me made me genuinely sick to my stomach."
savspitsbars
Bad Laws
"The exceptions were too numerous and sometimes too obscure to be properly written into law, so the law shouldn't restrict it."
waterbuffalo750
"This is where my mind changed. It’s too subjective. Like, forcing a couple who at 20 weeks learned their child has a genetic abnormality and won’t survive long if at all post-birth then have to wait it out versus aborting. That is just cruel and gut-wrenching to me."
rb928
This really is a rough topic. But we must keep reading to learn.
"the unborn"
"I decided to move away from my small religious community. I meet people who had different backgrounds. Listened to stories of people who had abortions. Realized that if I was in their position, then I would have considered abortion too. Then I learned that abortion was rife within my small community, just not talked about and deeply shameful."
"The same people who picketed at those rallies also coerced their underage teenagers into having abortions when they turned up pregnant. It was not about 'the unborn' it was about their image in the community and their control over others' bodies. It's about power and inflicting their world view on everybody."
BusinessShower
Trauma
"I got pregnant and my ex tried to force me to have one. Having someone try to take your choice out of the matter right in your face is a bit of an eye opener."
Big-Pollution2705
"I hear you. My son was conceived with someone I didn't know very well. I chose to keep the pregnancy, and I'm very thankful I did. I love my kiddo. But the experience definitely made me even more pro-choice, because my pregnancy was already miserable and traumatizing and it would have been much more so if it hadn't been my choice to keep the pregnancy."
JulesLovesYou1993
For the Boy
"Guy here... I realized that abortions are terrible and people don't want them they need them and generally only if they end up in a situation that requires them. I reasoned we should keep women safe and spend time on how WE can ALL avoid having to make to decision in the first place OR making the world better so that they could also choose to keep the baby in a really caring world. It was too easy to say abortion is bad ban it."
rangeo
Necessity...
"When I realized women abort out of necessity, because they can’t financially and/or emotionally support a child. Prohibiting it won’t stop them, it will only make them do it more dangerously, and therefore putting more lives at risk. If you’re pro-life, you should always be pro doing abortions safely, because that saves more lives than criminalizing it."
Confident-Midnight78
“family”
"I got pregnant as a teenager and it opened my eyes to how cruel the evangelical church is even though I was apart of their 'family' my entire life. After stepping away I reevaluated all my values and beliefs away from their indoctrination."
Suitable_Sky_9559
fire and brimstone...
"I've never been fire and brimstone pro-life but like most teenagers I have a vague idea that is was 'wrong.' Abortion was used as an insult and form of gossip at my school (omg Becca had FIVE abortions!) Usually by people with absolutely no critical thinking skills."
"The older I got and the more life experiences I had, the more I realised how awful it would be to be brought into a world that didn't want you. No friendly faces from the start. These loads of loving couples waiting to adopt babies are fictional, and the child is going to be either bounced about in the care system, or raised by a mother who didn't want and cannot support the growing child."
"Also if we have a boom of unwanted children, we need to invest a hell of a lot of money in foster care, residential homes, healthcare for children born addicted to drugs or alcohol problems, child mental health services, social services, prison services etc... No one seems to care about the baby once it is born, in fact, it becomes nothing more than a nuisance."
Crazy_Cauliflower_74
Bad Providing
"A horrific horrific childbirth that left me with unfixable fecal incontinence, and NOT ONE health provider informed me that this could possibly happen during my birth, despite receiving an intervention that is highly correlated with resulting in anal incontinence. NOT ONE provider took my issues seriously postpartum and just dismissed it."
"I had to fight to find my own specialists WHILE LEAKING POOP AND TRYING TO CARE FOR A NEWBORN. Not being able to even sit down for months afterward but still having to be my daughters primary caregiver at 6 weeks because my husband had only 6 weeks of leave."
"Gaining a ton of weight while pregnant and being extremely nauseous for SEVEN MONTHS, due to a severe hormonal imbalance that has yet to be corrected 16 months postpartum—you know, because I’m traumatized from the birth. I went from being a collegiate athlete to a 30 year old who now needs a colostomy bag. F**k americas health care system. I will speed drive any woman who wants to go to planned parenthood now."
Miserable_Painting12
Murder
"I was raised by a fundamentalist Christian mom, so as a teenager of course I was taught Abortion is murder. OMG, not the babies! As I grew older, I grew up. I am a Militant Athiest and see Religion as damaging in so many ways. Life is not black and white, there are many shades of grey. No one has the right to tell a Woman she has to carry a pregnancy. After having two kids myself and two miserable pregnancies I would never expect a Woman to be forced to go through that if she didn't want to for whatever reason."
"It blows my mind that other Women don't see it that way. It especially upsets me when men who have never been pregnant and have no concept at all are military pro life. Sorry but this is one of those stay in your lane situations. An abortion is a medical procedure and is no ones business but hers and her Physicians."
The List
"Getting pregnant and having kids and realizing that..."
"1) pregnancy is hella hard on a body..."
"2) the possibility of severe birth defects is terrifying..."
"3) a child should only be brought into this world if it is wanted and will be loved..."
" 4) no one should be forced to give birth against their will. I feel that every abortion is a tragedy, but often not the worst choice."
trashheap918273
"unwanted"
"My first girlfriend explained that it wasn't about the deaths of babies, but the potential lives of both mothers and children. The overflowing adoption system positively crawling with 'unwanted' kids. The way that providing abortion actually helped reduce the prison population and provide better lives to more people overall. My mind swam. I talked to my mother about it. I realized that her rationale- and also my father's in turn- was faulty and built on a rickety foundation of religious punditry."
Weak-Round-3772
your body is your own...
"That was a long, long time ago. There was a time when I was close to becoming an incel, thought that women have the better life and that I am screwed for being born as a guy. But I got smarter, until I was able to put myself in their shoes, realized that we are no different, and all expectations put on both sexes is just a social construct perpetuated by bitter geriatric men."
"So it doesn't matter if you are man or woman, your body is your own, when it doesn't behave like expected, you go see a doctor - unwanted pregnancy is no different here. The real question is whether the state should support the people to get the abortion - in the UK, abortions are free, but I don't know if there is a time limit on them."
throwaway_uow
Tipping Points
"I was raised sort of casually pro-life. I believed it should be safe and legal to prevent people being harmed in unsafe abortions and that it was justified if necessary to protect the 'mother,' but that to simply choose it because you didn't want a kid was morally wrong. I was never an activist on either side though. I just had my personal beliefs against it."
"I have a LOT of reasons that I am firmly pro-choice now, a list that has grown over time, but the tipping point for me, back in college, was the bodily autonomy argument. You can't force a person to donate their organs or their blood or any part or use of their body."
"Even to save another living breathing human, so you certainly can't force someone to risk their life and loan their uterus to a group of cells that could become a human later if left alone. I read the sentence 'Outlawing abortions means giving pregnant people fewer rights than a corpse,' ten years ago and I've been loudly pro-choice ever since. I acquired more reasons as I became more educated, but that was what did it."
maple-belle
17
"Not me but my daughter. Pro life because 'omg how could you hurt babies????' But I am going to respect her positions so whatever She got pregnant at 17 and gave birth before high school graduation. Going through a traumatic pregnancy, finishing high school and now starting college, have to navigate all the WIC stuff. Even with the whole familes support including her boyfriend, it would be an understatement to call the experience an eye opener."
Daaaaaaaaaanasaur
Knowledge
"Education. Learning more than my right-wing parents had ever exposed me to. Getting out from under the rock and being willing to listen and change my opinion based upon newly gathered data."
this_name_is_banned
These stories speak for themselves. Thank you for sharing.
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Much of the nation continues to reel from the news that a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will move to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
Many people remember what it was like in the days before women could seek an abortion; many innocent women died in the absence of proper medical care or were forced to birth children they could not afford, trapping them in poverty.
But could a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade signal the loss of other rights in the future, especially those decided on the right to privacy, on which Roe was hinged?
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor thisiscubes asked the online community,
"Americans of Reddit, what are your thoughts on Roe v. Wade being overturned by SCOTUS as per draft reports?"
"It was the single most traumatizing..."
"I used to be pro-life for the most part but felt abortion was necessary in certain situations (i.e. rape, incest, whatever). I thought I would have never had an abortion myself. I thought I could always give up the baby for adoption."
"Until I gave birth last month. It was the single most traumatizing experience I've ever gone through. I'm healthy and my pregnancy was not complicated but my heart stopped working after getting an epidural. I coded."
"Once they got me stabilized again, my baby then starting decompensating. They literally had to rip him out of me because I was too far along to convert to C-section."
"I still can't control feces leaking out of me, even 6 weeks later. What a quality of life improvement /s."
"I wanted this child so having my body absolutely wrecked for the safety of my child seemed worth it, despite the pain and complications I experienced from it."
"But now, having gone through that, I cannot imagine any woman being FORCED to go through what I went through. Against their will. So I’m pretty pro choice now."
tensorfascialatte
We are so sorry you had to go through that. We agree that giving birth can be harmful and traumatic, even for a wanted child, and no woman should have to go through that.
"I am currently..."
"I am currently in an OB triage hospital room waiting for a shot of methotrexate, which is considered an abortion."
"This pregnancy was so wanted. I had a miscarriage in February. I wanted this baby. But it is ectopic and it will kill me. And I am still crying so hard."
"My doctors have been amazing and caring and made this process so much easier. F*ck anyone who thinks the legal system needs to be involved here."
DuckDuckBangBang
We are so sorry you have to go through that. It’s none of the government’s business.
"Roe wasn't the start of abortions. It was the end of women dying from abortion."
badhmorrigan
We can't clap enough for this one.
"A back-alley abortion..."
"I’d rather kill myself than be forced to carry an unwanted child. A back-alley abortion would probably do the job for me, if I’m being honest. I will never allow someone - politician or otherwise - to shackle me with my own biology. I will protest against these despicable trigger laws tooth-and-nail until the day I die."
Sugar-Soul
Many women undoubtedly feel the same way.
"I think it's completely insane..."
"I think it's completely insane and infringes upon so many human rights. But I got my tubes tied back in March so I'm not really concerned for myself as much as I'm concerned for others."
evergreenessence
Empathy goes a long way. Even if you will not be affected (or as impacted), many others will be and they need our help and support.
"Get our your wallets..."
"You think our social services are overwhelmed now. Get out your wallets because there is about to be a generation of babies born where moms won't have the means to feed, clothe, and care for them."
milk2317
Sadly, this is all too true. It is a crisis in the making.
"My cousin had to terminate..."
"I had an abortion at 21 that saved my life. It was a terrifying and isolating experience, and the best decision I have ever made."
"My cousin had to terminate her pregnancy in the second trimester due to the fact that the fetus developed without a brain. She described the care she received as what kept her alive through her grief."
"If abortion was not an option, she would have had to carry to term."
I’m sick to my stomach over this. Women, especially women of color, are going to die."
kates6666
Sadly, the statistics are on your side on this. Many women, especially women of color, are going to die, and many children will grow up impoverished.
"Scared."
"Scared. I work with survivors of sexual violence. I am a survivor myself. I, and many other folks, have had our bodily autonomy stolen from us before. To see it on a federal level is horrifying."
ParticularAd2645
It is indeed frightening and survivors of sexual violence no doubt feel victimized alll over again.
"My daughter will never have..."
"As a woman, I will be legally lesser than males because I have a womb. My daughter will never have full autonomy over her body. Intersectionally speaking, women of color and under resourced women will bear the brunt of this. Nothing will change for white women of means."
LadyOfTheOddNight
White women of means can fly wherever they wish and get an abortion there. That will never change.
"The foster care system is proof the government doesn’t care about unwanted children yet want to force more to be born. It’s all politics though guarantee if any of them ever got in a sticky situation illegal or not an abortion will be had available."
jessiealabama
The United States' welfare system is also awful and that seems to be by design.
"My wife had a miscarriage last year. Because we were well past the point of most miscarriages (not quite to the stillbirth cutoff, but not far away), we were told the odds of my wife passing the fetus on her own were slim and that surgery was the safest option."
"We were required by law to acknowledge in writing that the procedure would terminate the (dead) fetus and that it came at risk of infertility and death. Our doctor was required to tell us the developmental age of the (dead) fetus and which developmental milestones occur around that time, as well as offer us an ultrasound to see the (dead) fetus."
"We cried the entire time. We desperately wanted this child. Our doctor cried, apologizing every step of the way that we had to go through this insensitive BS on top of losing the pregnancy."
"This fetus was dead in every sense of the word but because the procedure in question is also used for abortions we had to jump through these goddamn hoops to avoid putting my wife's health at risk."
"And it's not like my state doesn't offer alternatives for nonviable fetuses, conception due to rape or incest, or instances where health is at serious risk. This WAS the alternative. If we were actually getting an elective abortion it would have been significantly more time consuming and soul-crushing. You literally have to take an online course."
"Abortion access in this country is already a joke. All this is going to do is get people killed."
broganism
This is a heartbreaking story and we are sorry that you and your wife had to go through that.
As you can see, overturning Roe v. Wade has significant consequences. While the actual opinion will not be released until the summer, it's safe to say that the United States is entering a new era and that an entirely new wave of activism has begun.
Have some thoughts of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
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The passing of House Bill 314 in Alabama that criminalizes abortions is polarizing the nation, but American film director Ava DuVernay is encouraging people to take action.
The unconstitutional bill sponsored by State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) applies to pregnant women regardless of age and towards rape and incest victims.
HB 314 is also one of many nationwide measures aimed at reversing Roe v. Wade – 1973's U.S. Supreme Court decision that protected a woman's right to choose.
DuVernay's posted an urgent reminder as a response to Wednesday's controversial decision.
"Don't move forward after reading this like everything is normal. Don't shake your head at Alabama and then keep going about your day."
The Wrinkle In Time director expressed that what happened in Alabama is only the beginning.
"Realize that this is a warning. It's Alabama and abortion today. It's you and your rights tomorrow. Your silence will not save you. So speak up."
Don’t move forward after reading this like everything is normal. Don’t shake your head at Alabama and then keep goi… https://t.co/TapGRQxc9h— Ava DuVernay (@Ava DuVernay) 1557902335.0
The post became a powerful thread with users vehemently voicing their opposition to HB 314 and encouraging others to vote.
@ava @SarahKSilverman If this bill is signed into law, women in Alabama become slaves to an unborn fetus. The ball… https://t.co/2Hc3pR2JrX— Grampa Morris (@Grampa Morris) 1557907019.0
The chamber rejected an amendment to make an exception for women who are victims of rape and incest by a 21 to 11 vote.
The bill will only allow abortions if the pregnant woman's life is threatened.
Doctors performing abortions would be charged with a class A felony and could face up to 99 years in prison, while those attempting to perform the procedure would be charged with a Class C felony punishable for up to ten years in prison.
Here is a challenging perspective.
@ava https://t.co/MJ54cpLyGw— Binford Carter (@Binford Carter) 1557918850.0
Sen. Clyde Chambliss, (R-Prattville), who is the bill's sponsor, claimed that the decision could have an impact on the state "as well as the nation."
"It could have an impact on millions of as yet unborn children."
But what about the mothers? Who is speaking for them?
@ava I cannot understand why in 2019 we have moved so far backwards and are restricting women’s reproductive rights… https://t.co/WAMiqjCdAw— Cleverly Changing (@Cleverly Changing) 1557916616.0
@Cleverlychangin @ava The fact that this is more restrictive than the Georgia law says a lot because it’s horrible.… https://t.co/sSbdcVXbKa— Adanna Dill (@Adanna Dill) 1557920288.0
@ava Add Alabama to places I’ll never go to. I hope this backwards thinking doesn’t spread. People need to get out… https://t.co/b5PnllcjXQ— Brad Gregory (@Brad Gregory) 1557915626.0
@BradG1975 @ava I’m concerned that this has already spread. 1/3 of the country actually believes D’s support infant… https://t.co/LerIMYvKbM— Amanda Thomas (@Amanda Thomas) 1557923241.0
@manalyn618 @ava It’s scary what misinformed people believe. Truth is whatever someone can convince people it is. I… https://t.co/f7cCBuZtyd— Brad Gregory (@Brad Gregory) 1557924103.0
@Cleverlychangin @ava I think the level of misogyny that we have in this country is so deep, so connected with whit… https://t.co/BI1j8Wz7oh— amy wilder (@amy wilder) 1557970073.0
A campaign to boycott Alabama began circulating online, but we can do better.
@annajanejoyner @ginarcameron @ava @joanwalsh Thank you, thank you. Some of us actually LIVE in Alabama. Instead of… https://t.co/VVrWgaJmsp— Jena M (@Jena M) 1557923728.0
But some Alabamians are genuinely terrified.
@SistatodaMoon @annajanejoyner @ginarcameron @ava @joanwalsh I live here, and I disagree completely. I’d never ask… https://t.co/cfQzQu1VbK— Dr. Ashley Hampton (@Dr. Ashley Hampton) 1557926173.0
@drashleyhampton @SistatodaMoon @annajanejoyner @ginarcameron @ava @joanwalsh C’mon ladies.. I live here too. Ole K… https://t.co/xzqZ4qx28n— Nicey (@Nicey) 1557927887.0
What else can we do? Here are some organizations that could benefit from the fight.
@ginarcameron @ava @joanwalsh Please don't add suffering to the millions of Alabamian women and citizens who find t… https://t.co/l4PHqACbQJ— Anna Jane Joyner (@Anna Jane Joyner) 1557922971.0
@NicoleGarton_ @alt_trite @NiceyMack @drashleyhampton @SistatodaMoon @annajanejoyner @ginarcameron @ava @joanwalsh… https://t.co/UGPzwXBH8i— Jennifer Vanderputten 🌊✒️💻 (@Jennifer Vanderputten 🌊✒️💻) 1557946553.0
DuVernay is onto something here, and it is vital than ever not to remain silent on the passage of this heinous legislation.
Democratic Alabama State Senator Absolutely Lays Into Republican Abortion Bill Sponsor In Viral Video
The very likely unconstitutional House Bill 314 was met with major opposition on the Alabama Senate floor when Democratic Senator Vivian Davis Figures confronted her Republican colleague and bill sponsor Senator Clyde Chambliss.
HB 314 bans abortion and makes it a felony offense, including for victims of rape and incest, regardless of age. Doctors performing the procedure could face up to 99 years in prison.
The only exception is if the pregnant woman's life is in imminent danger.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the strictest anti-choice measure into law on Wednesday, after a vote of 25 to 6 in the Alabama Senate.
The bill is one of many nationwide anti-abortion measures aiming to de-legitimize Roe v. Wade – the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that favored a woman's right to choose.
Asked Senator Figures ahead of the vote:
"Do you know what it's like to be raped?"
Chambliss replied:
"No, ma'am, I don't."
She continued tearing into the senator and expressed her grievances toward the legislation's supporters who were coincidentally all white men.
“Do you know what it’s like to be raped? Do you know what it’s like to have a relative commit incest on you?” Alaba… https://t.co/qHdk5XL6hG— CNN (@CNN) 1557919522.0
Figures proceeded to school the Alabama Senate floor on the traumatic impact rape has on victims.
"Okay, so that's one of those traumas that a person experiences just like that child experienced."
"To take that choice away from that person who has such a traumatic act committed against them, to have to bring that child into this world, and be reminded of that every single day ― some people can do that ... but some can't. But why would you not want a woman to at least have that exception for such a horrific act?"
@CNN Enemies of women’s health reproductive care. Locate and protest them . https://t.co/j7SJqFxApH— Luis H. Lopez (@Luis H. Lopez) 1557920527.0
Chambliss replied:
"Because I believe that when that unborn child becomes a person, and we need legal guidance on when that is ―"
But before he could continue, Figures interjected by finishing his thought for him and said:
"Not your business."
She was just getting warmed up.
"You don't have to raise that child. You don't have to carry that child, you don't have to provide for that child, you don't have to do anything for that child ― but yet you want to make that decision for that woman that that's what she has to do."
Alabama is now on nobody's tourism list.
@CNN Nicely done #Alabama I just marked #GulfShores off my list of vacation options not just this year, but permanently.— tkdale1 (@tkdale1) 1557920114.0
@tkdale1 @CNN I am with you. Alabama loves pedophiles and hates women. Q the theme song to Deliverance. Theres a re… https://t.co/tVvvdOLc0O— Kelly (@Kelly) 1557920793.0
@CNN Alabama is...regressing.— Lloyd Osten (@Lloyd Osten) 1557919783.0
Figures, who is one of four women in the Alabama Senate, cannot imagine being tasked with the choice of performing an abortion but believes it is a woman's right to do so.
"I will have to be honest with you: I praise God every day that I was never, ever put in that situation to make that choice. I don't know what choice I would have made. I really don't."
"And that is why I so firmly believe that it should be a woman's choice, that a woman knows what she's up against, she knows what she has to do ― whether she can or cannot provide for that child."
Figures did not sugarcoat her statement when she implied that the male voters were on a power trip.
"You are playing God, in my opinion, because you've already decided what needs to be done. You all don't rule the world. I mean, you may think you do, but you don't."
According to TheHuffington Post, all three of her amendments to the bill were rejected. Her first amendment asked for the male voters to cover the state's attorney's fees.
The second was to expand Medicaid eligibility, and the third amendment would make men who've had vasectomies guilty of a class A felony.
"In all of these abortion bills that you all have passed through the years taking away a woman's choice ... was there ever anything in there saying what would happen to the man who impregnated her? Why you all want to control our bodies, I will never, ever know."
@CNN Don't let them move the goalposts. It doesn't matter if there was rape, incest, or consensual sex. A woman has… https://t.co/0Lhw4qNYAg— Gail Zawacki (@Gail Zawacki) 1557919920.0
Alabama's healthcare is ranked #46 nationwide. The state's prior laws banned abortion after 21.6 weeks of gestation. Women seeking the procedure were required to undergo a 48-hour waiting period and state-mandated counseling.
Staci Fox, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates, told Refinery 29 that the vote was "a dark day for women in Alabama and across this country."
"Banning abortion is bad enough. Imprisoning doctors for providing care goes beyond the brink."
"In the coming days, we will be mounting the fight of our lives — we will take this to court and ensure abortion remains safe and legal. For now, Planned Parenthood's doors are open for the many patients who need access to care."
The unconstitutional law many consider to be "draconian" is expected to be blocked by the courts.