[1]Women's March
John, earlier
this week, the Supreme Court started to hear arguments for S.B. 8, Texas’
cruel 6-week abortion ban.
We know that a lot of folks are anxious about what this hearing means for
the future of abortion access — so today we want to share with you a
breakdown of what’s happening and what you can do to help defend our
reproductive rights.
[ [link removed] ]When you’re done reading, we hope you’ll chip in $3 or
anything you can to support our organizing efforts advocating for
reproductive freedom and resisting against coordinated attacks on abortion
access.
WHAT IS S.B. 8?
Through the passage of S.B. 8, abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy are
effectively banned, rendering 85% - 95% of abortions in Texas as illegal.
S.B. 8 is just one example of the hundreds of laws being passed around the
country in an attempt to ban abortions and limit our access to
reproductive freedom.
What makes this piece of legislation particularly cruel is how it’s
enforced. Instead of putting the burden on law enforcement to enforce this
law, S.B. 8 allows ANYONE to report and sue others they suspect either
received an abortion or helped someone receive abortion care. They’re even
offering a $10,000 incentive to report anyone involved including the
patient, their physician, the driver who brought someone to an abortion
clinic, or a friend who was aware of the plan.
The repercussions here are serious — Texans now have to travel far
distances to get the reproductive health care they need, and surrounding
red states will attempt to replicate the Texas ban to hinder abortion
access even further.
According to a recent article, nearby states are currently flooded with
pregnant people from Texas seeking abortions in places where it is still
legal. An Oklahoma provider, for example, reported a “staggering 646%
increase of Texan patients per day” occupying between 50%- 75% of capacity
in their clinic. Similarly a Kansas clinic “reported that about half of
its patients now come from Texas.”
This cruel law has been challenged through multiple court systems and this
week the Supreme Court begun hearing arguments to determine whether
abortion providers or the United States can pursue lawsuits for blocking
S.B. 8.
WHY THIS SUPREME COURT HEARING MATTERS:
The impact of this Supreme Court hearing reaches further than just
Texas, John.
Whatever happens in this hearing will set a powerful precedent for legal
defense of abortion restrictions everywhere in our country.
But it’s critical to note that this hearing isn’t a challenge to the
constitutionality of abortion. It’s mainly a challenge to the law’s
procedural mechanisms, which encourage private citizens to sue in an
effort to avoid judicial scrutiny. The question the Supreme Court is
dealing with right now is: Can the federal government and abortion
providers sue to block a law that is ostensibly not enforced by the
government?
It’s critical this question is properly addressed so that other states are
prevented from copying this law structure – especially now that we’re
currently witnessing an unprecedented number of attacks on our
reproductive freedom. 25 states have already directly requested the
Supreme Court to dismantle Roe v. Wade and states like Texas are enacting
oppressive abortion bans we haven’t seen in decades.
What happens this week will also be a preview for other big fights on the
horizon. Next month, the Supreme Court will hear a much more direct
challenge to Roe V. Wade and Planned Parenthood V. Casey on December 1st,
when the Justices review a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15
weeks.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
We refuse to allow a handful of extremists to control our choice to have
an abortion and make decisions for our reproductive health and families.
There has never been a more crucial time for women and our allies to step
up and help lead this fight for our health care, our rights, and our
freedoms.
That’s why Women’s March is hard at work right now building our organizing
power and mobilizing women to resist against these attacks.
100% of this organizing work is powered by grassroots supporters like
you,
John. [ [link removed] ]Will you chip
in $3 or anything you can to power our organizing team as
we prepare these next days leading up to these critical Supreme Court
cases?
[ [link removed] ]DONATE $3 →
Together,
Women’s March
Contribute to Women's March: [link removed]
This email was sent to
[email protected]. Email is the most important way for us to reach you about opportunities to get involved. If you need to remove yourself from our email list, click here to unsubscribe:
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
Women’s March is a 501c(4) organization. Your generous support helps us prepare for fights we see coming and those we don’t. Donations are not tax deductible. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible gift, we encourage you to support the Women’s March Network. Gifts to the Network support our organizing, communications, advocacy and public education efforts.
