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.
| 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. 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?
Together,
Women’s March
 |
 |
 |
To receive fewer emails, please click here.
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.
To update your name or email click here.
This email was sent to [email protected]. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you. If you need to remove yourself from our email list, click here to unsubscribe.