Abortion Access and Bodily Autonomy |
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On May 2nd, a leaked draft of the Supreme Court majority opinion, written by Justice Alito and published by Politico, shows that the Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade in their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The opinion would allow states like Mississippi to reduce and criminalize access and support for abortion care.
The fight to overturn Roe v. Wade is not new. The Christian Right have been organizing against abortion for 50 years, slowly chipping away at access and autonomy, aided by other factions of the Right, including militia groups. Cloee Cooper and Fred Clarkson wrote for Religion Dispatches about the convergence of militia and anti-abortion activists in the United States, under the banner of abortion abolition.
The impact of this draft opinion, if adopted by the Court as their final decision, will be catastrophic. Twenty-six states have laws that would likely or certainly ban abortion in-state upon the overturn of a federal ban on abortion restrictions. Pregnant people will be forced to carry fetuses to term, causing lasting damage to their health: mental and physical.
Alito's opinion predicts the Court's interpretation of Constitutional support for other protections based on a right to "privacy," including fundamental protections for LGBT people. If a majority of the Court holds that we don't have a right to privacy from the government's interference into our bodily autonomy, then we also no longer have a right to accessing birth control, or a right to have sex without fear of criminalization. The implications for cisgender women and girls, and transgender and nonbinary people are staggering.
In Solidarity,
PRA
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Under the perceived threat of a Democratic administration stymieing the war of attrition against reproductive rights, the anti-abortion movement continues to strategize for a post-Roe future. From the growth of the abortion abolitionist movement to the anti-abortion agenda of armed paramilitaries, the battle over bodily sovereignty continues. Join us for a conversation of experts on the anti-abortion movement and practitioners committed to building access to reproductive care as we take stock of this current moment in the struggle for reproductive freedom.
Access the transcript here.
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Read more on the anti-abortion movement |
The Changing Strategies of the Anti-Abortion Movement: Where We Are Today by Daniela Mansbach and Alisa Von Hagel. The Right has been using three main approaches to their anti-abortion strategies: fetus-centered, woman-centered, and third-party protections. The Right has used these strategies to attempt to pass bills to restrict reproductive care across the country.
No Sanctuary: Abortion Abolitionists go to City Hall by Cloee Cooper and Tina Vasquez. In states across the country, anti-abortion activists co-opting the legacy of both anti-slavery activists and the immigrants’ rights movement are lobbying for municipal and county-level ordinances that purport to criminalize abortion locally.
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In Religion Dispatches, find more coverage on how the Christian Right orchestrated the destruction of Roe, and how the media has failed to properly contextualize the road to a conservative-led Supreme Court. Plus, read about one church's long-planned efforts to support parishioners should Roe be overturned, and the possible unintended consequences for Christian Right homeschooling efforts that rely on a right to privacy.
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