There are pro-life groups that have been chattering about laws that block access to information about abortion online, in particular regarding medication abortion. At the moment they only have the ears of the more fringe “conservatives”, but that could change with midterm and various state elections in the next few years. Considering how southern states already have essentially blocked accurate and inclusive sex education, have signed various versions of the “don’t say gay” laws, banned Trans healthcare for those under 21, and have a bunch of jackasses screaming about drag queens while children get blown away by legally obtained guns, I really don’t put anything past what the republican party has become. It’s really not a stretch of the imagination to see these bans pop up in insidious ways, all under the guise of protecting the children. It will likely start with school libraries and classroom/take home devices, followed by public libraries. Bans on abortion information will be included with bans to access information on sexual orientation and gender, and they won’t have any trouble passing into law. And just like we have heard ridiculous proposals to put blocks on computers and devices before sale for porn, these same unconstitutional ideas will be promoted for those same hot button issues, including abortion. I think when you consider the opposing values of uncompromising 2A rights with opposition to abortion, it tracks with Republican thinking that platforms must host what they demand, while also forcing them to remove what they feel is objectionable. (This isn’t solely a Republican thing, dems think similarly but take the progressive path that aligns with modern thinking rather than the regressive one. Unfortunately, this leaves room for consensus, especially in purple states where election winners can wield their political whims)
Make no mistake, this is not about states rights, this is about control of women and white supremacy, and it always has been. Voting with your feet is simply not a realistic option for all but the upper middle class and rich. Not only is it beyond our financial means, but an out of state move would mean the loss of established support networks, like family and co-parents (the majority of women seeking abortion already have children. How are they supposed to make a choice between bodily autonomy and a relatively stable living situation?). If any of these states banning abortion actually had an interest in the fetus, or the mother’s safety,they would have significantly less racial disparity across the board, but in particular infant mortality and maternal mortality. These states would have significantly lower rates of infant and maternal mortality in total, with robust healthcare and social safety nets. Instead, they focus on criminalizing poverty and using it to strip parental rights through a morally repugnant system of so-called child protection. These same states and a number of “conservative” prosecutors criminalize adverse pregnancy outcomes and pregnant women with drug abuse problems, even if they are actively treating an addiction. I live in a very progressive state and both me and my baby were screened for drugs without any meaningful consent or assessment of whether that was necessary because I am on Medicaid. Though I’m aging out of having more kids (I’m 41) I do want another, and I’ve had 2 miscarriages after my daughter. Im even more aware of how dangerous these laws that criminalize abortion are to me, and my family (my husband is pro-life and we have some heated discussions. He is principled in that he is against death penalty, euthanasia, and war. He also understands how birth control & Plan B work and agrees it all should be freely available, well not exactly free. He also understands that an ectopic cannot be moved to the uterus, and miscarriage is treated if necessary with abortion, medication or surgery. I don’t know what he would want to do if we faced a pregnancy that was incompatible with life or life beyond a few years, or that endangered my life whether it was otherwise progressing fine or not. Considering my age, that’s a real possibility. I imagine he would be feeling rather powerless and morally conflicted, in addition to the sadness, anguish and fear that would be absolutely devastating. I’d like to think that he would appreciate that we could decide what to do, even in an impossible situation like this, which might not be holding on for a miracle that I think would be his inclination. But he might resent the ability to make a choice, feeling as though it makes him more morally responsible for inevitable unfortunate outcome. Even though I understand the conflicting feelings and beliefs, I know that no one should be making those decisions but the people directly involved.) Even though these bans carve out certain exceptions, they are written ambiguously, leaving it up to the provider to determine where the law meets ethical obligation to provide care. Skilled doctors who already pay exorbitant malpractice insurance rates, will exit roles providing triage and emergency care, where they are desperately needed. I don’t think the lawmakers and pro-life advocates have even considered the dire lack of capacity for maternity and neonatal care as it currently exists, let alone how much strain thousands of additional patients will put on these inadequate systems. They have been pissing away millions of tax dollars on those pregnancy crisis centers that don’t actually help anyone, while systematically defunding clinics that actually provide contraceptives,STI screening and treatment, cancer screening, and information that they prohibit schools from teaching. I think when we consider the Republicans general behavior, it’s a legit concern that not just abortion information could be walled off in some states, but most 1A protections could be subverted.