Campaign Action
On May 14, Alabama state legislators passed the most restrictive and dangerous anti-abortion legislation in the United States. Less than 24 hours later, Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed it into law.
While Alabama’s HB 314 is the most extreme bill to be signed into law since Roe v. Wade—it bans abortion across the board, even in cases of rape and incest, with one exception if the pregnant person’s life is at risk—it follows in the footsteps of six-week abortion bans, like the one recently signed into law by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
It’s true that these sweeping abortion bans could make it all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States in a challenge to Roe. That’s what forced-birthers want, after all. It’s also true that if they’re enforced—which is extremely unlikely unless Roe is overturned—pregnant people seeking abortion care may die. (This is why education and resources about safe, self-managed abortion is critical right now.)
It’s not true, however, that abortion is automatically illegal in Alabama, Georgia, and other states that have passed near-total abortion bans in 2019. Abortion is still legal in every single state in the United States. It may not be accessible or affordable, and there may be arbitrary restrictions like 24 or 72-hour waiting periods or 20 or 24-week bans, but abortion is still legal everywhere.
Right now, abortion is still legal up to 20 weeks in Alabama and Georgia. Both states have exceptions after 20 weeks if the pregnant person’s life is in danger. If it is not blocked in court (which, again, it most likely will be), Alabama’s law would not go into effect until six months from now. Georgia’s would go into effect on January 1, 2020.
These cruel bans are downright terrifying, but we have to center patients in our activism, discussions, and reporting about them. The last thing patients who are waiting for abortion care need is to be scared out of going to their appointments because they saw a Facebook post about how abortion is “now illegal” in Alabama or how they need to secretly Georgia without telling their friends and family in order to access medical care.
Forced-birther legislators design these bills in order to exhaust us. They’re flying through legislatures across the country and being signed into law in rapid succession: Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, and now Missouri. In the desperate fight to stop the bans, some people introduce ill-conceived “solutions”—like a sex strike or a Georgia film industry boycott—without listening to what people in affected states actually want.
We could all be more thoughtful in our approach to fighting these abortion bans. Here are some ways you can combat misinformation and provide help that centers patients, providers, and people who may become pregnant in Alabama, Georgia, and other states that have passed near-total bans.
- Spread the word that abortion is still legal in every single state, including Alabama and Georgia. Patients need to know they are still able to access abortion care.
- Support abortion funds providing financial and practical assistance to people seeking abortion care in the South. Yellowhammer Fund (Alabama), Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, Access Reproductive Care - Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee) all provide funding in particularly hostile states. Check out National Network of Abortion Funds for more information and resources.
- Follow the leadership of abortion access and reproductive justice advocates on the ground. Trust Black women who have been doing work in the South to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. Support BIPOC-led organizations leading the fight against the bans. SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, and URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity are great places to start. Here are more organizations to support in every single state.
- Stop demonizing the South with shaming rhetoric that calls Georgia and Alabama “backwards” and implores people to move away from their homes. Similarly, leaders on the ground have made it clear that a boycott of Georgia is not the best path forward. Instead of causing more harm to Georgians and Alabamians—particularly low-income communities and communities of color who will be most deeply impacted by the bans—let’s funnel resources and funding to these states.
Together, we can take intentional action to stop these abortion bans. Let’s get to it.