Right-wing Alabama Rethuglicans passed their draconian and misogynist anti-reproductive choice law earlier this year, which had the effect of imposing a near total ban on abortions for women in that state. It criminalizes abortions for the physicians, and does not make exceptions for victims of rape and incest. In a word, barbarian. Anti-choice activists see this law, and similar laws passed by Rethuglican legislators in other states, as a vehicle for striking down Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court.
On the front lines of the fight to preserve women's reproductive rights is Planned Parenthood, whose facilities also provide birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. They are in the process of constructing a state-of-the-art facility in Birmingham that is expected to be completed in November of this year. November is also the month that the law would come into play, unless struck down by the courts. Anti-choice activists are vowing to block the construction in some way, including challenges to the facility's licensing and harassing the construction contractors and their workers with threatening phone calls and e-mails. Planned Parenthood's other facility in the state, in Mobile, is closed for renovations, leaving three abortion clinics in the state which are not affiliated with Planned Parenthood.
The fight that Planned Parenthood is waging is worth supporting generously. You can contribute to their efforts by clicking here.
(photo: Anti-choice protesters outside of clinic construction, via al.com)
2 comments:
Rightwing Right-to-Lifers have achieved a lot of their goals by managing massive campaigns across the country to install their Republican representatives and get as many anti-abortion laws in the books. Ohio has had them pushing legislation for years, hoping to move the restrictive bans up through the court system until they can challenge Roe v Wade. They are single-minded, and they have money. All they lacked was a president and Congress who would bow to their wishes, and now they have that as well.
I hope that when things coalesce, women of all ages will band together as we did for the Women's March and make a strong political and humanitarian surge to fight for our freedom. I want millions of women of all ages to stand up and be heard, and tell these zealots that we don't want their chains upon us.
There is so much at stake.
donnah -- So well said. Thank you.
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