Attacks in the U.S.
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court made abortion legal in 1973, this fundamental right of women has been under attack. Politicians are now trying to ban abortion at various stages of pregnancy, despite the fact that the 1973 ruling legalized abortion through the second trimester, or 24 weeks, and even later for certain health reasons. (New York is one of the few states that has NO restrictions to 24 weeks.)
Iowa lawmakers recently passed an outrageous ban on abortion after about 6 weeks of pregnancy, the time when the first tiny indication of a fetal heatbeat can be detected on an ultrasound. Six weeks is often before many woman even know they’re pregnant. It is not even close to the time when a fetus has developed in the woman’s womb to the point of being able to live outside her body and be born.
There is no rationale for this other than the usual, REAL reason for outlawing or limiting abortion: to make women live a Handmaid’s Tale of forced motherhood. The law is currently being challenged in court, and at some point it could reach the Supreme Court in a challenge to Roe. Read more about other restrictions on abortion by clicking here.
Not to be outdone by anti-woman laws in the states, the Trump/Pence regime recently reinstated a vicious policy from the administration of President Ronald Reagan in 1988. It withholds federal funds from any facility or program that even mentions the word “abortion.” Federal funds are already denied for any abortion services. Now healthcare providers cannot even refer patients to other providers who offer abortion care. This domestic gag rule, if allowed to stand, will severely harm women and providers who depend on Federal funding for family planning programs.
We call on everyone who supports reproductive freedom to loudly proclaim in words and actions:
Not the Church, Not the State – Women Must Decide Their Fate!
