Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court has dire implications across the board, including the real possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned.  In addition, the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the ability of fake clinics (“Crisis Pregnancy Centers”) to spread lies and refuse to give truthful information about abortion gives a massive green light to the anti-abortion forces that shame, mislead and pressure women to continue pregnancies despite their needs and wishes.  (See below for more on all this.) These are truly appalling times.

This is not just another “time to fight.” It’s been time to fight for women’s reproductive freedom for a very long time and some of us have been doing just that.  Now is the time to go on the offensive as never before – speaking and acting in bold words and protesting in the streets, defending women and providers at the clinic doors, and connecting in multiple ways with our communities and others under attack. I will have much more to say on this in the coming months. In that context, I want to talk about the connections Choices is making for today and the future.

The prospect of a new anti-abortion Supreme Court Justice raises the very real possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned.  A challenge to Roe could come in the form of an anti-abortion state law that, if upheld by the Supreme Court, could result in the overturning of Roe.  That would mean abortion could become illegal immediately in states that now have such laws on the books but which at present are not enforced. In 24 states, the right to abortion is at the highest risk of loss—these states could ban abortion outright. In 8 states (including the District of Columbia), the right to abortion is at risk of loss, and in 19 states, the right to abortion appears secure. (See www.reproductiverights.org/what-if-Roe-fell.)

New York State is one of those where abortion would remain legal – for now, that is, because if the Federal protection under Roe is further weakened or outright overturned, anti-abortion fanatics will be enboldened to go after any state law that guarantees abortion access.  Any attack on abortion anywhere must be fought as an attack on everyone who values women’s right to make their own reproductive choices – that is, women’s right to be free from forced motherhood.

Earlier this summer, in response to outrageous efforts by the Trump administration to limit or outright ban abortion services, the National Council of Jewish Women’s New York Section (NCJW) has joined with other groups to fight against the domestic gag rule and has launched a campaign against fake abortion clinics. Their efforts will be a valuable contribution and an example for other organizations, including religion-based groups, to step up and step out against these increasing attacks on women. To read more about this effort, click here.

Note: Fake clinics advertise themselves as helping women with unplanned pregnancies but exist only to shame and mislead women and girls not to have abortions.  The recent Supreme Court decision said these so-called clinics that are licensed by the state have a right NOT to provide full and accurate information about abortion. The domestic gag rule would withhold all family planning funds from any program or agency that even mentions, let alone offers, abortion as an option.

As a 21-year old college student, I have discussed the necessity of choice with many of my peers.  We all agree with a woman’s right to choose.  However, few of us believe we would admit to having an abortion, or even being pregnant in the first place.  Given society’s judgement of women’s worth according to their sexual behavior, no one wants to admit that they could have made a mistake or been unlucky enough to get pregnant when it was unintended.  Yet, what are the implications of this silence?

Merle Hoffman suggests that to change the culture around abortions and eliminate the associated stigma, everyone who has had an abortion should proclaim it.  To me, this presents an obvious parallel to the LGTBQ movement’s emphasis on “coming-out.”   Both face a strong religiously backed opposition and people who are reluctant to make their status known in fear of backlash from society and those closest to them.  For the LGBTQ community, these proclamations and pride have changed the narrative around gayness so that it is no longer an abstract phenomenon, but instead your long-time friend, neighbor, or sister. These goals also align with those of advocates for women’s right to choose.

How do you convince someone that they should speak out at a personal cost when it would be much easier to just put the event behind them?  I think the answer falls with the silent majority of people who are in favor of abortion.  (Nearly one in four women will have an abortion by age 45 – that’s millions of women, not to mention all those who know, love and respect them.)

When my cousin graduated from high school recently my family flew in from across the country to celebrate with her and spend time together.  Given their wildly disparate views about politics, I was hesitant to share the full extent of where I was working this summer.  I told them how I loved working at a full-service women’s health clinic, but left out the portion about offering abortions until my Grandmother asked me point blank.  I was pleasantly surprised when my family nodded approvingly, noting what an important and hard-to-obtain service it is. This confirmed my ideas about the silent openness many people have to abortion.

Despite my peers’ reservations, we need to be less secretive about abortion.  As colleges push to change the campus culture in favor of a more liberal, open, safe environment for sexual health, we need to include women’s ABORTION in that discussion.  I hope to bring this message back with me to my college campus and carry it with me as I continue on to the medical profession.