Kentucky GOP Rep Wants to Prosecute Abortion as Homicide

Here’s another edition of Hard to Believe It’s Only Tuesday, a weekly roundup of the top headlines, tweets (for now!), toks, takes, and more in abortion news. You can always email me ([email protected]) or DM me on instagram with action items, takes, and news clips.

The big takeaway: Lots of movement in state legislatures on abortion bans and restrictions as sessions get underway in earnest, including a Kentucky Republican’s proposal to prosecute abortion as homicide. Coverage of KY State Rep. Emily Callaway’s abortion criminalization effort has situated the proposal as unpalatable to mainstream Republicans, but of course I will remind you that mainstream GOP members rely on the rightest-wing Republican representatives to advance anti-abortion agenda items and narratives without making the party itself seem responsible for or interested in doing so. That’s how politics works! < jazz hands >

The Top Headlines

• “State attorneys general pick sides in Texas abortion pill lawsuit” (WaPo)

• “Post-Roe, Native Americans face even more abortion hurdles” (AP)

• “Mike Pence says ‘we need to’ ban abortion pills nationwide in new leaked audio” (Jezebel)

• “Meet the religious crusaders fighting for abortion rights” (Mother Jones) — This piece, which introduced me to the delightful term “rabbi-rouser,” is a thoughtful, in-depth rejoinder to the white, evangelical Christian dominance and default in abortion legislation and policymaking.

• “Scoop: Texas abortion ban architect turns to libraries” (Axios) — My kingdom for an inverted pyramid! I read this several times and am not absolutely positive, but I think the gist is that Jonathan Mitchell, who cooked up Texas’ anti-abortion “bounty-hunter” ban, is writing model language for local governments to use in banning books from local library shelves.

• “Group behind Super Bowl’s Jesus ads is bankrolling lawsuit to fight medication abortion” (Jezebel)

• “American unhappiness with abortion laws at record high, poll finds as lawmakers consider watering down bans” (Forbes)

• “Troops can take three weeks off to travel for abortions, IVF treatment” (Military Times)

• “Abortion bans spur Biden push to bolster patient privacy rights” (Bloomberg Law)

• “Biden’s 72 words on abortion in his State of the Union address weren’t enough” (Prism)

• What’s happening with abortion bans, legislation, and challenges at the state and local levels:

  • “Nebraska six-week abortion ban on doorstep of becoming law, senator tally shows” (Lincoln Journal Star)

  • “Federal judge dismisses Wendy Davis’ challenge to Texas abortion ban” (Texas Tribune)

  • “Abortion could be prosecuted as a homicide under a new Kentucky bill” (Courier Journal)

  • “Kentucky Supreme Court leaves abortion ban in place” (Politico)

  • “Tennessee advances bill to narrowly loosen abortion ban” (AP)

  • “While governor aims for a ‘pro-life state,’ abortion rights appear entrenched in Alaska” (Alaska Beacon)

  • “Two groups join forces to put abortion access on Ohio’s 2023 ballot” (Cincinnati Enquirer)

  • “South Carolina House passes near-total abortion ban” (The Hill)

  • “Idaho AG: No need to keep protecting ER doctors from abortion prosecutions” (Idaho Capital Sun)

  • “A trigger ban on a trigger ban: [Wyoming] House lawmakers adopt a bill to ban abortion if last year’s ban is ruled unconstitutional” (Wyoming Public Media)

  • “Republican lawmakers shy away from changing Montana’s constitutional right to abortion” (CBS News)

• What’s happening with anti-abortion activism and crisis pregnancy centers and such:

  • “As Colorado becomes abortion haven, advocates target crisis pregnancy centers” (Denver Post)

  • “National Archives offers personal tours to anti-abortion activists who sued” (Politico)

The Takes

• Novelist Domenica Ruta is in LitHub with an essay on sobriety, cancer, bodily autonomy, parenthood, and her abortion: “The socioeconomic impact of abortion cannot be overstated, but for me, it engendered a transformation that I think of as sacred. In another universe, another life, abortion would be a secular sacrament, bloody, holy, a threshold that people could walk through on the way to becoming the person they were born to be.” 

• Lawyer and trans activist Chase Strangio writes in Hammer & Hope on the necessity of solidarity and mutual support in the abortion rights and trans rights movements: “This is not just about whether a trans man feels safe getting an abortion when he needs it, as vital as that is. This is about whether a post-Roe reproductive rights movement can recognize that there are lessons to be learned beyond the experiences of cis women and get out of its own way. This is about which political projects those who claim an interest in reproductive autonomy will ultimately privilege — either the political projects that destabilize power or those that align with it.” 

• Organizer Larada Lee-Wallace is in Rewire News with an essay on becoming an abortion doula during the pandemic: “I often think about how my abortions and the reasons for which we mourn the fall of Roe signify a common issue: the need to liberate abortion. I want to create a world where our reproductive fates aren’t determined by how much money we have or where we live. I’ve been there. I’ve been met with the ridiculous barriers when accessing abortions in two completely different places both geographically and politically, and my experiences affirmed that Roe has never been enough. My hope is that we all protect abortion access and continue to fight to make sure everyone has access to abortion care at any time and for any reason.”

• Attorney and law professor Lisa Needham is in Public Notice with a look at how Minnesota’s new abortion protections could be a model for other states: “… the path forward post-Roe is at the state level, whether through state courts, state legislatures, or both. Federal legislation isn’t possible right now, with the Republicans holding the House and some Democrats in the Senate being wobbly on abortion rights (looking at you, Joe Manchin). Going through federal courts is a fool’s errand. One lone Trump appointee may soon wipe out access to one of the drugs used in medication abortions. Even when there’s a bright spot, such as a DC federal judge finding that the 13th Amendment, which prohibits involuntary servitude, may protect abortion, any federal case ultimately runs into the buzzsaw of the extremely anti-choice Supreme Court. There are 17 states with a Democratic trifecta right now. Each of those states is an opportunity to pass comprehensive abortion rights protections.”

The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• Skip that abortion and enrich the state! A wild argument in an amicus filing, via We Testify’s Renee Bracey Sherman:

• Here’s @RHAVote tweeting about new research on how, when, why, and what it means when someone realizes they are pregnant:

The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• New swag alert: Indigenous Women Rising’s “shmashmortion” shirts, 🤌.

• Anywhere: Exhale Pro-Voice is taking applications for volunteer peer textline counselors until Friday, March 3rd.

• Online: The Ad’iyah Collective’s monthly abortion support circle “for Muslims who have had abortions or want/need an abortion” is Sunday, March 5th.

• From your wallet: The Valley Abortion Group is a new all-trimester abortion facility fundraising to open in New Mexico — donate to the GoFundMe.

• Texas: The Afiya Center’s #RJVoter advocacy week starts Tuesday, February 28th. Check out their Instagram for programming details, including a community forum, advocacy training, and an advocacy day.

• Georgia: Sign the Amplify Georgia Collaborative’s petition to support the Georgia Reproductive Freedom Act.

• Anywhere: Use All Above All*’s online form to express your support for the EACH act in Congress.

• Anywhere, for health care providers: UCSF’s Dobbs Impact Study is looking at instances of “poor-quality medical care since the Dobbs decision,” and they’re encouraging providers to submit de-identified stories.

• Texas:

  • Join the Texas Abortion Hype Squad.

  • Jane’s Due Process is looking for volunteers in Bryan, College Station, San Angelo, and Lubbock to distribute repro kits containing emergency contraception and other essentials. Sign up here — and they’re looking for local businesses to volunteer as pick-up sites, too.

• Anywhere, best practices edition:

  • Physicians for Reproductive Health has updated guidance on discussing and reporting on later abortion care.

  • The Repro Legal Defense Fund and the Community Justice Exchange have an extensive, attractive, and fact-filled guide to abortion criminalization in both English and Spanish.

  • Check out the “Pro Choice, But” campaign to better understand how to talk with folks who are, well, pro-choice … but.

  • Read the National Immigration Law Center’s know-your-rights-guide to abortion access for immigrants and share widely.

  • Familiarize yourself with this Digital Defense Fund guide to keeping your abortion private and secure, or check out the If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline guide to internet safety.

  • Read this guide on using trans-inclusive language from ARC-Southeast and the Transgender Law Center.

  • REPRO Rising Virginia has a thorough guide to updating your protest signs to make sure you’re using the most forward-thinking, respectful, and impactful language around abortion.

  • Here’s a big list of action items and info created by @RHAVote, and another big list of action items and info created by Alison Turkos.

• California, Texas, or Georgia: SisterLove, Inc. is looking for English- or Spanish-speakers between the ages of 15 and 49 who “recently found out [they] were pregnant’” as part of a paid study through the University of Pittsburgh. Here’s the intake survey to find out if you qualify.

• Sign and share:

  • Texas: Avow Texas’ petition demands county district attorneys pledge not to prosecute people for providing abortions, or because of a pregnancy outcome.

  • Anywhere: All Above All*’s petition asks President Biden take immediate steps to ensure abortion justice for immigrants.

• From your wallet: Buy something off the wishlist of an independent clinic, abortion fund, or clinic defense group, or donate to support abortion funds. This link distributes your donation to 90+ funds around the country. Or donate to support independent abortion providers!

That’s all for this week. I’m sure I’ve missed something you’d like to see featured in this roundup, for I am but one woman with a computer and an abortion-news-induced drinking problem. Holler at me — [email protected], or DM me on Instagram, and I’ll try to add follow-ups as I’m able.