Hey Girl, Anti-Choice Laws DON’T Respect You
Which of the following disingenuous arguments have been used to advance laws aimed at cutting off access to critical reproductive health care—while
purporting to protect women’s health?
a) “This bill was created to protect women. We want clinics to be properly licensed, properly insured, clean, &, safe. That’s not too much to ask.”
– About a Michigan law that would regulate all abortion providers out of existence. [1]
b) “This is not about banning abortion in Virginia. It is simply caring for women who are about to have an invasive surgical procedure.” – About similar regulations in Virginia. [2]
c) “The bill’s intent [is] to protect women’s health.” – About an Arizona abortion ban with only the smallest exception for dire medical emergencies. [3]
d) All of the above.
If you answered d) All of the above, give yourself a gold star. For too long, anti-choice extremists have been trying to disguise their
attacks on women’s autonomy.
The charade is up.
In the first half of 2012 alone, opponents of reproductive rights have passed more than 40 laws choking off women’s access to reproductive health care.
In Mississippi, anti-choice lawmakers were nearly successful in shutting down the state’s last abortion clinic—jeopardizing the reproductive rights of
thousands of women. In Arizona, pregnant women were less than 24 hours away from losing access to the full range of medical options for confronting serious
pregnancy complications, risking their health and lives.
Our legal challenges to these extreme laws have stopped them from going into effect—but more attacks on our fundamental rights are being launched every
single day.
We know that these laws have absolutely nothing to do with protecting women’s health.
Now it’s up to all of us to make sure the rest of the country is on the same page.
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[1] Michigan Sen. Rick Jones, “Abortion Bill Moves to Senate Floor,” WLNS, July 27, 2012
[2] Virginia Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, “Virginia assembly says abortion clinics should be regulated as hospitals,” The Washington Post, Rosalind S. Helderman, February 25, 2011
[3] Arizona Rep. Kimberly Yee, “Lawsuit challenges Arizona abortion restrictions,” The Arizona Republic, Mary Jo Pitzl, July 12, 2012
