Conspiracy to Commit Abortion

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Sep 07, 2023

We Made It To Thursday Healthcare Advocates (Whew)

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Reproductive Rights

I keep reporting on the 51 cities in Texas that made it illegal to use their roads if you are helping someone get an abortion (generally illegal in Texas). Never mind that the US government pays for about 1/3 of the roads in Texas.

Now a new story in The Washington Post details Alabama’s new strategy. Recall that Alabama has made almost all abortions illegal, even in cases of rape or incest. Ruth Marcus reports that the Alabama Attorney General, Steve Marshall, is now prepared to prosecute those who help a woman travel to another state to obtain a legal abortion for criminal conspiracy. Here is Marshall’s filling in a lawsuit “Yellowhammer Fund vs Steve Marshall on Aug 28, 2023.

“An elective abortion performed in Alabama would be a criminal offense; thus, a conspiracy formed in the State to have that same act performed outside the State is illegal,” Marshall wrote in a court filing last week. Whether an abortion would be legal in the state where it was performed didn’t matter, Marshall asserted; the state’s criminal conspiracy law covers acts that would be illegal under Alabama law. Therefore, he said, “the legality of abortion in other states is irrelevant” and “Alabama can criminalize Alabama-based conspiracies to commit abortions elsewhere.”

I reiterate that in many states of our union we have an authoritarian police state and a situation very much akin to slavery in pre-civil war America. This is what happens when we allocate human rights to the states. Rights are lost. So much for allocating rights to the states. Our rights in this country need to be protected at the federal level NOT AT THE STATE LEVEL. States rights has always been the clarion call for states to deprive others of rights. It was that way 173 years ago and it is today.

There are four bills in Congress that are just critical to protecting women and reproductive rights. You can find the review of the 4 bills in Congress in yesterday’s newsletter. Here is the link.

NPR ran a story today regarding women who travel out of state to get a legal abortion. Listen to it or read it here. They described the new data published by the Guttmacher Institute. I checked and found that the Guttacher Institute has an active map of the US so you can see which states are experiencing a rise in abortions. Here is that link.

They are

H.R. 782 – Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act
This bill affirms that everyone has the right to travel across state lines to seek care.
establishes a private right of action for violations. Here is a link to the bill
H.R. 3420 – My Body, My Data Act of 2023
This bill would create privacy standards, so that our personal health data stays personal. Here is a link to the bill.
H.R. 4303 – Abortion Justice Act
Overcomes many of the social impediments that are barriers to abortion for low income women and increases funding for medical training and community support. Here is a link to a summary and here is it’s location on congress.gov.
H. R. 12/S. 701 The Women’s Health Protection Act
This bill creates a new legal protection for the right to provide and access abortion care, free from medically unnecessary restrictions and bans on abortion. This is the restoration of Roe v Wade. Here is a link to the bill.

IMPORTANT ACTION

Let’s tell our Congressperson we want them to co-sponsor and support all 4 of these bills. Their contact info is in the resources section below. If you call or email make sure to let them know your name and zipcode.

You can also use RESISTBOT to send the email below to your representative. On your cell phone text SIGN PUVRUX to 50409.

I am your constituent and I am outraged that women are treated as womb slaves in 40% of our country. Today I learned that the Attorney General in Alabama is prepared to prosecute anyone who helps a woman leave Alabama to get a legal abortion somewhere else. He will prosecute for criminal conspiracy. Remember Idaho is similar and Texas has towns that have made it illegal to use their roads (that we all pay for) to get a legal abortion elsewhere. Private communications have been used to prosecute them for seeking an abortion, as in Ohio. ENOUGH. We are now in a country that more resembles 1850 where the slaves are women than the 21st century.

I strongly urge you to cosponsor and support

H.R. 782 -- Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act
This bill affirms that everyone has the right to travel across state lines to seek abortion care.
H.R. 3420 -- My Body, My Data Act of 2023. This bill would create privacy standards so that our personal health data stays personal.
H.R. 4303 -- Abortion Justice Act—This bill would remove systemic barriers to care and address disparities and systemic racism in reproductive health care.
H. R. 12 - The Women’s Health Protection Act - restoring the national right to abortion

Lives are at stake. Please act like it. Thank you.

RESOURCES

Healthcare Advocacy (Us)

Website

Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare

Healthcare Advocacy Reading List

Find My Elected Officials

Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Contact State and Federal Representatives

https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/

Important Healthcare Resources

League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit

Organizations to Contact

National Nurses United Medicare4All

Physicians for a National Health Plan

Reproductive Health

NARAL - Pro Choice America

Planned Parenthood

Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.

United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.

Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.