The Fight for Reproductive Justice Continues
In honor of International Safe Abortion Day, we reflect on the ongoing fight for reproductive justice. Twenty-five years ago, the abortion medication Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Over the last quarter of a century, it has proven to be safe, effective, and used by over 7.5 million people in the United States.
Despite all the facts and science proving Mifepristone’s efficacy, anti-abortion extremists are doing everything they can to make sure people can’t access abortion medication – and they’re coming after Mifepristone because it’s used in the majority of abortion care nationwide. This has nothing to do with protecting pregnant people, and everything to do with restricting autonomy.
Without access to Mifepristone, a working mom who gets pregnant in rural Michigan, and could otherwise terminate her pregnancy in the privacy of her own home, is faced with additional barriers. For many folks, that means traveling four or more hours to the nearest clinic for a procedure, and that’s only possible with time off from work, childcare, and reliable transportation.
Anti-abortion extremists are persistent in their attacks on Mifepristone at the federal level. From publishing a “scientific study” filled with disinformation, to introducing a bill to ban the mailing of Mifepristone, to even seeking to outright ban Mifepristone nationwide. These ambushes on abortion care will persist, and we must band together to defend our reproductive freedoms.
Unfortunately, some of these attempts at restrictions have already been successful. Costco recently announced that it will not dispense Mifepristone at any of its 500+ pharmacy locations, and faith-based, anti-abortion extremist groups are now turning their attention to other national pharmacies, including CVS and Walgreens, to do the same.
In addition to a safe, effective, and accessible medication being restricted, in-person care is under attack. As a result of budget cuts from the White House, four Planned Parenthood clinics in Michigan closed down this year, leaving thousands of patients without care — including cancer screenings, gender affirming care, reproductive care, and annual health exams. With the passage of the big, bad, federal budget bill, we can expect even more providers will be forced to close.
These threats to reproductive care are part of a larger scale attack on our access to health care. Medicaid covers over forty percent of all births in the U.S. and over seventy-five percent of publicly funded family planning services. A student and mom-to-be who experiences health complications mid-way through her pregnancy, and is forced to be admitted to the hospital for her safety, could be left bankrupt without Medicaid coverage. Medical debt is no way for new families to start their journey. Cuts to Medicaid will leave almost one million Michiganders without health care access, and millions more across the country without critical care.
Just recently, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rescinded the 2022 protections that affirm federal law protects emergency abortion. Not only does this create chaos and confusion for medical professionals who are legally obligated to provide this care, it puts pregnant people’s lives at risk.
Make no mistake, these attempts at restricting safe and effective medication, shutting down clinics, and taking away people’s health care coverage are all thinly veiled efforts to ban abortion nationwide.
I have lived in Michigan for seventeen years now. I’ve raised six children here, one of whom has proudly served this country. I will not stand by while their reproductive freedom is under attack.
In 2022, we passed Prop 3. Fifty-seven percent of Michiganders said yes to enshrine reproductive freedom in our state constitution, and that includes Mifepristone. Despite this, we continue to see egregious attacks on reproductive care from the Michigan legislature.
Reproductive Freedom for All Michigan is doing everything in our power to make sure people’s access to basic health care stays protected. We are meeting people where they are, from college campuses to town halls in our communities, and empowering voters to call their representatives and tell them they’re not okay with massive cuts to Medicaid in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires.
Twenty-five years after Mifepristone was approved and fifty-two years after Roe v. Wade was originally decided, we are still fighting for our lives to protect our access to reproductive care – and the fight is more important than ever.
We can’t afford to go backward. I’ve said this time and time again, we want to make sure that young Michiganders, like my children, have full access to reproductive freedom.
_____
Shanay Watson-Whittaker, Director of Michigan Campaigns — Reproductive Freedom for All
