Liberals Establish Abortion Sanctuaries from New York to California
As clinics ramp up capacity in anticipation of a rush in patients from countries where the procedure will be banned, Liberal states in the United States have vowed to function as safe havens for women seeking abortions.
The Brigid Alliance, a New York-based organization that offers travel, lodging, and other support services to women seeking abortions, stated, “We know that the need is going to rise.”
Every month, the group assists over 100 people, including some ladies who need to travel 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) to go to their appointment.
It predicts that after Friday’s Supreme Court decision terminating the constitutional right to abortion, its clientele may swiftly increase by more than tenfold, therefore it is expanding its personnel and stepping up fundraising efforts.
“It will be impossible to provide help to every single person who has to travel for care. Therefore, every person we are able to assist is a success, Moeller told AFP.
By overturning Roe v. Wade, the court is leaving it up to individual states to limit or outlaw the procedure. This means that women in those states would have to choose between staying pregnant, having a covert abortion, getting abortion pills, or leaving the state and going to one where the procedure is still permitted.
In an unified video message, the Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon, and California said that the West Coast will “remain a place where reproductive health care will be accessible and protected.”
The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, stated that the northeastern state “will always be a safe harbor for those seeking access to abortion treatment” on the opposite side of the nation.
She unveiled a new marketing initiative to let Americans know that they can have abortions in her state.
“Everyone who passes through our subways, bus terminals, airports, and shopping centers will know that abortion remains safe, legal, and accessible in New York state,” she tweeted.
While California lawmakers have set aside $152 million, Hochul had before committed $35 million to assisting access to abortion.
Three years prior to the Roe v. Wade decision, New York State legalized abortion in 1970.
Nabila Valentin, 36, a resident of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, told AFP that she was pleased to live in a place where she believed her rights would be upheld.
“So, in a way, I’m thankful, but I also understand that it’s a blessing to be able to live in this city, in New York State, and to feel safe and protected.
The doula said, “I feel like it’s not going to be like that for a lot of other people.”
One of the country’s first abortion clinics, Choices Women’s Medical Center in Queens, was founded in 1971 and is located in New York City.
Challenges
Merle Hoffman, the founder of Challenge, stated that the clinic anticipates “a great many more ladies” traveling from out of state.
“We have the physical resources, but we will need to add employees in various departments. We can overcome the difficulty, the 76-year-old said, according to AFP.
She simply says, “We will help you,” to women seeking abortions.
Dr. Alice Mark, an abortionist in Massachusetts and a medical advisor for the National Abortion Federation, warns that the locations and distances that women will have to go won’t be known until after states have implemented these laws.
For instance, a progressive state like Illinois, which is bordered by states that have abortion restrictions, might anticipate a significant increase in the number of patients.
The state may experience “an increase of approximately 3,000 women of reproductive age for whom the nearest provider is in California,” according to Flor Hunt of TEACH, an organization that offers abortion training in California.
“I think that remains to be seen how many of those individuals are actually going to be able to travel to California,” she told AFP.
Mark is unaware of the extent of the growth her clinic will experience in Massachusetts, but he is preparing by adding more procedure times and opening more days.
“Abortion is incredibly safe, abortion is still available, and there are many resources to help you get the abortion that you need. Don’t stop until you get what you want,” she told AFP.
AFP
