17 November 2022: Red state refugees
This is my latest essay, "Red state refugees" on possible population changes in Michigan due to the Dobb's decision reversing Roe vs. Wade and Michigan's passage of Proposal 3 guaranteeing a right to abortion in the State Constitution:
Michigan may increase its population, reversing current trends (https://tinyurl.com/y44x5u9f), due to the influx of “red state refugees” who are fleeing anti-abortion (https://tinyurl.com/57e2n8v3, https://tinyurl.com/55jksver) and other “oppressive” policies in GOP led states, as noted below:
1. Anti-abortion states may drive away girls and women of reproductive age:
(a) Anti-abortion states may suffer a “brain drain” as medical trainees and primary physicians, particularly Ob-Gyns, avoid training or practicing there:
* https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/health/abortion-training-residency-programs.html
* https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/26/us-abortion-ban-providers-doctors-leaving-states
* https://tinyurl.com/3jmnerhf
(b) Girls and women may leave or not move to states that deny them abortion as a possible health care option, even if they are not planning to use it.
* https://tinyurl.com/v3fjmxkm
* https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/07/22/state-abortion-access-college-decision/
(c) Anti-abortion laws may damage the health of pregnant girls or women by delaying or denying care because their physicians may worry about prosecution or other criminal or civil penalties related to the anti-abortion laws:
* https://tinyurl.com/2p9dp58c
* https://tinyurl.com/5x845xd5
* https://tinyurl.com/mt483rpa
* https://tinyurl.com/29nrhrv7
* https://tinyurl.com/4f93rneh
* https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/health/abortion-texas-sepsis/index.html
* https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/28/federal-judge-pushback-idaho-abortion-ban/
* https://www.wafb.com/2022/08/15/mother-claims-she-was-denied-an-abortion-despite-babys-condition/
* https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mom-abortion-ban-daughter-death-dominican-republic-rcna43600
* https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/us/abortion-journey-crossing-states.html
(d) Anti-abortion laws also damage the possible treatments for non-pregnant girls and women because these treatments, which may harm an unborn baby, may not be available to any girls or women, even if not pregnant:
* https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/art.42398
(e) The possibility of civil or criminal liability related to miscarriages may cause employers to limit job offers to girls and women, particularly for somewhat hazardous positions:
* https://natpernickhealth.blogspot.com/2022/10/24-october-2022-fertilized-egg.html
(f) In contrast, Michigan’s passage of Proposal 3, which puts the right to an abortion in the Michigan constitution, negates these issues and makes Michigan more attractive to red state residents worried about these anti-abortion laws.
* https://tinyurl.com/3njjh6u6
2. Anti-abortion states tend to have less access to maternal health care and financial assistance, as well as worse health outcomes, which may encourage migration from these states:
* https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/1111344810/abortion-ban-states-social-safety-net-health-outcomes
* https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/upshot/abortion-bans-states-social-services.html).
3. Businesses that require employees to work in their offices may move existing employees or plans for expansion away from anti-abortion states:
* https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/06/business/indiana-companies-abortion.html
* https://www.businessinsider.com/employers-in-abortion-ban-states-face-retention-crisis-2022-5
This provides an opportunity for Michigan to “raid” businesses from its neighboring states of Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin as well as other states:
* https://tinyurl.com/2dyd5eck
* https://dailyiowan.com/2022/11/13/opinion-right-wing-policy-is-iowas-worst-enemy/
3. Many red states have laws against LGBTQ people and voter suppression laws aimed at blacks and other people of color, which may encourage residents to migrate towards more friendly blue states:
* https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/7/8/23198792/lgbtq-students-law-florida-dont-say-gay
* https://tinyurl.com/3xypthwa
4. Red states also suffer from governments that are more anti-science and have higher COVID death rates:
* https://tinyurl.com/mrckn3e4
* https://tinyurl.com/5n8tzkap
5. Many red states may disproportionately suffer from climate change, which is made worse by their refusal to even acknowledge the cause of their problems:
* https://tinyurl.com/58uk6vc3
* https://tinyurl.com/3dfv4rx5
Moving is an “intensely emotional experience” and is not undertaken lightly, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/realestate/28cov.html. However, our ancestors moved long distances to pursue a better life or to flee oppressive conditions. For some, these oppressive conditions now exist in the red states.