Abortion data
16 July 2024
We now have 113 days of freedom until the November 5, 2024 election. If Trump and Congressional Republicans win the 2024 elections, there is little doubt that they will:
Ban medical abortions, despite their safety
Enact a national ban on abortion, without meaningful exceptions
Limit other reproductive healthcare rights for women and girls, as discussed here and below
We should ignore whatever Trump and Congressional Republicans say about their abortion positions and instead examine their track record, which shows that they consistently act to deny abortion rights. The Republican Party's evangelical base strongly opposes abortions and Republicans are unable to oppose them on this issue, regardless of their public statements to the contrary.
Healthcare providers - I have signed up to be a Health Care Provider for the Biden-Harris campaign. Please join me by signing up here.
For more details on the following, please refer to this recent post, Data After Dobbs, from Jessica Valenti’s great blog, Abortion Every Day.
Here is some important data:
The number of reported abortions increased in 2023 but this is an undercount because 63% of abortions are medical abortions and there is no requirement to report them.
Abortion is common - 25% of all women are expected to have an abortion in their lifetime.
There were an estimated 65,000 rape related pregnancies in anti-choice states since they passed abortion bans.
Americans overwhelmingly support abortion rights. A recent poll showed that 81% of Americans believe abortion “should be managed between a woman and her doctor, not the government.”
171,000 patients traveled out of state for abortions last year (nearly one in five), including over 35,000 who traveled out of Texas.
Life is about tradeoffs - we must make the best choices we can at the time. To protect reproductive rights, maintain democracy and avoid a dictatorship, I am voting for President Biden and Democrats for State and Federal positions and urge you to do so also. Volunteer here.
If you like these essays, please subscribe or share them with others. These essays will always be free. Instead of giving me money, please repost these essays, strive to make our world a better place and try to make yourself a better person.
The index to this blog is here.
I have another blog on Cancer and Medicine.
Email me at Nat@PathologyOutlines.com.
I also publish Notes at https://substack.com/note. Subscribers will automatically see my notes.