It’s Harder to Raise a Family in a State that Bans Abortion
The "pro-life" movement is anti-family.
In this week’s newsletter: a study shows that abortion bans push people deeper into poverty; a young mother was killed by Georgia’s abortion ban; and a recipe for a tomato sandwich.
The so-called “pro-life” movement is against bodily autonomy and reproductive choice — and a new study shows they’re anti-family, too. Researchers published a study in the American Journal of Public Health which found that states with more abortion restrictions offered substantially less access to paid family leave, health care, food and child care assistance, and other policies that affect families.
The study makes it clear that abortion isn’t just a healthcare issue — it’s an economic one. Around half of people who seek an abortion are living below the poverty line, while 60 percent already have at least one child. Being denied an abortion often pushes people, and their children, deeper into poverty. From the AJPH:
Post-Dobbs abortion restrictions are likely to have unprecedented impacts, in both the short and long terms, on the most vulnerable people in the United States. These individuals include the populations that seek abortion care the most, are least likely to be able to overcome barriers to receiving abortion care, and are most likely to experience the negative consequences of abortion denial. Proponents of previability abortion bans have described themselves as pro-life and often explicitly invoke support for women and families in arguments against abortion access, yet states with abortion bans have traditionally been more fiscally conservative and less socially supportive of their most vulnerable populations.
Although these conflicting messages have been described in the lay press, few academic studies have systematically examined the intersection between post-Dobbs state abortion policies and state access to reproductive health care and family social policies and programs. As we observe in this analysis, in the states that most severely restrict abortion, the women, children, and families that abortion proponents seek to “protect” are the populations that are left behind—with less access to health care and family social services—if pregnancy is continued.
I collaborated with #VoteRepro to make a sandwich video about the study’s findings (find the vid and recipe at the end of this post). #VoteRepro is a registration and turnout campaign aimed at mobilizing content creators and Gen Z voters around the issue of reproductive rights. The initiative will roll out content through election day, so you’ll be seeing more sammy collabs from us! Find out more at VoteRepro.org.
Amber Nicole Thurman Didn’t Need to Die
ProPublica reported this week on how Georgia’s abortion ban killed Amber Thurman, a young mother who sought care at an Atlanta hospital after a rare complication with abortion medication and was refused treatment for 20 hours. By the time doctors finally operated on her, it was too late. Her death was entirely preventable. Abortion rights journalist Kavitha Surana writes:
wrote about the sickening news under the headline “Georgia Ban Kills Young Mother,” and that’s the fucking truth. Surana’s reporting for ProPublica details how doctors have been warning lawmakers that abortion bans will kill women for years. The story of Amber Thurman’s death is horrifying, and hers will certainly not be the last we hear of; if you can bear reading the whole article, you should.Thurman’s case marks the first time an abortion-related death, officially deemed “preventable,” is coming to public light. ProPublica will share the story of the second in the coming days. We are also exploring other deaths that have not yet been reviewed but appear to be connected to abortion bans.
Doctors warned state legislators women would die if medical procedures sometimes needed to save lives became illegal.
Furikake Tomato Sandwich Recipe
Here’s the recipe for the simple sandwich I made in collaboration with #VoteRepro. You can see the vid below. The recipe is from Eric Kim at NYT Cooking (all of his recipes are delicious).
Yield: 1 sandwich
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 very ripe heirloom tomato, thickly sliced crosswise
2 slices soft white sandwich bread, such as brioche or milk bread
Mayonnaise, for spreading
Furikake rice seasoning (Trader Joe’s has a version that’s pretty good)
Make Yourself a Sandwich
Salt and pepper the tomato slices. Lightly toast the bread.
Spread a generous amount of mayonnaise on each slice of bread, then sprinkle with furikake. Put the tomato slices on one piece of bread, and sandwich them with the other piece.
Cut your sandwich diagonally, tuck a napkin in your collar or lap, or eat over the sink with your eyes closed to shut out the patriarchy while feeling the deep gratification of your delicious sandwich, which you made for yourself.
Thank you so much for reading, watching and subscribing. Please take good care of yourself and your loved ones. More soon. Love, MJ ❤️