Baby bye bye bye no more?
Put the control back in birth control. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The US is close to banning abortion after a draft of a majority opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked.
Roe v. Wade is the case that legalized abortion in the US in 1973. Though overturning it doesn’t mean a nationwide ban, many Republican-led or “red” states are ready to enact their own bans. This could leave millions of people without zero access to abortions in as much as 26 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Other Democrat-led or “blue” states are gearing up against the oncoming wave of anti-abortion measures. Connecticut pushed for more medical professionals to provide abortion services last week. Maryland’s House Bill 937, also known as the Abortion Care Access Act, allows the same. Last March, Colorado approved the Reproductive Health Equity Act to protect access to abortion in the state.
California, Oregon and Washington have also increased funding for abortion access and training. With several proposals lined up, California plans to be a “sanctuary” for those seeking abortion from outside the state.
Removing access to safe and legal abortions could result in more unsafe procedures. These could lead to a variety of health complications, including infection, hemorrhage, and even death.
Banning abortions has its economic implications too. Restrictions could cost the US upwards $105-B due to less productivity and loss of talent, as women 15 to 44 years old lose work time, wages, and worst, health, trying to access quality reproductive services.
Beyond “anti-babies” vs. “pro-life”
If you’re anything like me who’s been camping out on the “multiverse of madness” that was social media, discourse on abortion might have brought this remix to mind. The remix by Filipino content creator AC Soriano (@itsACsLife on social media) featuring hard-hitting lines from local TV series A Broken Marriage Vow.
“Nabuntis ni David ang anak ninyo at pumunta siya ng Amerika para ipa-abort ang bata (David got your daughter pregnant so he went to America to have the child aborted),” said Dr. Jill Ilustre (played by Jodi Sta. Maria), pertaining to her cheating husband as immortalized in Soriano’s remix.
Three things that made it stick? First, it upped the drama in the original scene. Second, it’s been the Internet’s favorite meme for two weeks now. Third, it sheds light on what abortion’s like here compared to the US—albeit for the rich.
Where the US has established laws for decades, the Philippines remains one of the hardest countries in the world to get an abortion. Against a mostly Catholic backdrop that is “pro-life” above all, 1,000 women die with tens of thousands hospitalized due to abortion complications each year.
The situation goes beyond “anti-babies” black or “pro-life” white. It impinges on women’s human rights and ability to do whatever the hell they want with their bodies, basically punishing them for having sex—or being forced to have it.
“I am pro-abortion and I am pro any kind of family that people would like to create for themselves,” said Lindsey Bestebreurtje, an expectant mother at the Supreme Court rally last Tuesday. “I am 38 weeks pregnant, so I am very familiar with the amount of physical, emotional, financial, mental, labor and difficulty that goes into having a baby. So the idea that you would do this—that someone would be forced to do this against their will is heartbreaking.”
