Reproductive Rights

Women’s bodily autonomy will be on ballot in NY

Women’s Rights Awareness Campaign of LWVSC
March 5, 2024

The right to an abortion will be directly on the ballot in New York State in November 2024.
Wait! Abortion is legal in New York! So, what’s the big deal?

Abortion was legal in Alabama until it wasn’t. Alabama is one of the states that does not have
constitutional protection for women’s bodily autonomy. New York does not have
constitutional protection either. Which means the right to an abortion could be rescinded.

The good news? You can ensure that protection for yourself, your daughters and your
granddaughters by voting yes to the proposed amendment that will be on the ballot in the Fall
of 2024. If passed, it will be an amendment to the NYS Constitution.

The upcoming referendum would amend the New York Constitution and is essentially a legal
umbrella protecting marginalized New Yorkers from being subjected to any discrimination
because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed, religion, or sex,
including sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes,
and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

It’s especially crucial to protect reproductive rights at a time when draconian anti-choice
measures have been passed by several states following the Dobbs decision. Fourteen states
have imposed a total abortion ban—meaning terminations are never allowed in the cases of
rape, incest, lack of fetal viability or danger to the mother.

The consequences are horrifying. In the months between July 2022 and January 2024, nearly
65,000 women became pregnant through rape just in those 14 states (source: Journal of the
American Medical Society).

Low income women have been impacted the most by the overturning of Roe v Wade, since
they are the least able to afford to go to another state for care. State Attorneys General in the
14 states are even threatening to go after women who cross state lines for abortions, using
period-tracking apps, and email exchanges and travel reservations as a digital trail. Besides
violating the right to privacy and the right to bodily autonomy, this Big-Brother approach is
unethical. And chilling.

That’s why it’s imperative that you vote yes for the New York State Equal Rights Amendment.
On the November ballot, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to help protect the state’s
women and families where the Federal Government has so far failed.
Besides voting, you can also help the cause by signing the petition for a Federal Equal Rights
Amendment: https://www.sign4era.org.

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How Black History is Killing Black Mothers Today

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By Linda McKenney Feb. 21, 2023

“It’s not race, it’s racism,” said Tiffany L. Green, an economist focused on public health and obstetrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The data are quite clear that this isn’t about biology. This is about the environments where we live, where we work, where we play, where we sleep.”

What was Ms. Green talking about?

In the United States, black women are 2 to 6 times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than white women. The numbers are impacted based on education, income and location. A groundbreaking study of two million births in California was the first of its size to show how the risks of childbirth vary by both race and parental income, and how Black families, regardless of their socioeconomic status, suffer the worst childbirth outcomes. And sadly the majority of those deaths were preventable.

Postpartum cardiomyopathy and blood pressure disorders, such as preeclampsia and eclampsia, were leading causes of maternal death for Black women. With prompt and correct treatment, these health issues do not have to be a death sentence.

Case in point. A daughter’s high blood pressure after giving birth left Wanda Irving in profound grief. Three weeks after giving birth to a baby girl, Shalon Irving collapsed and died from complications of high blood pressure. Yet Shalon had many advantages — a B.A. in sociology, two master's degrees and dual-subject Ph.D., comprehensive insurance and a rock-solid support system. These had not been enough to ensure her survival. Wanda says she lost her only daughter at the hands of “the covert bias of her medical provider and that very bias, fueled by structural racism, is the root cause of disparities in health care.”

Wanda’s TED talk - https://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=770778

If an educated, articulate woman wasn’t able to be heard and believed by her health care provider, is any black woman safe?

This writer searched and searched for the reasons why Black women are more likely to die during and after childbirth and only one reason resonated - systemic implicit bias. And this is where history comes into play. The myth that was propagated in the 1800’s that Black people have thicker skin and less sensitive nerves is amazingly still believed today.

Reporting pain that does not have visible evidence requires physicians to rely on judgment, and unfortunately physicians have shown a pattern of distrust when Black patients seek help with pain, especially Black women.

In addition, the “strong Black woman” cliche characterizes Black women as naturally resilient and self-sacrificing. This may encourage physicians to view Black women as more willing to push through distress. And it may silence those women to feel as though they need to suffer in silence.

What can we do? To address this maternal health crisis in America, Congressional leaders have been fighting for critically important policies like 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage, which would ensure mothers have access to the care and support they need and deserve for the full postpartum period. But that’s not enough!

Public awareness and education, such as Wanda Irving’s Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project are critical. This project developed four pillars used as the base of their action and strategic partnerships. All the work that they do is centered around:

  • Storytelling

  • Empowerment

  • Community-Building

  • Education

They believe that the most powerful tool a Black mother has is her voice. Shalon’s voice is her mother.

References:

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We Won’t Go Back!

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Patricia Nugent August 7, 2022

“I read the news today, oh boy…”

That lyric isn’t the only throwback from the 1960s, when activists were challenging long-
standing social ills, taking to the streets for women’s rights, racial justice, gay rights. When war
was raging overseas and in our streets, when voting rights were denied, when the Klan openly
marched and lynched, and women bled to death in dirty backrooms. When illegal political tricks
were used to impact election results.

Here we are again. Back to the future.

We know you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Didn’t we right those wrongs? The very reason
the League of Women Voters was founded over 100 years ago is the reason Americans are
marching and protesting today. As a national organization, we continue to be on the front lines
fighting voter suppression and reproductive restrictions. We are a voice for inclusive
democracy, for principles that honor and protect diversity.

The League is more relevant than ever today. There are more than 700 chapters in this country;
ours is one of the strongest, advocating and lobbying for legislation to protect human rights and
promote social justice. We have over 200 members, affording a political-yet-nonpartisan
opportunity to DO something rather than wring our hands as we listen to news reports of the
downturn this country is taking.

We’re distributing buttons that read “We Won’t Go Back!” And we won’t! Stop by one of our
events to get your free button, and wear it with pride and defiance. Please consider inviting a
friend who’s also wondering how to be an effective force for change. The greater our number,
the greater our ability to stand strong against oppression.

Misrepresenting Susan B. Anthony on Abortion

by Linda McKenney, Storyteller and Historical Reenactor

Some anti-abortion activists are misrepresenting Susan B. Anthony, one of the early women’s rights leaders. They are claiming that Miss Anthony would support making abortions illegal if she were alive today.

This assertion is purported based on an article written anonymously that appeared in The Revolution, a women’s rights newspaper that Miss Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton published from 1868 to 1870. “A,” the author of the article referred to abortion as “child-murder.”

Because the article was signed “A,” these activists claim it was written by Miss Anthony herself. However, a study of every page of The Revolution reveals many articles signed “S.B.A.,” which would seem to indicate that when Miss Anthony authored an article, she used her own initials.

Additionally, upon scrutiny, one can see that many of the articles signed “A” were on subjects of which Miss Anthony had no expertise. And an article by “A” quarreled with The Revolution‘s position on capital and labor, which lead to a debate in a subsequent issue in which the editors addressed its author as “Mr. A,” which would strongly suggest that it was someone other than Miss Anthony.

While Miss Anthony used the word abortion in one of her speeches, she did not say that she supported making it illegal. She listed seeking an abortion as one of the possible consequences of being the wife of an alcoholic husband, who may impregnate his wife and then leave her with no means to support the child. Miss Anthony mentioned abortion again later in the same speech, this time only in the context of the injustice of laws that intimately affect women but are made and enforced by men.

Anthony’s long career of public speaking provided many occasions for her to speak about abortion, if she’d chosen to do so. The plain fact, however, is that Susan B. Anthony almost never referred to abortion, and when she did, she said nothing to indicate that she wanted it banned by law.