As debate heats up once more about abortion on Capitol Hill, our friends the Guttmacher Institute and the Center for Reproductive Rights have some facts that we’d like to share.
First, a powerful new video from Guttmacher explaining who gets abortions in the US, the higher rates of unintended pregnancy (and abortion) among low-income women and women of color. This video is a must-watch for anyone involved in the reproductive justice movement!
Second, check out this recently-updated fact sheet from the Center for Reproductive Rights about the implications of the recently-reinstated DC Abortion Ban. The ban, which prevents the District from using its own funds to help low-income women pay for abortions, leaves DCAF to fill an ever-widening abortion access gap in DC. From the resource:
Anti-choice lawmakers in Congress are seeking to permanently ban the District of Columbia from using its own, locally raised funds to support medically necessary abortions for low-income women. Such a law would overrule the decision of 400,000-plus voters and deny the over 60,000 non-elderly Medicaid-enrolled women the comprehensive reproductive healthcare they need – despite the fact that such funding has been supported by District voters and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s congressional representative. Congress should stop meddling and let District voters decide what is best for them.
As we reel from the implications of the reinstatement of the DC Abortion Ban and the ongoing attacks on women’s health, it’s important to remember why, and for whom, we do this work.
