What We Know Right Now
Dear friends,
It feels important to say outright that we stand firmly in support of access to health care and the right to reproductive decision-making for women and people who can become pregnant. We know that it may not always be popular to address “political” issues as a business, but our business is the health of women and people who can become pregnant.
We know from our work and from the overwhelming body of evidence that there is deep harm to women, people who can become pregnant, and families when access to reproductive healthcare is restricted by the state. We see negative economic consequences, increased crime, increased mental health concerns, deepening racial and economic inequity, rising maternal and infant mortality, and so much more. Even prenatal healthcare is worsened by the chilling effects of restrictions.
For us, addressing the Supreme Court decision is not a political decision, but rather an affirmation of human and civil rights that is deeply personal. When we see so much harm, we are responsible for addressing it. We have an intimate view of how much the loss of this freedom does deep harm and the ways that the pain of those experiences often goes unseen.
Over the last few days, we’ve been asked repeatedly about how this will affect the Center or our clients. We wanted to use this space to offer a summary of the current landscape.
National Level
Federally, there are no restrictions on reproductive healthcare, and the restrictions we are seeing currently are happening at the state level. However, the Supreme Court decision leaves open the possibility that federal restrictions could be added if the balance of power shifts in Congress. At the time of our writing, six states completely ban abortion and 38 states ban abortion after a specific point in pregnancy (source: Planned Parenthood).
With reproductive choices being restricted at the state level, we will see inequity in restrictions. People with resources will have access to all their reproductive choices via travel, but people with limited economic capital will be unable to access care and will also bear the negative health and financial impacts. We may also see the few healthcare facilities able to offer this type of care overwhelmed with people from out of area who are traveling for care.
Messerly, Megan. (2022, June 24). Abortion laws by state: Where abortions are illegal after Roe v. Wade overturned. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/24/abortion-laws-by-state-roe-v-wade-00037695.
Local Level
At Maternal Wellness Center, we are able to treat people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. At the moment, neither state has made any recent changes to their healthcare regulations, and we have had to make no alterations whatsoever to how we practice.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania requires counseling with information to discourage abortion and a 24 hour wait period prior to a procedure. Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks. Pennsylvania has seen multiple bills to restrict access over recent years, but those have been vetoed by current Governor Tom Wolf who has pledged to continue to veto attempts to restrict access.
As you know, we are in an election year in Pennsylvania, and the winners of the elections could dramatically change the healthcare landscape here. In addition to electing a senator who will shape national policy on reproductive health, the governorship will be decided this November. Our current governor has been responsible for blocking limits on reproductive healthcare, and the new governor will undoubtedly have the opportunity to do the same.
Josh Shapiro has pledged to maintain current abortion protections, and Doug Mastriano supports a total ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or medical emergency.
Regardless of who wins the governor’s seat, Pennsylvania’s state legislature has drafted a constitutional amendment denying the right to abortion healthcare. That amendment could be on the ballot in 2023.
New Jersey
In January, New Jersey passed the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act to expressly permit abortion in the state. There are no limits based on gestational age or waiting periods.
Perhaps the biggest local consequence that will affect our population is the increased demand from out of state patients unable to access local care. There are estimates that the number of patients seeking care in Pennsylvania and New Jersey could increase by almost 1000% with Ohio and West Virginia restricting care.
What you can do
When we’re feeling out of control, one of the best ways to ground ourselves is to focus on action steps. Here’s a few we’ve seen:
If you or a friend need to know the specifics of access reproductive healthcare, here’s a state by state guide to access. Here’s a website to locate a provider.
Vote and contact your elected representatives to ask them to protect reproductive healthcare.
Protest or attend a rally. You can visit the We Won’t Go Back map and find one near you.
If you are looking to donate:
Keep Our Clinics: Donations support community-based clinics that provide the majority of abortion care in the United States. These clinics support other reproductive and sexual health services.
Women’s Law Project: This Pennsylvania group is dedicated to using the law to eliminate gender bias and discrimination.
National Abortion Federation: Donations support patients and providers by supplying security support, training, emergency assistance, risk assessments. The NAF also runs a hotline to aid patients in accessing healthcare.
Indigenous Women Rising: This abortion fund supports Indigenous and undocumented people nationwide.
The Brigid Alliance: This organization supplies logistical assistance to people seeking abortion care nationwide.
National Abortion Funds: Abortion funds provide financial and practical support to individuals seeking abortions. A donation to the national fund will split your donation across 90 different funds or you can choose a specific fund to donate.
If you’d like to volunteer:
The Women’s Centers in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill: You can volunteer as a clinic escort or in some cases provide direct service to patients by, “answering questions, uniting loved ones with patients in recovery, and aiding in the overall comfort during an appointment.”
With so much changing so quickly, we have heard from so many of you with questions, and we hope this short synthesis answers them. We are grateful to stand with all of our clients as they navigate their choices in this new reality.
With you,
Kellie Wicklund, LPC, PMH-C
Owner + Clinical Director
Christina Moran
Executive Director
