Letter to the editor: An Anniversary, Not A Celebration

On June 24 we marked two years of the cruel ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States overturning Roe v. Wade. This has been followed by 90 state rulings across 27 states restricting abortion, which in now publicized cases have denied those needing emergency abortions for reasons that are legal, not medical. An additional finding, according to the Tulane University School of Public Health, is that in the United States over the past two years, more than 2,000 infants have died because of abortion restrictions. These rulings present additional barriers for women of color leading to even greater health injury and inequality. The Commonwealth Fund, a foundation dedicated to promoting health care excellence, has documented that maternal deaths in states with abortion restrictions have a 62% higher rate than in states that do not. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Black and Indigenous women (of childbearing age) are more likely to live in states with abortion bans and restriction.”

On June 4, 2024, the Dallas Morning News carried a story regarding a woman denied a surgical abortion at two facilities, even after doctors determined that at 13 weeks, the baby she was carrying was dead in utero. The woman, whose name was withheld out of her family’s fear of negative publicity or even hostility, nearly bled-out on her bathroom floor.

According to the World Health Organization, being pregnant in the United States is now consistently more dangerous than in any other wealthy country on the planet. Women and anyone who can get pregnant are dying and so are babies.

If one is pregnant and does not believe in abortion, there is no one advocating that an abortion be performed.

But if one has a difficult pregnancy for any number of reasons, states are blocking access to medical care.

In addition, scientifically trained medical personnel are being denied their right to act in aid of their patient. “Do no harm,” central to the oath taken by physicians, often means to act on behalf of a patient.

Since the loss of Roe v Wade, women and infants have died in a country rich in many ways. Now we see medical professionals prevented from acting to save lives. The Supreme Court does not seem to care about the tragic consequences of bigoted decisions, but we do. We want to save our sisters, mothers, daughters, and nieces and give them a world in which to grow their potential.

*Vote YES with us in November to pass the NYS ERA to protect Reproductive Rights, including abortion.

*Join us to VOTE FOR candidates in November who will preserve, pass and restore legislation protecting Reproductive Rights, including birth control, miscarriage management, in vitro fertilization,  and abortion.

-The Women of EAS: End Abortion Stigma

Joan Adler

Mickey Belosi

Cayenne Cave

Caroline Cox

Yvonne Fisher

Linda Hoffmann

Carol Kammen

Nancy Miller

Stacey Murphy

Catherine Penner

Sue Perlgut

Cynthia Riggin

Kathryn Russell

Janet Schwenke