JennyB wrote: ↑25 Jun 2022, 8:42pm
We had a program the other night with the medical director of our local Planned Parenthood and an OBGYN in private practice (who happens to be a friend and member of my synagogue). The PP doctor is always great to hear from, but I think what struck a lot of people, that they didn't really think about before, is the ramifications of how doctors practice medicine. She had a patient last week whose water broke at 16 weeks and she kept saying "thankfully it's this week and not next week" because while the fetus was no longer viable, it still had a heartbeat. In MO now, abortion is only permitted if the pregnant parent's life is in danger, and it seems like that's a grey area. Doctors are going to be violating the Hippocratic oath. St. Louis has a world class medical facility through Barnes Jewish Hospital/Washington University. Why would anyone want to come here now? Why would anyone send their kid to college here? Why would anyone want to move here for a job?
Yeah, I can't remember if it was observed here but someone mentioned yesterday this is going to precipitate a total cultural and economic realignment. And in probably unpredictable ways, of course. Ultimately, the country will be even more polarized, less interconnected, and the most vulnerable in the least well governed states will be even less supported. I'm glad it sounds like you're going to keep fighting against that tide.
So our short term plan at NCJW is to work with the Missouri Abortion Fund, which funds only abortion procedures, to pay for accommodations and transportation for patients who want to go to Illinois to get an abortion. There are two clinics (one independent and one PP) right across the river - so about 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis. Our long term plan is to get involved in some kind of lawsuit challenging this ruling as violating the establishment clause, since Judaism does not believe life begins at conception and the health of the birthing person is paramount. Abortion is actually required in some circumstances.
This makes total sense to me, and I've seen you and others explain this issue. What are the chances this works? Especially if the lawsuit ends up in front of something resembling the current court?
As a side note, in Colorado (and I assume in other abortion states neighboring non-abortion states) were talking about how to handle the influx of patients. Ideally, you'd set up more clinics along the border of other states but you run into the issue that a lot of the towns and counties are under Republican control and are hostile to incoming facilities. So you need to elect local officials who are going to either block or unwind zoning shenanigans and so forth that functionally keep clinics out even if it's legal here in the state.
I also think you'll need other infrastructure: places to stay, eat, etc. while coming for your procedure and any recovery period. You know Colorado - a lot of these border communities are tiny. It's an interesting long term issue.
The awful legislature wasn't able to pass any of these bills during the most recent session because they were too busy fighting about redistricting, but for next session, I anticipate bills calling for prohibiting helping people cross state lines, prohibiting the termination of ectopic pregnancies (which will kill actual people) and I even heard rumblings that they are going to try and prohibit abortions in other states for people who conceived in MO - like, say, you're driving from Denver to Indianapolis and you spend the night in St. Louis, have sex and get pregnant and then leave the next day. Party of small government, you say?
I think it's interesting that, at least so far, my understanding is the ruling preserved the right to interstate travel. Is that wrong? I imagine that's one of the next major battlegrounds. Ugh.
Part of me wants to get the fuck out of Missouri, but most of me thinks I need to stay and fight. And as much as I give it grief (our "pizza," our morans, our best fans in baseball BS), I really do love St. Louis.
Yeah, it's one of the problems with the "just move" response. Obviously, a lot of people can't just move for various social and economic reasons but even if you could theoretically up and go, people tend to love where the live and don't want to go! Unfortunately, this country has a history of great migrations as a reaction to oppressive local governance and I wonder if we're in for another wave.