As the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court grows more certain, so too does the end or severe erosion of Roe v. Wade.
During her confirmation hearings, Judge Barrett did what would not be acceptable in any other job interview: insisted she knew nothing, could not apply the law to hypothetical facts, and could not give any information about how she would perform in the job.
We all know how Judge Barrett really feels about abortion, no matter how many times she insists she will be an impartial observer. Republicans would not be so gleefully pushing her through if they had any doubt she would vote to reverse Roe v. Wade. This radical opposition to abortion is far out of step with the mainstream. The overwhelming majority of Americans support abortion rights, and just 23% want Roe v. Wade overturned. Even 79% of so-called “Never Hillary” independents think Roe should remain in place, according to an Axios-Survey Monkey poll. A Notre Dame survey arrived at similar conclusions, finding that 86 percent of Americans think abortion should remain legal in at least some circumstances.
The decision to ram through a nominee whose values stand in such stark contrast to those most Americans hold is part of the ongoing Republican assault on democracy. The far right knows it cannot win in the marketplace ideas, cannot convince people to vote for the cruel things it wants. So instead, it continually tries to override the will of the people.
Abortion is about more than the ability of women to control their lives and destinies—though that should certainly be reason enough to preserve it. Here’s what goes wrong when the far right gets what it wants.
Pregnant People Die
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate in the wealthy world. In states such as Georgia, so many women die giving birth that it’s actually safer to have a baby in Ecuador, Vietnam, Iran, and 100 other countries. Republican lawmakers have steadfastly opposed policies that could lower maternal mortality. So it should come as no surprise that they also support abortion bans that kill pregnant people.
Abortion bans force women to carry life-threatening pregnancies to term. In a nation with such a high maternal mortality rate and such low-quality obstetric care for vulnerable women, every pregnancy is potentially life-threatening. A study comparing women denied abortions to those who were able to access the procedure found a higher maternal death rate among people denied abortions.
They make it difficult, or impossible, for a doctor to remove a dead or dying fetus from a woman’s body.
And they don’t necessarily reduce the abortion rate either. Worldwide, unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality. Women who can’t get abortions may become desperate. When El Salvador banned abortion, suicide became a leading cause of death among pregnant people.
Domestic Violence Increases
Access to abortion clinics is a little-known weapon in the war against domestic violence. Homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women. Abuse usually increases during pregnancy, and unwanted pregnancies are a significant risk factor for escalating abuse.
The Turnaway Study compared women denied abortions because of state abortion laws to those who were able to get abortions. Following an abortion denial, women were more likely to remain in abusive relationships and experience intimate partner violence. In the Republican dystopia where women are forced to carry every pregnancy to term, our already embarrassingly high domestic violence rates will inevitably increase. Women will die. And their children will watch.
Poverty Skyrockets
Almost all women considering abortion cite financial concerns. So it’s unsurprising that if women cannot get abortions, their financial situation may become dire. The United States offers no paid parental leave, which means that women who take time off of work to have children will lose their income—and, if the job is not covered by FMLA, may lose their jobs. Lack of access to quality healthcare further increases the cost, even if a woman gives the baby up for adoption. It costs thousands of dollars to have a complication-free birth, even if a person has health insurance. For women who suffer complications, the price tag grows higher. Medical bankruptcies are common.
The Turnaway Study assessed financial outcomes in women who had abortions compared to those who sought, but were denied, abortion. Being denied an abortion was catastrophic for women’s finances. They were more likely to be unemployed, to live in poverty, and to require government assistance.
Women’s Mental Health Declines
Republicans have long falsely claimed that abortion causes post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, and addiction. A veritable avalanche of data shows that it’s actually being denied access to an abortion that destroys mental health. Women denied abortions are more likely to become depressed, develop addictions, and report anxiety. Even 5 years after abortion, 99 percent of abortion recipients say they feel relief.
The Abortion Rate Doesn’t Always Go Down
Banning abortion doesn’t necessarily reduce the abortion rate, and never ends abortion. Women and people with uteruses are serious about their desire to control their lives, bodies, and fates. So they may seek illegal abortions—often at great personal cost. Throughout much of Latin America, abortion is banned, but the abortion rate is three times higher than that of the U.S.
In the United States, abortion bans may already be causing women to seek legal abortion alternatives. One study found that, following the enactment of restrictive abortion laws in Texas, 8 percent of women attempted to induce their own abortions.
Late-Term Abortions Increase
Abortion restrictions increase late-term abortions because women have to work harder, wait longer, and use more resources to access abortion care. Later abortions are rare when there is good access to abortion care, but as restrictions increase, so too will the abortions the far right claims to hate most.
Policies That Could Actually Reduce Abortion Go Ignored
The recipe for lowering the abortion rate is not a mystery. It begins with a stronger social safety net and better support for families. Sex education and access to quality birth control and good healthcare are also important pieces of the puzzle. Nine specific safety net interventions correlate with a reduction in the abortion rate. Republicans oppose them all. If abortion becomes illegal or inaccessible, that won’t change.
Child Abuse Surges
When women are forced to give birth to children they don’t want, in a society that punishes motherhood, without access to quality healthcare, childcare, or a safety net, child abuse is inevitable. Several studies have directly linked abortion accessibility to child abuse rates. Child abuse will increase if Republicans get their way.
The Most Vulnerable Women Suffer the Most
Abortion has always been available to the most privileged women—including the families of Republican legislators. They can travel to another state or country, or hire a doctor who is willing to break the law. Bans on abortion hit the least privileged the hardest. Women who are already vulnerable—those living in poverty, in abusive relationships, women of color, women with kids for whom they can’t get childcare—will lose access to abortion, compounding the effects of racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of oppression.
Men Suffer, Too
Women do not exist in a vacuum. Lack of access to abortion will affect men, too. They’ll watch their wives and girlfriends suffer and die. They’ll watch women they love be forced to give birth to babies who can only survive for moments outside of the womb. They’ll see their families spiral into poverty. And they will be just as powerless as woman to stop it.
A 2019 study found that men directly benefit from abortion. Compared to men whose partners did not have abortions, men whose partners got pregnant as teenagers and who chose abortion had better economic outcomes. They were more likely to secure good jobs and go to college. They also had higher earnings.
The pro-life platform Republicans claim to endorse doesn’t exist. Their party is committed only to power. They put children in cages. They think women should die for their rapist’s babies. They think children should die because their parents are too poor to afford healthcare. This has never been about life.
The only antidote to a Supreme Court determined to ignore the will of the people and legal precedent is to vote in leaders who will push back. Without that, women will die and families will suffer. Find out how to vote in your state here.