"The baby weighs 485 grams. For now, thanks to the abortion law, I have to lie down. And there is nothing they can do. They'll wait until it dies or something begins, and if not, I can expect sepsis," Izabela, a Polish woman said in a text message to her mother, private broadcaster TVN24 reported. (Reuters)
The Polish government, of course, blamed the doctors for her subsequent death.
Why is this relevant to 2024 American politics? Project 2025 recommends expansion of the Mexico City Policy, a Global Abortion Ban for all U.S. NGO’s that send financial support throughout the world.
Compared to Europe the situation is much more dire in parts of Africa where health is severely degraded because of drought, war and/or poverty. Under an Abortion Ban, malnourished women will be compelled to continue pregnancies until they are on the brink of death or risk a dangerous delivery that produces a dead or damaged baby.
This Mexico City Policy was named for the place where the second Reagan administration first announced this policy. Even then, when Roe still ruled, antiabortionists knew their policies were best hidden. And seemingly that worked. All the people I have asked about this policy had never heard about it.
A few days before the election, Sarah Longwell, the anti-Trump, Republican strategist, publisher of The Bulwark, said she would recommend that Trump talk only about immigration and Harris talk only about abortion. Of course, others will say that Harris talked about abortion too much and should have ignored it in favor of the economy.
I only know that Trump wants no attention on it, and his antiabortionist supporters are hellbent on pushing their extreme views through the next Trump administration, skirting around the Congress. He can either resist their pressure and demoralize an essential part of the Republican base. Or he can give nationalize an issue favorable to Democrats, an issue that will degrade the GOP vote.
Here is The Center for Reproductive Rights, on the antiabortionists’ plans:
- End access to medication abortion—used in 63% of abortions in the U.S.
- Allow hospitals to deny emergency, life-saving abortion care to pregnant patients in crisis.
- Prosecute people for shipping and transporting abortion pills and supplies.
- Establish an abortion surveillance system, forcing states to report the personal details of all patients receiving abortion care.
- Restrict access to birth control, emergency contraception, and other reproductive health services.
- Embolden prosecutions, investigations, and lawsuits against abortion providers, patients, and their loved ones.
- Implement a global “gag” rule to deny funding for organizations providing abortion information, referrals or services in countries across the globe.
The last time around we needed a Resistance, this time we need a Counterpunch, one that focuses on the weaknesses of our opponent. Abortion is one of those vulnerabilities, as they themselves acknowledge.
