The Quickie: Mississippi Abortion Rights Activists Launch “Abortion Patient Bill Of Rights”
For Immediate Release: Nov. 1, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Mississippi abortion advocates establish “Abortion Patient Bill of Rights”, Idaho’s abortion ban causing providers to leave the state, and racial gaps in maternal mortality remain steady in Wisconsin.
MISSISSIPPI ABORTION RIGHTS ACTIVISTS LAUNCH “ABORTION PATIENT BILL OF RIGHTS”: In the year since the Dobbs decision, pro-abortion rights activists across the country have been finding ways to help people get the care they need and know what options they still have. In Mississippi, which was at the center of the Dobbs case with the Whole Women’s Health Clinic in Jackson, a coalition of abortion rights groups have established an Abortion Patient Bill of Rights.
Planned Parenthood Southeast is among the dozen organizations that formed this coalition, and PPSE State Director Tyler Harden shared what it’s been like in Mississippi since the fall of Roe and what led to the rollout of this bill.
“The past year has been one filled with confusion for a lot of people”, Harden told Mississippi Today. “...for a lot of people there’s confusion about what they can and can’t do, what they can and can’t say. And we also, as advocates and activists, have had confusion, as well – just a lot of confusion about ‘how can we show up for people without putting them at risk?’ and things like that.”
Harden also shared that the bill’s main goal is to combat misinformation about what options Mississippians do and don’t have in the wake of Dobbs, particularly for communities of color and young people.
Read more in Mississippi Today.
OB/GYNS LEAVING IDAHO BECAUSE OF BAN — Idaho’s restrictive abortion laws are forcing doctors to leave the state in high numbers — a sad, new reality for OB/GYNs in states with restrictions on abortion access. Idaho, which has practically completely banned abortions in the state, has caused “grave harm to pregnant patients” and providers.
Dr. Anne Feighner, an OB/GYN in Boise, and her patient, Becca Vincen-Brown, shared their frustrations about the law to CBS. After discovering that her baby had a rare condition at 16 weeks gestation, Vincen-Brown was given two options: carry the pregnancy until it spontaneously miscarries or she has a stillbirth, or have an abortion outside the state due to Idaho's laws. Unfortunately while traveling out of state for an abortion, Vincen-Brown went into premature labor in her hotel bathroom. She and other patients and doctors are now suing over the state’s strict abortion ban.
Read more in CBS.
RACIAL DISPARITIES IN MATERNAL MORTALITY CONTINUE IN WISCONSIN: When it comes to maternal and infant mortality, Black Wisconsinites are especially vulnerable. The state has one of the highest infant mortality rates, and Black mothers in Wisconsin have a maternal mortality rate 5 times higher than their white counterparts.
Advocates point to systemic issues that contribute to the pregnancy related mortality gap — issues like implicit bias towards Black patients, which in turn deters people from seeking care even when care is available. Attempts to address racial disparities in health care are being made. Last year, Wisconsin’s governor announced an additional $16 million for the Department of Human Services’ efforts to close the gap. More programs to confront social determinants to health are being implemented. However, long term sustainable solutions are needed to fix the systemic contributors. As Tiffany Green, a professor of population health sciences, explains “If we live in a Wisconsin where everybody is able to reach their highest potential, everybody needs access to a provider.”.
Read more in PBS Wisconsin.