The Quickie: Trump's Baffling and Waffling Take on Abortion
For Immediate Release: Sept. 18, 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: Trump claims to be moderate on abortion while taking credit for Roe overturn, OURR releases second TV ad on the effects of Ohio ban, and Michigan’s Reproductive Health Act vastly expands abortion access.
TRUMP’S BAFFLING AND WAFFLING TAKE ON ABORTION: Over the weekend, Donald Trump — all while boldly taking credit for the overturn of Roe — told Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker that “Both sides [on abortion] are going to like me.” Fact check: 80% of Americans believe the decision to have an abortion should be between a patient and their doctor. Not sure why one would “compromise” when the overwhelming majority of us already agree. Despite Trump’s supposed pivot to the center, his record speaks for itself. And there is no compromise on our rights. Jenny Lawson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, fired back at Trump:
“Donald Trump trying to appear as moderate on abortion is comical,” Lawson said. “He’s largely to blame for our current abortion access and public health crisis that only gets worse by the day. He’s not a consensus builder and the nation isn’t divided on abortion rights. His presidency was a disaster for sexual and reproductive health care, as well as the thousands of people now forced to travel out of state for access, the doctors forced to consult lawyers before providing life-saving care to their patients, and the families forced to carry pregnancies to term against their will. They won’t forget it.”
AD ALERT — “WE HAD TO LEAVE” OHIO FOR AN ABORTION: Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights has launched its second television ad, this time showing the real effect of Ohio’s abortion ban. “Beth and Kyle” features a young couple whose heartbreak after a devastating fetal diagnosis was magnified by needing to leave their home for an abortion. In the ad, Beth says, “When we first heard her heartbeat, the doctor said she’s perfect. At eighteen weeks, the doctor told us there was no way she was going to be able to live. An abortion was our only option. But the government here in Ohio took that decision away from us.”
Unless Ohioans approve Issue 1 in November, even more people will face journeys like Beth and Kyle’s. The Ohio Supreme Court could reinstate the abortion ban soon after oral arguments on September 27.
Read Beth and Kyle’s story and watch their ad here.
HOW THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT WILL EXPAND ABORTION ACCESS IN MICHIGAN: Last week, lawmakers in Michigan’s House Health Policy committee held a hearing on the Reproductive Health Act. This recently introduced legislation will repeal many of the state’s medically-unnecessary restrictions on abortion including the 24-hour waiting period, ban on private insurance coverage for abortions, and arbitrary regulations on abortion clinics like room size and hallway width. Cost especially remains a hindrance for many patients with low incomes seeking abortion care. At the hearing last week, Dr. Sarah Wallet, Chief Medical Operating Officer at Planned Parenthood of Michigan, detailed the harm of these current restrictions when caring for patients recently.
When talking about a patient who arrived “visibly exhausted” to her appointment, Dr. Wallet shared, “When we asked [the patient] if she was okay, she told us she had gotten less than one hour of sleep the night before, because she had realized just hours before her appointment that she was $49 short of the estimated cost we had provided… She didn't want to have to cancel and try to make another appointment. So instead she stayed up all night to drive DoorDash.”
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