by Jamarah Amani, Southern Birth Justice Network
SOUTH FLORIDA – Last week, a Florida judge ruled that a 16-year-old, who had petitioned the court for permission to get a first-trimester abortion, was not mature enough to make the decision to terminate her pregnancy. This choice was taken away from her even before the overturning of Roe v Wade when required parental consent for abortion was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020.
For years, right-wing Florida lawmakers have been seeking to take away the most important decision most of us will ever make: whether or not to become a parent. In March, anti-abortion legislators decided to abuse their power by passing a 15-week abortion ban even though most Floridians oppose it. While Floridians still have access to abortion care, the 15-week ban compounds other restrictions passed over the last few years, such as waiting periods and parental notification. As a result, accessing this lifesaving healthcare is difficult, particularly for low-income communities, youth, and other marginalized groups.
The reality is that these right-wing politicians have been bankrolled by corporations that publicly claim to prioritize equity in health care. For example, Florida Blue’s foundation states they “…are focused on impacting food security, improving health equity, advancing mental well-being, healthy communities, and addressing systemic racism and resulting health disparities.” However, healthcare companies like Florida Hospital Association, United Health, and Florida Blue have collectively donated more than $1.7 million to these extremist lawmakers. Their contributions have helped create the crisis in abortion care in Florida. It’s time they live up to their stated values of healthcare access and equity and stop supporting politicians who are ripping human rights away from Floridians.
These corporations should be helping ensure every Floridian gets affordable, quality health care that addresses their needs and allows them to thrive, including abortion care. At Southern Birth Justice Network, we have seen firsthand how inequities in health care access affect already marginalized communities. Maternal morbidity and mortality rates are higher for everyone when abortion access is restricted, but Black and Indigenous people suffer at rates at least 2-4 times higher than their white counterparts. This is why we are working hard to build the workforce of community-based midwives, doulas and other healthcare workers who are committed to birth justice and to giving communities the resources they need to combat birth inequities.
Not only are restrictive laws passed by anti-abortion politicians medically unnecessary and politically motivated, they create a web of barriers pushing safe and affordable abortion care out of reach for many. Even the American Medical Association (which was founded on anti-abortion principles) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have been vocal in their opposition to the criminalization of abortion.
We know that abortion bans and restrictions disproportionately affect Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with low incomes. And because of systemic racism and structural inequity in this country, these same groups have historically faced inequalities in accessing healthcare, including abortion, prenatal care, and preventive care. Forcing people to carry pregnancies to term against their will is both cruel and dangerous. Forcing Black and Indigenous people to carry pregnancies to term, when they already experience higher infant mortality rates and pregnancy-related deaths, can be life threatening in too many cases.
We must not allow a revisionist Supreme Court and politicians to take away lifesaving healthcare. We will not stop fighting to ensure that everyone has access to full spectrum reproductive healthcare, from contraception, to abortion, to home birth.
To every corporation proclaiming a commitment to social responsibility, it can no longer be performative. The time is now to utilize your vast resources to restore the marginalized communities that have been harmed by restricting access to essential health care.
