Buzz
While venting on Twitter may feel momentarily satisfying, these views are not as innocent as they may seem. They spread false information and bias, and those who stand for abortion rights should be better informed. Here's a quick guide to identifying harmful takes so you can challenge them when you encounter them.
“This came as a total surprise!”
This is far from unprecedented. Abortion has existed as long as pregnancy itself, and for much of human history, it was regarded as a normal part of life. This means people have always sought abortions, regardless of the laws—indicating that, no matter your location or the laws in your state, there are people actively working to ensure abortion access.
If you want to make a difference, direct your donations and volunteer efforts to local organizations. You can locate your local abortion fund through the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF).
“So, are we returning to coat-hanger abortions?”
Absolutely not. Medication abortions (where a pill is taken to induce an early miscarriage) are safe, effective, and widely available, especially now that at least 20 states and Washington, D.C., permit prescribers to send pills by mail. If you have any doubts, the NNAF offers plenty of resources on self-managed medication abortions that should be helpful.
“Evangelicals want to take us back to the Middle Ages!”
This is a few centuries off. While the goal of extreme anti-abortion politics is to recreate their version of The Glory Days is about Jim Crow (and, arguably, slavery), not the Middle Ages.
Anti-abortion activism in the United States didn’t start with Roe v. Wade; its origins are actually linked to taxes and segregation. After Brown v. Board of Education, evangelical churches set up “segregation academies” throughout the South to avoid complying with court-ordered desegregation. These schools enjoyed tax-exempt status until 1970-71, when a group of Black parents in Mississippi won a lawsuit against the United States Treasury Department, leading to the revocation of these tax exemptions.
Confronted with substantial back taxes, evangelical leaders, who had previously stayed out of politics, became suddenly engaged in political issues. Strategists like Paul Weyrich and Jerry Falwell were searching for a unifying issue for evangelicals as a political group, and anti-abortion rhetoric fit the bill—even though abortion had been largely seen as a “Catholic issue” by evangelicals. It served as the perfect cover for “religious freedom,” masking the real agenda of reinstating legal segregation.
This is a very brief version of a much more complex story. If you want to explore further, check out this 2013 episode of NPR’s Throughline podcast, or The Lie That Binds, a six-part podcast series on the subject by NARAL Pro-Choice America.
“I can’t believe people in the South keep voting for this!”
Well, they’re trying their hardest not to—but continuous voter suppression laws are making it more and more difficult for anyone without time, money, or both to vote. This system favors white, wealthy voters, who consistently elect white, wealthy, right-wing candidates, who then fill the courts with judges who share their views. And so the cycle continues.
Right-wing politicians have to manipulate the system to secure victories, and they’re fully aware of it. Abortion rights are widely supported. The majority of Americans back fully legal abortion and are in favor of Roe v. Wade. This sentiment spans blue states, red states, and even includes the politicians and lawyers behind anti-abortion laws—at least when they aren’t in public. (As writer and activist Lindy West shared with The Daily Show's Trevor Noah in 2018, the wives, daughters, and mistresses of politicians will always have access to abortion.) People in red states who are poor or working-class aren’t uninformed bigots voting against their own interests—they’re trapped in a system that disregards their needs.
“Why don’t they just move?”
This leads us to the most misguided “well-meaning” abortion comment: “If they don’t like it, they should move!” It’s an insensitive, oversimplified, and cruel suggestion. Why should people in Texas (and other places) have to leave their homes and communities just to obtain an abortion? Even if they did decide to relocate, where would they go and how would they afford it?
Remember: Abortion bans are rooted in racism and cruelty, and blaming those who need or want an abortion will only worsen the situation.
