Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Condemns Wave of Extreme Abortion Bans in Idaho, Tennessee, and Texas
For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 25, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice America Condemns Wave of Extreme Abortion Bans in Idaho, Tennessee, and Texas
Washington, DC — Today, extreme bans on abortion went into effect in three states: Idaho, Tennessee, and Texas. These anti-choice laws, also known as “trigger bans,” were designed to ban abortion soon after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and contain criminal penalties. Prior to these bans going into effect, each of these states already had a total abortion ban or an extreme ban on abortion in place.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“It’s crystal clear what anti-choice extremists want: they want to end abortion, period, and take away our freedom to make decisions about our own lives. But come this November, every anti-choice politician who has schemed to strip us of our fundamental rights should be on notice. We are heading to the ballot box, and we will vote them out.”
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Idaho blocked a portion of the state’s “trigger ban” from going into effect, upholding a Biden administration directive to ensure that emergency rooms provide abortion care in cases of medical emergency. The ban otherwise goes into effect today. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, ending the legal right to abortion in our country as we know it, 14 states and counting are currently enforcing bans on abortion. In total, roughly half of the states in the country are at risk of or are already banning abortion. Anti-choice lawmakers across the country are increasingly calling for special sessions in order to pass extreme bans on abortion: In the coming weeks, the South Carolina legislature will consider a total ban on abortion, following Indiana’s lead.
The people hurt most by these bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.