There’s news from Idaho, and it’s not good. The only hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho, is terminating the provision of labor and delivery services. Sandpoint is the largest city in Bonner County, with just shy of 9,000 people. That may not sound like a lot, but in sparsely populated Idaho, it means that hundreds of women will be forced to deliver their babies at hospitals over an hour away, running the risk of out-of-hospital births and the higher mortality rates that accompany them. The hospital delivered
This post of yours touched me deeply. I have never commented before. I live in Texas (ugh) and I am not of child-bearing age, but my daughter is.
What is happening around me is infuriating. I love among many neighbors and friends that are very conservative and fly their Trump flags. I can only tolerate them for so long. I feel like it’s a breaking point for me personally and I can’t understand how the D party isn’t screaming from the rooftops. I get that they take the high road but if we don’t learn how to scream at the top of our lungs what is happening, I fear we are doomed. I turn on cable news and I see only a few elected officials speaking out. The WH had better find its voice and fast. Start dispelling all of the BS and lies and start screaming the truth with forcefulness and confidence. If not, no one takes the D’s serious. It’s got to come from the top with proof and force.... if we don’t fight for democracy, who will?
Dear Joyce This column made my blood run cold. I lived in pre-Roe times and they were not pretty. As a white, blonde from a very well off family it really didn’t affect me. Or so I thought. My friends went to England and Mexico and I personally went to Sweden when I required these services. A year later as a student at NYU it became very clear to me that I was the exception not the rule. I saw lives and careers destroyed and became an ardent supporter of women’s rights and 50 years later I will have to do it again. The same for voting rights. We thought that this was settled law. All it took was one narcissistic megalomaniac to giVe permission to the lowest common denominator to voice hatred against almost everyone. They saw him on tv and were told that he was a brilliant businessman. He was not. A little off track but Putin never said he was brilliant. What he said was “ just the latest shiny object”. Not quite the same. I hold hope in my heart that the younger generations like David Hogg will eventually pull us out of this dystopian abyss. Sorry for the verbosity but our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren depend on it.
I d like to bring these legislative bills from New Mexico that passed and were signed -- HB 7 Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Healthcare, and SB 13 Reproductive Health Provider Protections.
We passed legislation to protect women seeking abortions and individuals seeking gender-affirming care and their health providers from harassment and threats. Given the race in many states to pass legislation to punish, even criminalize, women and their providers, it is refreshing to see NM demonstrated regional and national leadership on this issue. Rep. Andrea Romero did a stellar job on the House floor fending off GOP questions and amendments.
Hope-- this is hope. May other states, politicians find the courage to do the right thing.
Beautiful piece, Joyce. Please write frequently about the impact on women and healthcare in general of these draconian laws. This is the key issue that will create a Blue Tsunami in the 2024 elections. I personally am holding the Republican Party accountable for our Dobbs world and taking away rights from women, LGBTQ people etc. and have vowed not to vote for any Republican at any level -- local, state or federal level. I hope everyone who cares about the rights and freedoms of democracy will join me. United we can change this! We, the People, all of us this time!
The road to fascism is paved with people saying you are overreacting. Same with the road to the Handmaid's Tale.
One sign at women's marches I've seen: "WE ARE NOT OVARY-REACTING." My sign at the first Women's March in January 2017 said "IMPEACHMENT OR APPEASEMENT": Having lived in Germany and studied history, I could see what was coming. The burden of this horrendous stripping of rights is on every person, in office and not, who did NOT actively oppose our country's going to hell in a handmaid's basket in service of male dominance and white supremacy.
I am encouraged by the millions and millions of people who are now politically active, compared to 2015. Civic engagement is necessary to fend off fascism, so there is still a chance for the struggles being waged by those of us who are dedicated to liberty and justice for all.
Medical decisions should be made by persons with professional competence, in conjunction with the patient. Legislators and judges are not qualified to do this. Certain women will suffer and die because of the arrogance of anti abortion fanatics.
Consequences from Roberts’ Federalist Society bought court. I do not blame physicians for leaving the state. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and then adding in these draconian laws, healthcare workers are stressed. We already have a shortage of physicians and nurses, which will worsen.
Your timing is impeccable. Today I, in Oregon, just got a postcard in the mail from the "Greater Idaho" effort which is a politically run so called "grass roots" organization (spoiler, it's run by the GOP). In addition to having a few things wrong (if not just lying about them, the effort to add 2/3 of Oregon's area to Idaho is a rights grab. Think abortion rights restricted. Thinki marijuana re criminalized. Think anti LGBTQ laws just passed there. Think a sales tax, which is the one thing Oregonians tend to agree on as not something they want. Think of restrictions on other health care resources. Think of minimum wage restrictions. It's a calculated and possibly illegally funded effort that is causing some upset, the more because the GOP folks such as our county commissioners are making a run on local tax dollars to promote this sneak attack on rights.
Republicans have no choice but a nationwide ban to protect physician and medical access in their states as well as their economies. It is far worse than shrinking maternity medical care in hospitals. Women that end up in these states for any reason are at risk. Events like vacations, car wrecks when passing through a red state, students going to college in these states, anything that could put a person in an ER in these states- even a plane crash, sports events, and going home for Christmas are examples. Will ERs be shut down? This is why the nationwide push will be unrelenting. Also, what is going to happen to medical education in these states? Unintended consequences are relentless. Economic forces and science happen regardless of Republican proclamations and Republican heads stuck in the sand, just like ignoring vaccination and climate change science. Apologies for the length.
Our country is sliding into the mire of a religious autocracy. We might as well be an Iranian state. It is horrifically depressing and hard to believe that so much oppression has happened seemingly so quickly. The Federalist Society is like a virus that has turned into a
deadly nightmare with the aid of the Supreme Court. We should be screaming from the rooftops!! How can we stop this insidiously evil destruction of freedom and democracy?
Republicans seem bent on making their communities inhospitable for teachers, for doctors, for nurses, for librarians, for mental health professionals, for women overall -- seems like a whole lot of the people essential to the wellbeing of the children they claim to care so much about.
I only had time to skim over this article this morning. (I have to get ready to go to work as an RN at an abortion clinic.)
I can't tell you how hard it is sometimes to look at the nightmare that is becoming the United States, a title which no longer fits. I remember fighting for the right to include abortion as an essential part of healthcare for women.
I keep wondering why the Amarillo judge hasn't pulled the trigger yet. What is his hesitation. Is he hoping the protestors will get tired and go away? Judges should be FREE to choose the right path, not the one their church tells them to take with people's rights. This just makes me mad, and just before I go read and then to bed. Not your fault, Joyce, I choose to read these now, and not in the morning. Republicans, or at least some of them, are pulling dastardly deeds these days, thinking they can do anything and everything that pops into their pointed little heads. Isn't there anything Biden can do with an executive order to save women from this crapola? It really is getting out of hand. Nuff said. Good night.
The logic is going to have to be explained to me why a state in this country would prevent a woman who WANTS TO HAVE A BABY!!!! from having a hospital local to their community..Am I understanding this correctly?
These legislators who are pushing these draconian measures must be called out..How difficult would it be for an investigative journalist to look into their conduct, that of their families be? If a double standard is found, expose them as the hypocrites that they are..
It is always those with the wherewithal to afford a workaround to benefit their families that push this kind of agenda forward..The Idaho (Or state of your choice) State Senator whose daughter or granddaughter turns up with an unwanted or medically challenged pregnancy, anyone really think that they will not ship that kid off to an abortion friendly state and tell that kid”Sorry honey your gong to be a mom”? I don’t think so..That kid will get everything they need to end that pregnancy, while the rest of the citizenry has to live under these conditions..
Sorry folks, I’ll be retiring in 2 years. Americans decided that there’s a majick doctor fountain. In my state the average age of docs is 55 years old. We’re on a collision course with Guatemala for rural health care. It’s going in opposite directions. Look at Gambia, 50 year’s worth of modernization in less than a decade. Shame.
It is inappropriate and mean spirited to blame Idaho women for their situation. There is a meaningful opposition to such laws. However, the men and women of Idaho, a very strong percentage of whom are Mormons, are to blame. They voted for this and they continue to support the very Republicans who are imposing these laws. Will they reject such leadership? Here in Wisconsin we are fighting a similar fight and working hard to swing the majority of our Supreme Court to the progressive side. Help us out if you can.
This post of yours touched me deeply. I have never commented before. I live in Texas (ugh) and I am not of child-bearing age, but my daughter is.
What is happening around me is infuriating. I love among many neighbors and friends that are very conservative and fly their Trump flags. I can only tolerate them for so long. I feel like it’s a breaking point for me personally and I can’t understand how the D party isn’t screaming from the rooftops. I get that they take the high road but if we don’t learn how to scream at the top of our lungs what is happening, I fear we are doomed. I turn on cable news and I see only a few elected officials speaking out. The WH had better find its voice and fast. Start dispelling all of the BS and lies and start screaming the truth with forcefulness and confidence. If not, no one takes the D’s serious. It’s got to come from the top with proof and force.... if we don’t fight for democracy, who will?
Dear Joyce This column made my blood run cold. I lived in pre-Roe times and they were not pretty. As a white, blonde from a very well off family it really didn’t affect me. Or so I thought. My friends went to England and Mexico and I personally went to Sweden when I required these services. A year later as a student at NYU it became very clear to me that I was the exception not the rule. I saw lives and careers destroyed and became an ardent supporter of women’s rights and 50 years later I will have to do it again. The same for voting rights. We thought that this was settled law. All it took was one narcissistic megalomaniac to giVe permission to the lowest common denominator to voice hatred against almost everyone. They saw him on tv and were told that he was a brilliant businessman. He was not. A little off track but Putin never said he was brilliant. What he said was “ just the latest shiny object”. Not quite the same. I hold hope in my heart that the younger generations like David Hogg will eventually pull us out of this dystopian abyss. Sorry for the verbosity but our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren depend on it.
I d like to bring these legislative bills from New Mexico that passed and were signed -- HB 7 Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Healthcare, and SB 13 Reproductive Health Provider Protections.
We passed legislation to protect women seeking abortions and individuals seeking gender-affirming care and their health providers from harassment and threats. Given the race in many states to pass legislation to punish, even criminalize, women and their providers, it is refreshing to see NM demonstrated regional and national leadership on this issue. Rep. Andrea Romero did a stellar job on the House floor fending off GOP questions and amendments.
Hope-- this is hope. May other states, politicians find the courage to do the right thing.
We are in this together.
Beautiful piece, Joyce. Please write frequently about the impact on women and healthcare in general of these draconian laws. This is the key issue that will create a Blue Tsunami in the 2024 elections. I personally am holding the Republican Party accountable for our Dobbs world and taking away rights from women, LGBTQ people etc. and have vowed not to vote for any Republican at any level -- local, state or federal level. I hope everyone who cares about the rights and freedoms of democracy will join me. United we can change this! We, the People, all of us this time!
The road to fascism is paved with people saying you are overreacting. Same with the road to the Handmaid's Tale.
One sign at women's marches I've seen: "WE ARE NOT OVARY-REACTING." My sign at the first Women's March in January 2017 said "IMPEACHMENT OR APPEASEMENT": Having lived in Germany and studied history, I could see what was coming. The burden of this horrendous stripping of rights is on every person, in office and not, who did NOT actively oppose our country's going to hell in a handmaid's basket in service of male dominance and white supremacy.
I am encouraged by the millions and millions of people who are now politically active, compared to 2015. Civic engagement is necessary to fend off fascism, so there is still a chance for the struggles being waged by those of us who are dedicated to liberty and justice for all.
Medical decisions should be made by persons with professional competence, in conjunction with the patient. Legislators and judges are not qualified to do this. Certain women will suffer and die because of the arrogance of anti abortion fanatics.
Consequences from Roberts’ Federalist Society bought court. I do not blame physicians for leaving the state. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and then adding in these draconian laws, healthcare workers are stressed. We already have a shortage of physicians and nurses, which will worsen.
Your timing is impeccable. Today I, in Oregon, just got a postcard in the mail from the "Greater Idaho" effort which is a politically run so called "grass roots" organization (spoiler, it's run by the GOP). In addition to having a few things wrong (if not just lying about them, the effort to add 2/3 of Oregon's area to Idaho is a rights grab. Think abortion rights restricted. Thinki marijuana re criminalized. Think anti LGBTQ laws just passed there. Think a sales tax, which is the one thing Oregonians tend to agree on as not something they want. Think of restrictions on other health care resources. Think of minimum wage restrictions. It's a calculated and possibly illegally funded effort that is causing some upset, the more because the GOP folks such as our county commissioners are making a run on local tax dollars to promote this sneak attack on rights.
Republicans have no choice but a nationwide ban to protect physician and medical access in their states as well as their economies. It is far worse than shrinking maternity medical care in hospitals. Women that end up in these states for any reason are at risk. Events like vacations, car wrecks when passing through a red state, students going to college in these states, anything that could put a person in an ER in these states- even a plane crash, sports events, and going home for Christmas are examples. Will ERs be shut down? This is why the nationwide push will be unrelenting. Also, what is going to happen to medical education in these states? Unintended consequences are relentless. Economic forces and science happen regardless of Republican proclamations and Republican heads stuck in the sand, just like ignoring vaccination and climate change science. Apologies for the length.
Our country is sliding into the mire of a religious autocracy. We might as well be an Iranian state. It is horrifically depressing and hard to believe that so much oppression has happened seemingly so quickly. The Federalist Society is like a virus that has turned into a
deadly nightmare with the aid of the Supreme Court. We should be screaming from the rooftops!! How can we stop this insidiously evil destruction of freedom and democracy?
Republicans seem bent on making their communities inhospitable for teachers, for doctors, for nurses, for librarians, for mental health professionals, for women overall -- seems like a whole lot of the people essential to the wellbeing of the children they claim to care so much about.
I only had time to skim over this article this morning. (I have to get ready to go to work as an RN at an abortion clinic.)
I can't tell you how hard it is sometimes to look at the nightmare that is becoming the United States, a title which no longer fits. I remember fighting for the right to include abortion as an essential part of healthcare for women.
I'm off to work.
I keep wondering why the Amarillo judge hasn't pulled the trigger yet. What is his hesitation. Is he hoping the protestors will get tired and go away? Judges should be FREE to choose the right path, not the one their church tells them to take with people's rights. This just makes me mad, and just before I go read and then to bed. Not your fault, Joyce, I choose to read these now, and not in the morning. Republicans, or at least some of them, are pulling dastardly deeds these days, thinking they can do anything and everything that pops into their pointed little heads. Isn't there anything Biden can do with an executive order to save women from this crapola? It really is getting out of hand. Nuff said. Good night.
The logic is going to have to be explained to me why a state in this country would prevent a woman who WANTS TO HAVE A BABY!!!! from having a hospital local to their community..Am I understanding this correctly?
These legislators who are pushing these draconian measures must be called out..How difficult would it be for an investigative journalist to look into their conduct, that of their families be? If a double standard is found, expose them as the hypocrites that they are..
It is always those with the wherewithal to afford a workaround to benefit their families that push this kind of agenda forward..The Idaho (Or state of your choice) State Senator whose daughter or granddaughter turns up with an unwanted or medically challenged pregnancy, anyone really think that they will not ship that kid off to an abortion friendly state and tell that kid”Sorry honey your gong to be a mom”? I don’t think so..That kid will get everything they need to end that pregnancy, while the rest of the citizenry has to live under these conditions..
Sorry folks, I’ll be retiring in 2 years. Americans decided that there’s a majick doctor fountain. In my state the average age of docs is 55 years old. We’re on a collision course with Guatemala for rural health care. It’s going in opposite directions. Look at Gambia, 50 year’s worth of modernization in less than a decade. Shame.
It is inappropriate and mean spirited to blame Idaho women for their situation. There is a meaningful opposition to such laws. However, the men and women of Idaho, a very strong percentage of whom are Mormons, are to blame. They voted for this and they continue to support the very Republicans who are imposing these laws. Will they reject such leadership? Here in Wisconsin we are fighting a similar fight and working hard to swing the majority of our Supreme Court to the progressive side. Help us out if you can.