OPINION - By Meghan Macaluso, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Chief Development Officer
"This is something central to a woman's life, to her dignity. It's a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she's being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices." – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte’s Chief Development Officer, Meghan Macaluso stands with the community in the #StandwithPP campaign to rally support against the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Next year, when the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, we may see the end of the federal right to have an abortion in this country. You read it right. This is not a drill. It’s a four-alarm emergency for our right to control our own bodies.
The ruling on the Mississippi case will likely mean that the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision will be overturned or made irrelevant, denying abortion care to millions of people in more than 20 states – especially people who have low incomes, few resources, and little or no health insurance. Meanwhile, a new Gallup poll shows public support for abortion-rights at an all-time high: Eight out of 10 surveyed support the right to safe, legal abortion.
So, how did we get here, who is most affected, and what can we, the Seismic Sisters community, do now to help?
First, the most recent major salvo in the attack on abortion rights can be traced back to October 2020, when the Senate confirmed ultra-conservative Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court, where she joined two other extremely conservative justices that had been nominated by Donald Trump.
But the new “Supreme majority” – which, in fact, reflects a distinct minority of public opinion -- is only the latest twist in a decades-long campaign to curtail the right to abortion. For many women and non-binary people in states throughout more than half of the country, access to safe and legal abortion is already out of reach. In 2021 alone, state legislatures, emboldened by the new makeup of the Supreme Court, have introduced more than 500 abortion restrictions in nearly every state in the country -- 60 of which have already been passed and signed.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott just signed an extreme ban that prohibits abortion at six weeks -- before most people know they’re pregnant. There are no exceptions for rape or incest, and the bill would allow anyone to sue any person. The language is so broad that it would allow an abuser to use the legal system against their victim’s counselor, physician, or family. It’s right out of a dystopian novel.
The challenge of Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court poses a threat to women’s health care and to organizations like Planned Parenthood that are at the forefront of providing much needed services. Planned Parenthood’s breadth of services also encompasses gender affirming care, sex education, STD testing, treatment, and vaccines, and general health care for men, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Their team is photographed here, hosting a peaceful #StandForEquality rally outside the California State Capitol.
And, let’s be clear: the avalanche of restrictions on abortion care is one of the most obvious barriers to achieving health care equity across the nation, disproportionately harming communities of color and people with low incomes.
At Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the affiliate where I work that covers 42 counties across mid-California and northern Nevada, the good news is that both places are “safe haven states” for abortion rights. As the largest Planned Parenthood in the country, we believe now is the time to expand health care access. We are fortunate that we stand on the shoulders of many who fought hard to enshrine access to abortion into the California state constitution and for laws that protect abortion rights in Nevada.
We are certain that abortion patients in other states will come to us because they already are. Consider these snapshots of patients that came to our Oakland health center, which PPMM CEO Stacy Cross wrote about in the San Jose Mercury News:
A woman from Missouri had been ecstatic when fertility treatments resulted in her first pregnancy – but she was devastated later to discover there were profound health complications. Heartbroken, she and her husband decided to end the pregnancy, but she had no way to access abortion within hundreds of miles. She flew to California and received care here.
A college student in Atlanta discovered she was pregnant and not ready to have a child. It was easier for her to borrow money for a flight to the Bay Area than to find safe, legal abortion services in Georgia.
A woman from Texas, who was a victim of domestic violence, was terrified when she learned she was pregnant. Determined to end the pregnancy, she was unable to find services. She had just enough money for a flight to the Bay Area if she didn’t stay overnight. She arrived at our health center with her suitcase and a standby reservation to fly back to Texas only hours after her abortion.
The fight for women’s right to health care is a life-long commitment, as seen in one of its staunchest advocates, Meghan Macaluso, Chief Development Officer at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.
Stories like this are the reason that California and Planned Parenthood must continue to serve as refuge from states that are, or are perilously close to becoming, abortion-access deserts.
And we are ready. Bolstered by deep commitment to our mission and a strong base of supporters that have our back, we are not only addressing the health care challenges in California and Nevada, but are expanding care to meet this perilous moment. We have implemented telehealth services and gender affirming care services at all 35 of our health centers. We have expanded services to include not just sexual and reproductive health care, but primary care and behavioral health services, too. This means in one exam room a patient can receive a cancer screening, while in the next exam room a patient is receiving a diabetes-check, and in the next room a patient can receive a medication abortion. This not only meets the needs of more people in one safe and trusted environment, it destigmatizes abortion care and shows what it truly is – health care.
If you are interested in helping us in our mission, join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and consider becoming a volunteer to help us with our campaigns and more. Of course, we always appreciate donations to serve our patients and advocacy work, but your voice – online and in person – is one of the most powerful tools we have to let our legislators and community leaders know what’s at stake for our patients and our communities. It’s never been more important to ensure that California is the strongest safe-haven state it can be for people who may very well have their rights stripped away in the states where they live.
Get loud, be proud, and stand with us now. Together, we can ensure all people are truly cared for, making their lives, their families – and even the world – better and healthier.
Meghan Macaluso is Chief Development Officer at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.
Seismic Sisters thanks Meghan for being a bold advocate for reproductive rights and contributing this opinion as a special Guest Columnist in our June 2021 edition of The Jolt newsletter.