Although I think even for-profit media did a reasonably good job covering the fascist right's quest to repeat Roe V. Wade, and the political machinations surrounding SCOTUS's Dobbs decision, I'm not so sure they've done as good a job covering the catastrophic human fallout from the decision to authorize removing the bodily autonomy of every woman in fascist-controlled American states. Which is why I appreciated this Guardian article about how hard its been for child rape survivors in states with an abortion ban to access care; even if reading it simultaneously broke my heart and made me want to put my fist through my monitor. Just gonna warn you in advance, this one is a hard read:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/11/child-rape-survivors-abortion-ban
Child rape survivors face extraordinary barriers in states with abortion bans
"Since Roe v Wade was overturned by the US supreme court in 2022, 14 states have passed near-total abortion bans. Ten of those states, including Texas, have no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. A study published earlier this year estimated that 65,000 rape-related pregnancies probably occurred in states with abortion bans since Roe fell.
While there are no studies on the numbers of rape-related pregnancies in minors since Roe was overturned, young people in states with abortion bans face unique barriers, according to doctors and advocates who spoke with the Guardian.
“States that ban abortions, both with and without rape exceptions, do not have carve-outs for minors,” Dr Samuel Dickman, one of the authors of the study on rape-related pregnancies since Roe fell, said via email. “Many states where abortion care remains legal impose burdensome additional restrictions on abortion access for minors, such as parental consent or notification laws. And of course, the logistical and financial burdens on people trying to get abortions out of state are often worse for minors, who may not have access to transportation or the funds needed to travel and pay for abortion services.”
The plain truth is that I don't think there's any valid reason to deny abortion rights to any woman seeking to end a pregnancy, for any reason. But even setting that aside, it has always enraged me how minors who are victims of sexual assault are treated like a purely hypothetical talking point that can easily be ignored as a corner case, by the so-called "pro-life" coalitions seeking to ban abortion in America. These are real young girls, who've already experienced the worst violations our still extremely patriarchal society has to offer; the decisions these fascists champion have very real, and very catastrophic effects on all women living under these abortion bans, but the harm caused is only *magnified* for vulnerable people; and I don't think you can get much more vulnerable than child victims of sexual assault.
Quite frankly, I can't legally tell you what I think the consequences should be for making life so much harder than it has to be for young women in this horrible situation, but suffice to say being voted out of office doesn't nearly cover it.
