Women’s Rights During COVID-19
Mikayla Havison
FORT WAYNE, INDIANA—The COVID-19 pandemic has caused tragedy, a fact that it is undeniable. Killing tens of thousands in the US alone, and leaving even more unemployed, it should be everyone’s greatest concern; however, in many states, including my own, Indiana, something darker is lying beneath the façade of protecting us from a killer: an attack on women’s rights.
As a result of a growing number of Coronavirus cases in the Midwest, states have sprung into action to protect citizens from contracting the disease. Although now, states like Indiana have started to ease up on the economy’s breaks, the terms “essential” and “non-essential” still ring prominently through the ears of all who live here.
“I directed all health care facilities -- hospitals, surgical centers, veterinarians, dental offices, dermatologists -- and yes, abortion clinics, to postpone or cancel all elective or non-urgent procedures,” Indiana’s Governor, Eric Holcomb said on March 30, when announcing a postponement to all “non-essential” procedures.
In a state like Indiana, where freestanding clinics can only conduct procedures during the first trimester, abortion is certainly a time-sensitive issue, even if the mother’s life is not in immediate physical danger, as was later clarified by the governor. The changes that a mother undergoes while she carries a baby can greatly impact her down the road, making early abortions the best option for a mother that wants to pursue one, which has since been heavily restricted.
Whether or not a person is pro-life or pro-choice, it should be agreed that now is simply not the time to infringe on women’s rights. People are dying across America from the Coronavirus, and using it as an excuse to take away the rights of women without proper due process of law is unacceptable.
Additionally, the temporary ban on abortions that was issued for the sake of preserving medical resources to fight COVID-19, as life.org reported, has been completely undermined by the actions of Indiana’s Attorney General, Curtis Hill.
On April 30, Attorney General Hill filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court that states should have the right to deny abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, Medicaid status and funding, which would greatly impact women, even those who are not seeking abortions. The results of the brief are unknown, but it will still end up costing the state of Indiana money that could be better spent elsewhere.
Indeed, the state of Indiana recently had to give $182,000 dollars to Planned Parenthood attorneys from a case against House Enrolled Act 1337 from 2016, which further proves that the pro-life fight in Indiana has grown out-of-control, as the state uses the Coronavirus as a cover-up. Ironically, Attorney General Hill is largely responsible for these expenditures and also has three sexual misconduct charges filed against him, yet still has not stepped down from office, turning a blind eye to the pleas of women.
Indiana is not the only state in the Midwest that deemed abortion “unessential” during this pandemic. Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) issued an almost identical executive order as Gov. Holcomb’s which outlawed abortion procedures, but in the state of Ohio, the situation was more severe because women cannot have an abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy. The issue was brought to court, and the ruling of U.S. District Court Judge Michael Barrett further reveals how the rights of women have been violated.
“Procedure is deemed legally essential to preserve a woman’s right to constitutionally protected access to abortions,” Barrett said.
Barrett, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, conveys that whether or not abortion is moral or immoral, it is still a right that women have in the United States. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a platform to remove women’s rights and deny them access to important healthcare services is unconstitutional.
Thankfully, on June 29, the Supreme Court demonstrated measures to protect women’s right to abortion, ruling a Louisiana law that would close most abortion clinics, unconstitutional.
This is a victory for women in the United States, but sadly, it is not enough. The fact that the precedent of Roe v Wade was so close to being overturned suggests that perhaps women’s right to choice will dwindle in the future. It also will not stop women across the United States from continuing to face reproductive injustice.
From Indiana to Louisiana, the fight for women’s rights is far from over. Especially in the wake of COVID-19, it is essential that believers in women’s rights continue to stand their ground.
While people are dying from COVID-19, the invisible killer, it makes no sense to take away rights and endanger the health and well-being of women in the United States. With growing issues like domestic violence, it is cruel to take away the one choice women do have.