By: TheresaChristine Etim
Several weeks after the overturn of the abortion-defining case of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, ogranizations gear up all over the country offer their versions of abortion assistance.
This comes after June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a case that ruled that abortions were a woman’s consitutional right under the 14th amendment’s right to privacy.
This resulted after a young Texas woman under the name of Jane Roe sought an abortion in 1969 due to having a low income, but was blocked by her district attorney from having one. Within three years, the case was brought to the Supreme Court and on Jan. 22, 1973, they nationally legalized abortion as a result of the court’s 7-2 decision.
The somewhat 50 year-old case protected abortion rights for all women in the United States until its 2022 overturn.
The Biden Administration has voiced their disapproval for the Supreme Court’s decision, largely through the implementation of two executive orders. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has also voiced her disapproval in a July press conference.
The first executive order, was one that protected certain specific rights to aid in abortions, such as medical care for abortion-seekers, as well as deeming it illigal for any law officials to incrinnate women seeking an abortion.
The second one, was an order signed August 3, 2022, which required medicare to cover all out-of-state abortions, should a woman seeking an aborting need to travel states to obtain one.
Despite the efforts of the Biden Administration, citizens and grassroot organizations alike have taken the everchanging state of abortion in their own hands by offering monetary and emotional support to women that are directly affected.
While abortion assitance is largely seen as a way to help women obtain abortion, some offer alternatives to abortion as abortion assitance.
One organization that offers this type of support is Maternal Assistance in Houston, Texas, which offers resource and adoption assistance to women who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy.
Weekend volunteer Diane Sulpizio says that the purpose of the organization is to offer options other than abortion.
“There’s [many] more options than just abortion,” Sulpizio said. “There are other things a woman can do when [she] is in crisis. We offer baby products and food, baby furniture and cribs, free ultrasounds, medical assistance and many other things [for women]. We also give referrals to adoption agencies when a woman is in crisis in case they don’t want to keep or can’t afford to keep the child. We also help connect people with babies of any color. ”
According to Sulpizio, the support they offer is an option that supports the functionality of a woman’s body, as she believes that abortion is an option that does the opposite.
“We help women go with their bodies, not against it,” she said. “The design of a woman is beautiful, aboriton goes against that. As long as we [offer options] that parallel the woman’s body, we feel we are on the right track. A lot of women are confused and think their only alternative is to abort and that’s not true. We’re here to show women that there are other options.”
Women clinics like Planned Parenthood offer the same assistance to women as well, according to 34 year-old PhD student Deadra Willis, who felt that Sulpizio was excluding the well-known clinic becuase they happen to also offer abortions.
“Planned Parenthood offers the same assistance as the organization Sulpizio works for,” Willis said. Her organization is not the only one that offers that support. A lot of people think Planned Parenthood only assists in abortions and that’s not true. There is a floor that assists with abortions, but at the [Gulf Coast location in Houston], they had other floors that assisted people and couples with planning their families, ultrasounds and other resources. Just because someone promotes abortion as an option doesn’t mean they’re against keeping a baby.”
Another group that offers aboriton assistance is Plan C, an online organization that provides in the facilitation of abortion pills and information through the mail. They also give informational resources about abortions, as well as legal and financial support.
A woman who supports the organization and didn’t want to be named, said that Plan C also takes donations and sells merchandise that goes towards proceeds that help with abortion assitance.
“I got the t-shirt that I am wearing right now from [Plan C]. A lot of [the shirts] have political art on them that spread a message and I think the funds go towards abortion assistance,” she said. “They also sell stickers and flyers. They offer information and resources online so that anyone can have access to them no matter where they are in the country.”
Whether a woman is pro-life or pro-choice and needs assitance with an unexpected pregnancy, it appears that organizations nationwide are gearing up to help woman everywhere with assistance that aligns with their plans and personal beliefs.
For more information on Maternal Assistance you can call (713) 263-8400.
For more information on Plan C, as well as other abortion options, you can visit plancpills.org.
With the Supreme Court leaving abortion access up to the states, some states have already restricted access all together. A full list of how each state is affected is on abcnews.com and can be accessed by clicking the hyperlink below.
