On May 16th, 2023, the NC GOP, the majority of whom were men who had no consultation from women and ignored warnings from medical professionals, voted to override Governor Cooper’s veto of SB-20, a bill that bans abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy and includes medically unnecessary restrictions. Some of the measures of the bill require doctors to be present when abortion medication is given, require those seeking abortions to have an in-person consultation with a doctor 72 hours before the procedure, and require brand new licensure requirements for abortion facilities, which could potentially close every abortion clinic in North Carolina. These restrictions are designed to place bureaucratic hurdles for the working class to prevent access to increasingly limited abortion care. Knowing that access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare is life-saving, their goal is to keep the working class in precarious living conditions so we will work more hours for less money.
Following bills that limit trans children’s participation in sports and restrict their access to gender-affirming care earlier this year, this is yet another example of the state’s increasing control of our bodies. The willingness to block people’s rights to fundamental healthcare in exchange for votes reflects the cynicism and cruelty of the GOP. The inability of the Democratic Party to block these attacks reminds us that they cannot protect us -- because they haven’t, over and over again. Our fundamental rights are a mere bargaining chip for the ownership class and are only protected if these rights align within the needs of a capitalist system. We cannot wait for the next election to vote ‘the right people in.’ We must build a multi-racial, multi-generational movement led by the working class to win our rights regardless of who is in the legislature.
It's more important than ever to bring this fight to the forefront of the anti-abortion movement. A key part of SB-20 is the continued public funding for maternity homes and Anti-Abortion Centers, commonly known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers, both of which have strong ties to anti-abortion, Evangelical Christian organizations. We need to push these unethical and manipulative establishments out of our neighborhoods. Politicians tell us they are providing “alternatives to abortion” by providing childcare resources through AACs. But access to resources is not a reward for going along with what they tell us to do with our bodies; those resources are a right that should be available to all. We are fighting for more than abortion rights - we are fighting for reproductive justice, our right to have children as much as our right to not have children. Our first step in pushing back against anti-abortion efforts will be picketing CPCs regularly and involving the surrounding communities in this effort.
Join our Socialist Feminist Working Group at our next picket on Monday, May 22nd from 4-7pm at one of the most well-funded anti-abortion clinics in the state, Gateway Women's Care in Raleigh. Or if you want to help with our pregnancy-related mutual aid efforts, please register for our next Socialist Feminist meeting on Tuesday, May 30th at 6pm.