When red states rolled back women’s healthcare rights after the Dobbs decision, blue state lawmakers and clinicians stepped up to help patients whose reproductive choices were usurped by religious fanatics. New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont and Colorado passed shield laws to protect resident medical professionals from being prosecuted by red states for prescribing abortion pills for Gilead state patients.
But the medical professionals in shield law states have to mail the pills to their red state patients themselves, at least for now. WaPo has a story featuring one Hudson Valley doc who spends her free time in the basement of her home, packaging abortion pill doses to mail to red state patients.
Gift link here; excerpts below:
A new procedure adopted in mid-June by one of the largest abortion pill suppliers, Europe-based Aid Access, now allows U.S. medical professionals in certain Democrat-led states that have passed abortion “shield” laws to prescribe and mail pills directly to patients in antiabortion states.
The result is a new pipeline of legally prescribed abortion pills flowing into states with abortion bans. In less than a month, seven U.S.-based providers affiliated with Aid Access — including the Hudson Valley doctor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she was concerned for her safety — have mailed 3,500 doses of abortion pills to people in antiabortion states, according to Aid Access, putting just this small group alone on track to help facilitate at least 42,000 abortions in restricted states over the next year. If more doctors and nurses sign up, as current providers hope they will, the numbers could climb far higher.
“Everything I’m doing is completely legal,” the Hudson Valley doctor said, her family’s ping-pong table covered with abortion pills bound for the South and Midwest, where abortion has been largely illegal since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
“Texas might say I’m breaking their laws, but I don’t live in Texas.”
Lawyers quoted in the article say it’s a legal gray area. As long as clinicians don’t travel to states that have criminalized reproductive healthcare, they’re probably safe. One lawyer who’s quoted, Julie F. Kay, legal director of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine Access, said that traditional extradition laws don’t make sense in this scenario:
“One state can extradite if a person commits the crime in the state, then flees,” Kay said. “But no one is fleeing here. You are just sitting in your office in New York.”
Anti-choice fanatics will probably stage sting operations and dox providers so violent goons can intimidate them soon enough. That’s what they do. But for now, medical professionals find themselves dealing with the logistics issues an Etsy storekeeper might confront:
“We’re medical providers suddenly thrown into this world of shipping,” said Lauren Jacobson, a nurse practitioner who operates out of Massachusetts. “Do we write labels by hand? What if we mess up an address? How on earth do we ship 50 packages a day?”
Jacobson concedes that this system is far from perfect. While medication abortion is overwhelmingly safe and effective, she said, on rare occasions her patients in restricted states require in-person care — and they fear the legal risk that could come with a trip to the hospital. In those cases, she said she will try to help them navigate their state’s health care system safely, searching online for a trustworthy provider and advising them on what to say. Sometimes, she said, she’ll go on LinkedIn and scope out the local OB/GYNs, searching for someone who has posted something that supports abortion rights.
“This isn’t normal health care,” she said. “We don’t want to have to do this.”
She’s right — it isn’t normal, and they shouldn’t have to do this. But thanks to the fanatics on the Supreme Court and their co-religionists fellow fanatics in red states (Catholic and protestant), this is the world we’re living in now.
A shield law is expected to pass in California this fall, which will allow a mail-order pharmacy there to handle shipping for the clinicians who are currently running to the post office. The Hudson Valley doc is okay with the current arrangement in the meantime:
For now, she said, she doesn’t mind staying up until 1 a.m. to finish the packing.
“It feels like I’m giving a big middle finger to that part of the country that has done this,” she said.
I like your style, Dr. Hero. Rock on!
Trivia Man
People demonstrate daily how amazing we can be as a species.
Trivia Man
The kindness and comfort and compassion and personal effort, at no small risk to their personal safety, on display here give me renewed hope we can make it out of this darkness eventually.
bbleh
Kevin Drum notes that this is a stopgap until Cal passes its shield law, at which point the manufacturer (who is in Cal) can mail direct. That should ease the workload.
Remains to be seen what the red states will do to try to stop it. Mail is federal, so they can’t fk with it. And I would guess the pills are few enough that they don’t rattle or bulge.
Parfigliano
Fanatics on the Supreme Court? Just say what they are. Catholics. Catholics on the Supreme Court. They should always be referred to as Catholics not fanatics.
FastEdD
I bet we will pass the shield law in CA. We have a supermajority and Gov. Gav. I look forward to the day our whole state can get into Good Trouble.
Betty Cracker
@Parfigliano: Nope. I believe Justice Sotomayor is a Catholic, but she’s not a fanatic. Plenty of the red state religious fanatics are evangelical protestants, not Catholics. If you’re serious, I’m not sure why you want to put all of this on Catholics specifically. I think religious fanatics is the right description.
bbleh
@Parfigliano: Cathnatics? Fanatolics?
@Betty Cracker: Biden also, and he’s observant not merely nominal.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
Also, too, Biden.
Betty Cracker
Post edited (strikethrough marks the spot) to make it clearer that “fanatics” refers to anti-choice Catholics and protestants. IIRC, that’s true on SCOTUS too as Gorsuch is a protestant of some variety.
Kelly
Oregon House bill 2002 passed this year protects people obtaining abortion care in Oregon from subpoenas issues by other states amongst other related rights. Bitterly fought party line votes.
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/05/02/abortion-gender-affirming-health-care-oregon-bill-2002/
Yet Another Haldane
Also Minnesota, signed in April:
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF366&ssn=0&y=2023
Alison Rose
God, it’s so damn maddening that we have to live like this because a minority of busybody Bible thumpers think they have the right to impose their own personal morality on everyone else.
Dorothy A. Winsor
In today’s preposterous House hearing, RFK Jr. is testifying. A Republican (and I’m sorry but I don’t know which one) asked him about Hunter Biden’s laptop.
I’ll pause and let you take that in.
At least Jr. was enough in touch with reality to say he didn’t know anything about that. So the Rs on the committee make Jr look good.
Scout211
SB 345 tracking
I just checked where SB 345 is in the legislative process. It’s been amended in both the senate and the assembly but it has been passing through committees with yea votes. 👍
Kelly
Regarding parental rights: An overwhelming majority of folks support government intervention when parents starve their children or otherwise endanger them. Pregnancy is dangerous.
rikyrah
Thank you for this post. I didn’t know about these heroes. Will spread the word.
rikyrah
There are 19 GOP Attorneys General, who have sent a letter to the HHS, about being able to access MEDICAL RECORDS OF WOMEN WHO LEFT THEIR STATES TO HAVE ABORTIONS.
It’s none of your phucking business.
Kay
Subversive – but lawful!- behavior in the face of this is enormously satisfying. Self help. Because the objective it to make us powerless and dependent and direct action is the opposite of that.
There are more of us than you think :)
I don’t know- maybe we had to go back to roots to remember what it was all about 50 years ago.
Torrey
@Alison Rose:
As well as their own personal ignorance of biology.
There’s a nice little meme I’ve seen, consisting of a medieval picture of a Catholic pope or bishop or something–somebody with a hat, anyway–and several layfolk standing in front of him.
Heading: “Catholic Church: no meat on Fridays”
Layperson: “OK so no eggs for breakfast.”
Pope (or whatever): “No, eggs are ok.”
Layperson: “but eggs are chicken.”
Pope (or . . ): “Not until they hatch.”
Layperson: “So the thing isn’t the thing until it’s born?”
Pope (or . .): “That’s correct. . . . Um, no wait.”
rikyrah
Then, you have the states that are mad that the voters are organizing and putting on the ballot, measures to protect the right to choose.
In Ohio, they are trying to change the entire way that you can change something by a voter initiated Constitutional Amendment.
Currently, you have to get valid signatures for the measure from half of all of Ohio’s counties.
This new Issue 1 would make it that you have to have signatures from ALL of Ohio’s counties.
Used to be that it would pass if it got 50% +1 of the votes on that measure.
They want to change it that it can’t pass unless it gets 60% of the votes.
This is all done because anti-abortion legislators don’t want for the Pro-Choice amendment to pass in November.
OHIO – VOTE NO ON ISSUE 1!
rikyrah
Another thing that the anti-abortion liars are doing…they know that BANS ON ABORTION ARE UNPOPULAR.
So, they are trying to rewrite what ‘ ban’ means. They are trying to pretend that they are doing anything other than establishing ‘ bans’.
They are trying to Frank Luntz abortion language.
They’re not for a National ‘ ban’.
They’re going for a National ‘ consensus’ on abortion.
And, they are not only trying that bullshyt, but, they’re trying to get the MSM to stop using the word BAN when they talk about what’s happening in the Red States.
Cameron
@Dorothy A. Winsor: He blew it. Should have told them that Hunter’s laptop was used to secretly spread the COVID bioweapon in the US – straight from the Wuhan laboratory and by the direct order of Anthony Fauci.
artem1s
tell that to Dr. Tiller’s family. There will be violence. It’s long past time that federal law enforcement treat those who are planning the violence against reproductive health care providers as domestic terrorists and prosecute them accordingly when they cross state lines to break the law.
azlib
Ah, the new underground railroad! The fanatics seem clueless about the political blowback Dobbs and the subsequent Red State abortion restriction have caused.
patrick II
@bbleh:
Not just Catholics but Radical Conservative Catholics are on the court — several of which belong to secret organizations that believe in practices that regular Catholics would not be a part of. Joe Biden is a Catholic.
There are radical conservative Mulims, Jews, Evangelicals, and just about any religion and none of whom are much good for democracy.
Don’t over-generalize.
@Parfigliano:
Hungry Joe
The headline made me flash on the hilarious Eudora Welty short story “Why I Live at the P.O.” I heard her — in person — read it to an audience, and people were howling, hanging onto each other, rolling in the aisles.
Okay, slight exaggeration. But boy, could she read aloud. (And WRITE, of course.)
bbleh
@patrick II: precisely the point of modifying, and thereby qualifying, the general term “Catholic.”
Kay
@Hungry Joe:
I love that story too.
Betty Cracker
@Hungry Joe: I thought of that story when I wrote the title — it’s been a favorite of mine since a high school English teacher used it to introduce the concept of an unreliable narrator. I disputed that characterization because obviously it was Stella-Rondo who was the unreliable one! ;-)
How awesome that you got to hear Welty read it!
Ruckus
@Betty Cracker:
I think religious fanatics is the right description.
I’m not sure it’s all religion. (I’m not sure it isn’t either…) But I think some of this is that these religious politicians think that their religion is more important to apply to others than the laws of the country. If everyone doesn’t follow the religious beliefs of the far right assholes they think they have the right to impose them on everyone else because if they don’t it invalidates their beliefs. It takes dumbasses to believe dumbass crap. And yes, they do want the majority to go back in time, far, far back. They might someday find out that going back in time 2000 yrs is not even close to what they think it would be like. Maybe that should be the test, those that say or even seem like they are saying 2000 yrs ago was better have to live exactly like that for 1 yr before they can even ask anyone else if they want to. See how they like their own bullshit. I wonder how many takers there would be…. I’m thinking exactly zero.
EarthWindFire
We had a national consensus on abortion. It was called Roe v Wade. They tore it down. Any response other than that is useless imo.
Ruckus
@Alison Rose:
They know their religious beliefs are strict, asinine, outdated, etc and so unless everyone had to follow them to the letter or the only other concept is that they are wrong. And they have to go back in time because they have been proven to be wrong, to a time prior to that. They want to erase time because they are right, just ask them.
I think that covers it, although I left out the stupidity, ignorance, laws, rights of religion including believing none of it. As I said above they are looking for conformation of their beliefs because the vast majority either don’t believe this or at least don’t believe in forcing their views upon others. Oh and there is always the money. If they can’t earn it, and they can’t, then they have to find/make up “legal” ways of redirecting it into their pockets. As has been stated time and time again, follow the money.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@patrick II:
Opus Dei as I recall
Ella in New Mexico
Hey, hey! What is New Mexico, chopped liver? lol
Our state did the same to protect providers. We also passed laws protecting a patient’s right to receive abortion or gender affirming care, and we made it illegal for anyone trying to get medical or other records of patients traveling her for abortions. We’ve got a law against local ordinances limiting access to clinics, and have quitely created support and space for several providers fleeing Texas to set up clinics here near the state line.
Just wanted y’all not to forget NM is often on the forefront of a lot of progressive issues. :-)
Alison Rose
@Ruckus:
It’s not all. As a general rule, it isn’t Jews. If we’re talking about abortion, I can’t say if the Orthodox are as pushy on this as fundie Christians, as their views on abortion are somewhat different, but the majority of Jews in this country are Reform, and in Reform Judaism, abortion is not only allowed but is specifically indicated if the pregnant person’s life or mental health is in danger, and it is understood that the decision is up to that person.
Chief Oshkosh
@Hungry Joe: Nice reminder to me that “Eudora,” the best email client eva, was named over Eudora Welty having written Why I Live at the P.O.
ETA: http://art-bin.com/art/or_weltypostoff.html
Geminid
@Ella in New Mexico: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s election in 2018 seems to have marked a real turning point for New Mexico politics. Besides her strong actions for women’s rights, Governor Grisham and the Democratic majority in the legislature also passed a good set of clean energy initiatives that will take good advantage of the state’s bountiful sunlight and wind. You may be seeing some of the results now.
catclub
@bbleh:
I look at states where providers will not mail alcoholic beverages to dry states or dry counties, and see the same thing applying here. Even though mail is federal.
marklar
@Alison Rose: Thanks for continuing to bring up non-Christian perspectives on the abortion question.
If we go back even further than Maimonides, while there is no mention of abortion in the Torah, accidental abortion is discussed in Exodus 21: 22-23. “When men fight and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other misfortune ensues, the one responsible shall be fined as the woman’s husband may exact from him, the payment to be based on judges’ reckoning. But if other misfortune ensues, the penalty shall be life for life.”
In other words, the fetus is looked at as the property of the couple (I know I’m sanitizing the misogyny here), and its destruction is looked at as a property crime. Miscarriage is the further distinguished from murder or manslaughter in the second verse.
If Republicans (and the Court) really cared about religious liberty, they’d stop imposing their non-Biblical religious interpretations on the rest of us.
bbleh
@catclub: Concur, but I think the differences are (1) in this case the providers are motivated, while alcoholic beverage providers are probably like “eh, one more customer, not worth the trouble,” and (2) alcoholic beverages are kinda hard to conceal — the bulk and the gurgles and all — whereas a few tablets can look just like an envelope with a few extra sheets of paper.
I would guess that even if, say, Texas does its vigilante thing and offers rewards for citizens turning in people who receive illegal substances by mail (does anyone else see the parallels with the Stasi? just askin’…), it’ll still be pretty hard to detect. They’d have to pull every envelope out of a mailbox and feel it up and try to look through it and so on, and tampering with the mails — which includes mail in mailboxes — is a Federal offense.
Torrey
@marklar:
However, evangelical and fundamentalist scholars have been busily revising their translations, so that “if her fruit depart from her” (or whatever the Hebrew says) is no longer translated as a miscarriage, but as “if she gives birth prematurely.” (FWIW the Douay-Rheims version, which is Roman Catholic, uses the term “miscarry.”)
Miss Bianca
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Wait, there’s something RFK Jr *doesn’t know about*?