On July 3, 2019, US Federal District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett temporarily blocked the Ohio abortion ban with a preliminary injunction. This ruling blocks Senate Bill 23 – also known as the Heartbeat Bill - signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on April 11, 2019, and the abortion ban that would have taken effect on July 10, 2019 - and would have made safe abortion care illegal after 6 weeks.
In late June 2019, New Voices for Reproductive Justice launched the #ThisBlackBody campaign in Ohio that focused on the impact an abortion ban has on the reproductive health of Black women, femmes and folx. The first goal of the #ThisBlackBody campaign was to defeat the abortion ban in Ohio.
"Abortion access is under attack in Ohio and across this nation; and we know that when safe abortions are criminalized, black bodies are affected first and most. New Voices for Reproductive Justice is overjoyed about this federal court ruling; however, this fight is not over. It is imperative that we continue to organize Black women, femmes and folx for leadership in the Reproductive Justice movement to resist the ways in which our bodies are controlled, exploited, and criminalized by government and our institutions."
July 3 was a win; but the fight is not over.
Because as we know, This Black Body continues to be under attack.
#ThisBlackBody suffers from pregnancy-related complications, 3.3 times the rate of white women.
#ThisBlackBody is more likely to be uninsured due to income inequality, face greater financial barriers to care when it needs it and is less likely to access quality prenatal care due to systemic barriers
#ThisBlackBody experiences higher rates of preventable diseases and chronic health conditions including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, all of which influence both maternal and infant health outcomes.
#ThisBlackBody is criminalized when the actuality of miscarriage can be contested by the government
#ThisBlackBody lives with a legacy of reproductive oppression, and continues to experience reproductive coercion - leading to a distrust of the healthcare system that further exacerbates disparities
#ThisBlackBody is issued a death warrant when we make safe abortion illegal
When abortion - and potentially, by extension, miscarriage - is criminalized, we know who will be harmed first: the same communities already being jailed for living in our nation without the right immigration papers, the pregnant asylum seekers being shackled by US Marshals, the black and brown bodies scrutinized by police in our neighborhoods, and the same communities chastised by politicians for having too many children. The anti-abortion movement has always used white supremacist rhetoric — like comparing black women having abortions to slaughtering puppies — and to further their goals, while claiming to care about us. Our fight for reproductive justice is more than the right to an abortion: it’s about ensuring that black people have the rights, resources, and safety nets to ensure we can truly thrive.
I encourage you to join the #ThisBlackBody movement.