As progressives, we fight back when Louisiana denies women a living wage, paid leave and child care, and protection from domestic violence and sexual assault.

Why aren’t we fighting back when Louisiana denies women abortion care?

With only three abortion clinics in the state, three-fourths of Louisiana women live in parishes with no clinic that provides abortion care. Additional laws aim to shame, pressure and punish women for their personal healthcare decisions, with restrictions that include a 24-hour waiting period and parental consent for minors.

The crisis in abortion access in Louisiana is decades in the making, and is the result of Louisiana politicians of both parties who for years imposed personal beliefs often rooted in religion onto their constituents. In Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards’ support for raising the minimum wage and equal pay for women was lauded by state progressives. More than 433,000 Louisianans now have healthcare coverage as a result of the Governor’s commitment to Medicaid expansion.  Yet, these advances are tarnished; Edwards signed into law seven new abortion restrictions that shame and punish women for personal health care decisions.

Read more in Cosmopolitan, “Anti-Abortion Democrats Put Women at Risk: Take a lesson from Louisiana,” Amy Irvin, Executive Director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund.

Healthcare is a human right.  Leaders of the Democratic Party and progressive movement are fighting to ensure affordable, accessible healthcare for everyone. They must also lead on abortion access, and resist the temptation to abandon core principles to satisfy short-term election wins.

Current abortion restrictions:

Furthermore, state and federal bans on public funding for abortion care concentrate the most severe and negative consequences of these policies among low-income women and women of color. Poor women are five times more likely to have an abortion and six times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy. We must fight for a full range of options for pregnant women, and against racism and economic injustice, to ensure that people can make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

Women who are denied an abortion are three times more likely to wind up unemployed or in poverty after two years, compared to women in comparable financial situations who were able to access one.¹

These long-lasting economic burdens placed on women cannot be overstated.

Abortion is part of a continuum of reproductive healthcare, and healthcare is a human right. When politicians prioritize restricting abortion care over improving our communities, women pay the price.