Happy Spring everyone!
Along with spring came the end of the legislative session. As is usually the case, League priorities had wins and losses. In the area of healthcare, behavioral health, and substance abuse received significant focus. For details on the legislative session, see the March 13 LWVWA Legislative Newsletter.
Of major concern is the issue of for-profit healthcare providers. The Vermont LWV is leading a move to update the national position on healthcare regarding for-profit healthcare providers. Unfortunately, I think we have a more basic problem: there is no national consensus that adequate healthcare is a basic right that should be available to everyone, particularly in wealthy nations such as ours.
In the reproductive rights arena, we are awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the drugs used for medication abortion. Medical abortions are used by 63% of those needing to terminate a pregnancy. What would I say to someone who doesn’t believe in abortion: Don’t have one.
Until the Dobbs decision, the issue of abortions involving miscarriages, fetal abnormalities, mothers’ health, etc. were relegated to misinformation on “partial birth” abortions. As more women tell their stories, people are coming to understand that these procedures are rare, personal traumatic circumstances that need to be made by the mother and her physician. Period.
I firmly believe that if the government can tell people that they cannot terminate a pregnancy, choose death with dignity, receive gender affirming treatments or other healthcare need, the government could force just the opposite. As you vote, hear the news and talk to people, I ask all of you to keep in mind that bodily autonomy is the most basic of human rights.