Conservative states are using coronavirus as an excuse to outlaw abortion

A number of conservative U.S. governors are using coronavirus as an excuse to shut down all abortion services in their states, calling them “non-essential” procedures. On Tuesday, the federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ban on abortion in Texas, and “it is expected” that Louisiana and Mississippi, also in the circuit court’s jurisdiction, will now be able to put their bans into “immediate effect,” according to progressive organization MoveOn.org. Also on Tuesday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued an executive order banning health care workers in his state from providing abortions.

Holcomb said in a Tuesday press conference that he issued the order “irrespective of your viewpoints on any one issue,” and cited a potential surge in coronavirus cases as his reason for the ban, according to The Indianapolis Star.

The governors and attorneys general of Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Alabama have demanded the closure of their states’ abortion clinics, unlike politicians in New York, Washington, and New Jersey, who have instead declared such clinics essential services—which allows them to continue operating during the outbreak. The conservative governors have said the closure of the clinics would save critical medical protective gear (PPE), much needed in hospitals for the fight against coronavirus.

MoveOn.org, however, points out that “abortion procedures are typically carried out in medical facilities that do not take care of people with respiratory illnesses. This means that patients receiving abortion care are not taking up needed hospital beds. These radical governors are also claiming that clinic closures are a way to provide additional personal protective equipment, or PPE, for the medical professionals treating coronavirus patients—but that is simply a lie.

“If these states wanted to save PPE, they could lift restrictions on telemedicine for abortion providers and allow doctors to prescribe abortion medication that can be taken safely at home,” the group added. “Not one of these states has done so.”

Whole Women’s Health, one of the last remaining abortion providers in Texas, has quickly had to cancel 150 appointments, while Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas has had to cancel 200.

“For many, especially low-income people and people of color, the cost of traveling to another state—on top of the added risk of exposure to the coronavirus—will mean that they have lost access to abortion altogether,” MoveOn.org wrote to its members.

While some governors have attempted to make the closures sound unrelated to their pro-life views, framing them instead as a necessary health measure during the outbreak, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said, “We’ll take whatever action we need to to protect not only the lives of unborn children, but also the lives of anyone who may contract this particular virus,” Politico reported on March 24.