Homicide is the leading cause of maternal death, surpassing medical causes, according to a JAMA Network Open study. The University of South Carolina researchers found intimate partners are the primary perpetrators, with laws in Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas increasing risks.
No surprises here–just the depressing, disgusting truth. Where are most of these homicides taking place? I’m glad you asked! From the article:
“Using violent death reports compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2018 to 2021, the researchers found there was a significant risk ratio for being murdered by an intimate partner in states with barriers to finalizing divorce while pregnant. Arkansas, Missouri and Texas currently have such restrictions.”
Shit-hole states?! (Credit where it’s due–Missouri and Arkansas will allow for an abortion in the case of a medical emergency, so at least they’re not Texas-level insane…) Thank god i was reading this near my fainting couch. I never would have guessed they would protect rapists from having their illegitimate offspring aborted!
But wait–that’s not all:
“Rates were also higher in states that require a waiting period or parental consent and notification for an abortion. That’s a particular concern since it’s estimated that 18% of rape-related pregnancies are perpetrated by a family member, the researchers wrote.”
Well, i think that’s about enough Internet for today 😶
Missouri legalized abortion, so hopefully that helps a bit.
Well damn, i rescind my shit-hole statement for Missouri. Guess you really can’t paint an entire state by the way they vote ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Abortion has broad support from both Republican and Democrat voters everywhere. Which is why you have even more authoritarian states like Florida and Nebraska requiring 2/3rds of the vote to pass abortion. Voter disenfranchisement is their primary weapon. It clearly works, unfortunately.
It certainly does 😐 unbelievable how easily people can be led to voting so acutely against their own interests while enabling the very worst things they fear.
I was reading an article Ed Zitron recently wrote about the post-election state of affairs and one big takeaway i got was the lack of accountability by our media has got to be one of the keys here. By that i mean you rarely ever see push-back or follow-up questions pressing harder for a real answer. We know why that happens to some degree (mainstream media is owned by the billionaires plus journalists don’t want to be un-invited from future engagements) but among the long-term effects is that we have an unbelievably misinformed populous that’s angry for good reasons but is actually voting for the people most responsible for their suffering.
There’s so much more to it than just that, of course. I will say it’s nice to see people on both sides of the aisle agree on the need for abortion rights though. It’s fucking absurd it’s gotten to this point in the first place. I remember reading a report on the morning of election day about a young woman who died in Texas recently because she was denied an abortion after miscarrying and ultimately died. I was naively optimistic the rest of the nation was on board to put an end to that kind of shit. At least most states are not completely batshit (yet?! I have no idea where all this is leading now)