Power to Decide Announces Abortion Search Tool
Even in 2020, women's reproductive health care continues to be attacked: during the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC), anti-choice activists declared (opens in new tab) that President Donald Trump is the "most pro-life president ever," and the president himself has previously ( opens in new tab) suggested that Roe v. Wade (opens in new tab), the Supreme Court decision giving women the right to choose abortion, could be overturned during his presidency. Most recently, President Trump released a short list (opens in new tab) of conservatives he has promised to nominate to the Supreme Court if he wins reelection in November.
That is why groups like Power to Decide (open in new tab), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to "ensure that everyone, no matter who they are, where they live, or what their economic situation is, has the power to decide whether, when, and under what circumstances they will conceive and bear a child," Groups like Power to Decide (open in new tab), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to "empowering all people to decide whether, when, and under what circumstances to have children," are stepping in to provide the information women need. Today, with the help of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (opens in new tab) (PPFA), National Abortion Federation (opens in new tab) (NAF), and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (opens in new tab) (ANSIRH), Power to Decide launched a digital abortion search tool that allows women to safely and easily find abortion service providers in their area.
"This is an important tool for the critical moment we are in to ensure that people have access to reproductive health services, no matter who they are, where they live, or what their economic situation is," said Power to Decide CEO Gillian Sealy told Marie Claire. "Our commitment is to make sure [the abortion search tool] is constantly updated and provides the information people need to access abortion services. Abortion is part of health care and should be treated as such."
Power to Decide's abortion search tool, accessible at AbortionFinder.org (opens in new tab), features over 750 verified abortion service clinics nationwide and lists state laws that may restrict access to abortion care also included. It can also be found at Bedsider.org (opens in new tab), a project of Power to Decide, which aims to provide people with information about reproductive health. Power to Decide is committed to ensuring that this tool is accessible to all, especially COVID -19 (opens in new tab), and hopes to make the information more accessible to black and brown people who are disproportionately affected and constantly face barriers to accessing needed reproductive health care.
"There have been many moves by states to use the pandemic and stay-at-home orders as a pretext to ban abortion as a non-essential procedure," explained Seeley, adding that Texas (opens in new tab), Oklahoma (opens in new tab), Tennessee (open in new tab), Ohio (open in new tab), Louisiana (open in new tab), and Arkansas (open in new tab). She said, "Abortion care is a time-sensitive issue. We want to make sure people can see their health care providers."
The Trump administration recently filed an emergency petition (opens in new tab) with the Supreme Court to reinstate restrictions requiring patients seeking early abortion pills to travel to a doctor's office and risk exposure to the virus rather than receive them in the mail. Again, this affects people of color the most (opens in new tab). As the fight for reproductive rights continues, Seeley advises people to pay close attention to their states' laws and remember that abortion is legal in the United States, no matter what misinformation is spread.
FIND ABORTION SERVICES NEAR ME (open in new tab)
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