Abortion Clinic To Arrive In Gulf of Mexico
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Pro-abortion activists looked at the seas Monday after a California doctor proposed a floating abortion clinic in the Gulf of Mexico for women in southern states where the procedure is banned.
Dr. Meg Autry, an obstetrician, gynecologist, and professor at the University of California San Francisco, wants to provide an abortion clinic aboard a ship in federal waters.
He said the clinic, out of reach of state laws, would offer first-trimester surgical abortions, contraception “and other care.”
The idea isn’t new. Women on Waves (WoW), a Netherlands-based group created in 1999 by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts, offers similar services.
When WoW visits a country, abortion-seeking are taken on board the ship. The vessel then sails out some 20 kilometers (12 miles) to international waters, where Dutch laws are valid on board ships registered in the Netherlands.
Once in international waters, the ship’s medics provide what they call “a range of reproductive health services” that includes “medical abortion.”
“REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS”
Dr. Autry now wants to introduce these services near the American coasts. “There’s been an assault on reproductive rights in our country. And I’m a lifelong advocate for reproductive health and choice,” she said in published remarks.
“We must create options and be thoughtful and creative to help people in restrictive states get the health care they deserve.”
The proposal comes as abortion access in the southern United States has been swiftly curtailed after the U.S. Supreme Court turned the issue of abortion back to the states.
Dr. Autry said the idea is only in the fundraising stage through the non-profit, “PRROWESS” — short for “Protecting Reproductive Rights Of Women Endangered by State Statutes.”
Christian groups providing support for pregnant women have questioned the approach.
They say women facing unwanted pregnancies are not given alternative options and that many girls and women who had one or more abortions later regretted their decisions.
EXECUTIVE ORDER
Over the weekend, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order “to protect” access to abortion after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago.
He made clear the actions he outlined are to mitigate some potential penalties women seeking abortion may face after the June 24 ruling.
The Catholic president’s efforts to restore abortion rights have raised questions within the Vatican.
Unlike Biden, the Vatican has praised the U.S. Supreme Court for what it says is standing for life and reversing the country’s nearly 50-year stance on abortion.
Biden doesn’t share the Vatican’s views. “The fastest way to restore Roe is to pass a national law,” Biden said.
He referred to the recently overturned Roe v. Wade ruling, which declared abortion a nationwide constitutional right.
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.