“It’s like seeing a train coming towards you,” Kaluta, who received the news on her 24th birthday, told CNN. “And finally it hit you. And it still hurts you more than you thought.”
Mia Hatcheryan, who lives in New York, said she felt guilty knowing that abortions were legal in her home state, while those living in other states would be subject to anti-abortion laws.
“I want women in other states to see the swelling of support – that the huge number (of demonstrators) is sending a message,” said Hatcheryan, 32, the daughter of a Filipina mother and an Armenian father. “Knowing that colored women will bear the brunt of this decision” made sitting at home raging on social media impossible, she added.
Black women sought the highest abortion rate in the United States in 2019, representing 38.4% of all abortions, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. They also have the highest abortion rate – 23.8 abortions per 1,000 women, the data show. Spanish women sought 21% of all abortions in 2019, according to the data. In addition, black women who are pregnant or have just given birth in the United States are three to four times more likely to die than their white counterparts, according to the CDC.
As news of the decision surfaced on Friday morning, proponents and opponents of abortion gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC.
A man – standing among posters featuring the messages “Roo is dead” and “I am the generation after Rowe” - sprayed champagne in the air above the others who were celebrating. There were several dozen opponents of abortion rights at the scene in the afternoon, but they appear to have been filtered out by the crowd by evening.
As of Saturday, 13 states have enacted laws banning abortion in light of the ruling. These states are Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming.
In some cases, the laws take effect immediately, with some coming into force after a certain period of time or requiring certification by civil servants.
The abortion ban is now in place in at least six states: Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Abortion providers have canceled dozens of meetings
Abortion providers in Arizona and Arkansas have already begun suspending abortion services.
Family Planning Associates, Planned Parenthood Arizona and Tucson Choices in Arizona have stopped due to lack of legal clarity, according to publications on their websites.
Dr Deshon Taylor, who manages the family planning of Desert Star in Phoenix, said her clinic had canceled about 20 abortion appointments that were originally scheduled for Friday until next week.
“We are committed to keeping our doors open, if we can, so that we can provide abortion care once it is safe to do so. I believe we will be in some dark times for a while, I hope not too long, but I believe the pendulum will turn back. “
On Friday, the Republican group in the Arizona Senate issued a note stating that the state must immediately enforce the law before Rowe, which bans most abortions unless the procedure is necessary to save the mother’s life.
In Arkansas, Little Rock Planned Parenthood canceled between 60 and 100 appointments for people who had scheduled abortion procedures or were in the process of planning, Dr. Janet Cathy told CNN.
“There were patients who said they were in their car and one of them asked us, ‘It’s gonna be okay, isn’t it?’ And we had to tell them, ‘No, we have to obey the law,'” Cathy told CNN. “Most patients were desperate or panicking,” she added.
Cathy added that patients had been contacted by the Planned Parents’ Office in Overland Park, Kansas, adding that her office had “arranged for some to be relocated there.”
Little Rock is about 7 hours from Overland Park. But for these patients in southern Arkansas, travel time is closer to 10 hours, Cathy said.
“We saw people from Louisiana and Texas who also came to see us. Some called from Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. They will also be affected, “she added.
Leaders respond quickly to protect abortion rights
State and local leaders have taken steps to protect and expand abortion rights, with some considering the influx of patients from states banning legal abortions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Friday protecting against any potential civil action originating outside the state for anyone who performs, assists or receives an abortion in the state. It also protects residents outside of California who seek reproductive health care in the state.
In Mississippi – where the abortion ban is scheduled to take effect 10 days after the Attorney General certified the Supreme Court’s decision – the owner of the state’s last abortion clinic insisted it remain open during that period to provide services.
Diane Derzis, who heads the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, said she was not giving up and that its doors were open.
“I will tell you that every patient who contacts us will see him. We will make sure to see him during these 10 days,” Derzis said at a news conference on Friday. “The woman does not have to leave the state to get medical help.”
Derzis said her team plans to open a new clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where they will continue to provide services.
CNN’s Gregory Krieg, Virginia Langmaid, Natasha Chen, Sarah Smart, Claudia Dominguez, Cherry Mosberg, Kylie Westhoff, Alta Spells and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
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