Greetings! I am Dr. Dawne, Chicago’s own board-certified OB/Gyn; my mission is to empower women of all ages with pertinent medical knowledge and proactive reproductive health information that will optimize your physical AND mental health.
I must admit, the recent laws passed in Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri have struck me at my core. I am African American, a woman, a physician, and an Obstetrician/Gynecologist. These laws feel like an attack against me specifically, and against women in general. Personal autonomy has always been a sticking point for me because I am acutely aware of the lack of autonomy African American women have had in this country. As the recipients of both sexism and racism, we bear the brunt of a lot of the harshness seen in this world. This harshness will continue with these recent abortion laws.
I have 4 reasons these recent abortion laws give me pause.
- It puts women, especially POC and poor women, in danger.
Women were having abortions prior to Roe vs Wade, and women will continue to have abortions, even in the above-mentioned states. What will happen is, they will occur outside of the safety of hospitals or surgical centers. Potentially they will occur in places not equip to handle the complications that can and do occur. The lives of these women will be placed in great danger unnecessarily. Surgical abortions are not without risks, and death is a REAL possibility. If surgery has complications, you want someone trained to take care of any problems that may ensue. Let’s be clear, people of means, will still have access to abortions. We are fooling ourselves if we think, a person with the right amount of money will not be able to get a safe abortion for a loved one. We are only creating risks and barriers for those women who don’t otherwise have access.
- These laws were put in place to put in place to mandate a stringent moral/religious code.
Why lawmakers believe they have the right to dictate their moral or religious code to others, is beyond comprehension. The above states have varying degrees of pursuing the preservation of life. Alabama has the death penalty still in place and will execute a prisoner soon. Is that life not worthy to be spared. These recent abortion laws are based on moral and religious grounds; however, history shows us, that one’s morals can look one way in the spotlight, and quite different when folks think no one is watching. Let’s be clear; you, or someone you know, has gotten an abortion. They will continue to do so. Women from ALL ages and walks of life have gotten abortions, because sex is, well, complicated. Women and men may have sex for love, for fun and recreation, for stress relief, for a perceived obligation or duty, under the influence of drugs or alcohol (with or without coercion of said drug/alcohol), by force, or because of a well calculated plan. A woman’s desire to not bear a child has just as many reasons and is quite complicated. Putting laws in place for punishment, will not change that.
- These laws were put in place to elicit control over the bodies of women who desire abortions, and the physicians who perform these surgeries.
They do nothing to protect and preserve the lives of women who are ACTULLY LIVING but serve as a moral or ethical punishment to those whose belief system is unlike the lawmakers. In effect, we are not protecting life, but protecting a belief system, or way of living. It is one group of people, demanding that another group believe what THE FORMER believes, or suffer the consequences.
- It is the easy way out.
It’s easier to create a bill to stop abortion, than to create a bill that gives complete access to healthcare (both mental and medical), at a reasonable price, for the lower and middle class. It’s easier to create a bill to stop abortion, than to create a stable education system that teaches people to think critically for themselves, and not just prepare for an exam. It’s easier to create a bill to stop abortion, than to provide healthy food at reasonable prices, or a health-conscious curriculum in schools for children so they see physical activity as a normal way of life. This will help people not to suffer from obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses later in life; saving health care dollars.
So, for now, these anti-abortion laws are in place. Roe vs Wade is in the crosshairs. If we ever need to be acutely aware of the importance of our vote, it is now. Women’s lives are in the balance.
For more information, and blogs like this, visit my website at DrDawneobgyn.com and follow me on FB, IG YouTube and Twitter at DrDawneObGyn.
Dr. Dawne Collier-Dupart is a board-certified obstetrician gynecologist, women’s health educator, 2X best-selling author, and speaker. Dr. Dawne resides in Chicago with her husband, Olufemi, and puppy Apollo Creed. For further information about how to overcome body shaming, read her new book “The Clever Girl Life: A Teen Guide to Positive Body Image, Self-Confidence, and Life Happiness’, you can find it here.
