Statement on Roe v. Wade SCOTUS Draft Opinion

YWCA Spokane intentionally supports the health, safety and autonomy of women, girls and marginalized genders. Our national organization, YWCA USA, has supported reproductive rights since 1967, and submitted an amicus brief in the December 2021 case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Our staff is dedicated to helping people regain their autonomy, safety and choice, often after years of abuse. We cannot be silent when this core tenet of our mission is attacked.

This is an economic issue. 

In Spokane, we can barely afford our housing and childcare in today’s precarious economic environment. DV survivors are hit even harder by these rising costs. More than 80% of our clients at YWCA Spokane in 2021 had incomes below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level ($21,960 for a family of 3). The most common reason people seek abortion is that they cannot afford a child.

This is a DV issue and a health issue. 

Forced pregnancy is coercive control. Abusers often pressure or coerce their  partners into becoming pregnant or into continuing or ending a pregnancy.

Abusers often threaten to hurt their partner if they refuse to become pregnant; use physical or economic control to prevent their partner from obtaining birth control, and hide or destroy birth control. Additionally, the U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world.

Washington State has a robust health system, including access to abortion care. But this system will inevitably be strained. A few states are not designed to care for the entire population of the US. Our healthcare system is already strained from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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