Planned Parenthood advocates gathered earlier this month in downtown St. Paul to discuss reproductive health myths and legislative queries with the professionals at our latest Born After Roe event. Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene and Planned Parenthood’s Associate Medical Director Dr. Christy Boraas debunked myths and laid out the facts in a candid manner while answering questions related to birth control, fertility, sex, and reproductive rights legislation from the audience.
These eye-roll inducing myths have been turning into laws across the country left and right. Some legislators will go to great lengths to push through anti-choice bills – including making use of misleading, false medical science. Reproductive health care myths inform many recently enacted laws set to restrict the rights of women. For example, even though there is no correlation between having an abortion and getting breast cancer, some states require abortion providers to lie to their patient by telling them there is a correlation.
Here are more examples of how reproductive health myths have been making their way into our laws:
- Medical abortions are delivered through two pills taken 48 hours apart from each other. Both Arizona and Arkansas recently passed laws requiring medical professionals to tell their patients that reversing a medical abortion is possible if they change their mind after taking the first pill, despite the fact this claim is not scientifically supported.
- Although most women don’t reconsider having an abortion after they have chosen to have one, laws requiring women to wait between deciding to have an abortion and having the procedure have become widespread. Oklahoma passed a law this year requiring a 72 hour waiting period - the latest of four states passing a law with a 72 hour delay for a decision already made by a patient. Arkansas and Tennessee fall next in line with their recently passed law requiring a 48 hour waiting period. Bills that add restrictions to when a woman can end a pregnancy are designed to limit the accessibility of a personal choice. Read more about the impact of these laws here.
Having to sort through fiction to find the facts on reproductive health care means a woman’s right to choose is far from safe and accessible in our current political climate. If you believe in everyone’s right to reproductive health and self-determination and want to get involved, join Born After Roe!
-Kayleen, Planned Parenthood Minnesota Advocate Intern