Good news today:
Missouri prison officials must provide transportation to inmates seeking abortions even if the mother’s life is not in jeopardy, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
A Missouri Department of Corrections policy instituted last year violated the constitutional rights of incarcerated women who could not otherwise have access to abortion services they legally are entitled to, U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple ruled in Kansas City.
Being incarcerated for a crime does not mean that you give up your right to bodily autonomy. And naturally, this is just another anti-choice strategy to chip away at abortion rights.
Gov. Matt Blunt issued a statement urging the attorney general to fight.
“This ruling violates our traditional Missouri values and is an affront to everyone that values the sanctity of human life,” Blunt said.
Anti-choicers are smart: They focus on the populations that they think no one will care about, and they try and take away their rights first. Poor women. Women of color. Minor girls. Women in prison. I’m glad they lost this battle.
Of course, not every aspect of the story is so great: The state cited security concerns in their reasons for not allowing the transfer of women to hospitals or clinics to terminate their pregnancies. But the judge in the case was quick to note that the pregnant women are restrained during transport and during the procedure.
Thanks to Sarah for the link.