To get the full scope of the
impact of today's ruling,
we want to turn now to talking about
how this might affect people of color.
Joining us. To talk more about that this
afternoon is Danielle Phillips Cunningham.
She's the chair of the multicultural
women and Gender Studies Department
at Texas Women's University and has
spoken nationally on this topic.
Danielle, thank you for being with us
this afternoon and just to start off,
I'd just like to get your top
line thoughts on that.
How will this affect communities of color?
Yes, thank you for having me.
This will disproportionately
impact on women of color,
especially if we're looking within
a state like Texas that has one of
the highest maternal mortality rates
among women of color in the country,
and so the majority of women who
are disproportionately impacted
by pregnancy health related.
Issues are black and Latino women,
so this will disproportionately impact them.
Let's talk a little bit if we can
Danielle about the opportunity,
the ability to travel because that
has been discussed a lot today.
The ability to to go to another
place to to find abortion providers.
That is another place in which
Texas is kind of unique.
This is a really big state.
It takes a long time.
Especially if you're going by
car to get to another state,
and now we're seeing that
the states around Texas.
They also had trigger laws that go
into a place just like Texas has,
and so we're seeing abortions
become illegal all around Texas,
except when you look out to let's
say New Mexico or Colorado,
that could still be an option for some women,
but it's going to be a real struggle
for for many women as well.
Yes, that that's absolutely correct.
So when we look at, for example,
Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas,
the leaders of those states have
made it perfectly clear where they
stand on abortion and restricting
and outlawing abortion rights.
So we have New Mexico.
As you mentioned,
that does not plan on doing that.
However, there will be an incredible
strain on the abortion clinics.
In that state,
because many women from Texas,
Texas is a huge state,
so lots of women will probably
try to seek health safe abortions
there in Mexico as well as women
from Oklahoma and from Louisiana.
So what we're going to see is that
they're going to be really long waiting
lists for women who are seeking abortions,
and that's going to put an incredible.
Strain and burden on those clinics
over there and also in terms
of getting back to earlier how
this will impact women of color.
On average.
Women of color make less
than other groups of women,
and they typically don't work in
jobs that allow them the flexibility
to take time off.
So even if women in Texas women of
color were to travel to a further.
State Father states such as New York,
for example,
or Illinois that's gonna be also
very difficult because many of the
jobs that women of color work and
are concentrated in don't give that
room to take that much time off.
Just like other communities in this country.
Obviously you know women of color, you know.
There are probably plenty of
those across the country who
feel great about the decision.
Today and totally support it.
I would imagine that you hear
from women of color who are on
the other end of the spectrum.
From that and I would just like to
ask you what have you been hearing
from individual women after this
decision came down this morning?
If you could just sort
of typify the emotions,
yeah? The majority of the women who I have
heard from and as well as in you know,
women who have been polled in
national studies support Roe, V Wade,
and so the people who do not support Roe V.
Wade are in the minority in this country.
As studies have shown,
over 60% of Americans support Roe V Wade,
so the majority of women
as well as people and men.
Also support there are a lot
of men who support Roe V Wade,
so people are saddened.
Heartbroken are also angry that now women
don't have control over their own bodies,
so there's a mixture of motions.
Personally,
for someone who is 40 years old like myself,
I just never imagined living in a post Roe V.
World or Roe V Wade.
World where this would be taken away
from women and where we would be
become second class citizens where
we wouldn't have control over our
own bodies and also what's concerning
is that this is just the tip of the
iceberg that there is more to come
in terms of restricting women's
access to contraceptives.
For example,
I'm limiting women's healthcare services so.
So that's also what's concerning right now.
Yeah, as you say, after so many
years of fierce debate on this topic,
it feels like the conversation
has just gotten started.
A new here, and we want to thank
you for joining this conversation
with us here this afternoon.
Danielle Phillips Cunningham,
the chair of multicultural Women
and Gender Studies at the department
at the Texas Women's University.
Thank you so much for being
with us this afternoon.
Thank you.