Hi, welcome to "Full Frontal."
I'm Samantha Bee, and I have COVID.
Don't worry, I'm fine.
This is just how I look without makeup.
It's also raining as we shoot outside
because God hates women.
Oh, sure, I know the other late night host took the week
off when their hosts got COVID.
But I'm not like those other guys.
I need attention.
Also, we have really important things to talk
about on this week's show.
This could be a pivotal week in our nation's history.
All eyes on this big case, on Roe v. Wade,
that could implicitly overturn the right
to an abortion in this country.
The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will be devastating.
26 states will likely move to ban abortion
immediately, which is a shame.
Because the only interesting thing to do in North Dakota
is get an abortion.
A right to choose whether or not to have a baby
is being dismantled by a party that really [BLEEP]
wants that baby to die as soon as possible after it's born.
Overturning Roe v. Wade impacts reproductive health care
at every level, including for those experiencing miscarriage.
Whether it's abortion or miscarriage,
it's the same procedure.
It's the same medications.
The next generation of physicians
may not be adequately trained to care for miscarriage.
We already know that the same bans in other countries
led to women dying because doctors
were too afraid to treat them.
And there is no excuse for the same thing to happen here now.
I am very concerned about some of the stories we're beginning
to hear in states that are considering that abortion
be considered homicide.
Well, I think the idea that providers might be faced
with criminal liability is going to further erode
the ability of a doctor to act in the best
interest of his or her patient.
Your doctor shouldn't be afraid they'll be
arrested for saving your [BLEEP] life from an ectopic pregnancy.
The only thing your doctor should be afraid of
is the old soda bottle in the rectum.
Rectum?
Damn near killed him.
The legal consequences of this decision
aren't limited to providers.
You also see, and this is what happened in Oklahoma, courts
that have redefined child neglect statutes
to include embryos and fetuses.
And thousands of women have been arrested
and prosecuted for things that they do while pregnant.
As soon as Roe versus Wade falls,
that explicit protection ends.
And I think that what you can see in these cases
is that there's a real willingness
among prosecutors to go after women
for their pregnancy outcomes.
Medical professionals say that these prosecutions are often
based on faulty science and disproportionately
hurt low income women and women of color, which at this point
is basically the slogan for our country.
And if you think Republicans will stop at abortion itself,
well, bless your heart.
REPORTER 1: Some red state legislators
in places like Idaho are even prepared
to outlaw some of the most popular forms of birth control.
You heard that right-- outlaw birth control.
What's next, outlaw condoms?
Oh, wait, that's actually a great name
for a condom company.
When Republicans propose bills that suggest life begins
at fertilization, they're making the argument
that just having an IUD could be a form of murder.
It is not.
It is a form of making sure the boyfriend
you had in your early 20s doesn't stay in your life
forever.
I'll be honest, I feel helpless.
I feel rage that every woman in America
has been left to make a plan for how to take care of themselves
in a country that values a zygote more than them.
I feel like my throat hurts.
It's probably just the COVID.
For years, one safe option for many has been abortion pills.
In 2020, they accounted for just over half of abortions
in the United States.
WOMAN: You can usually take the abortion
pill during the first 11 weeks of pregnancy.
When you use the abortion pill, you actually
take two different medicines to end a pregnancy--
mifepristone and misoprostol.
Abortion pills are revolutionary.
They could help millions of people,
even in states where abortion is restricted.
I mean, just think--
if Penny had access to abortion pills in "Dirty Dancing,"
she would have missed one dance, tops.
Baby would have never had to fill in, which means she would
have never fallen in love with Johnny,
and she would have gone to Mount Holyoke
in the fall never having known the sensual touch
of an older man on her armpit.
And that is the only example in history of abortion
pills making things worse.
Last year, the FDA began allowing
the pills to be sent by mail, which has
resulted in increased demand.
So it's not surprising that they're the latest battleground
for forced birth activists.
REPORTER 2: 19 states have already
banned telehealth abortions, requiring
a clinician be present when the woman takes the medication.
Right now, two appointments are required.
Some lawmakers want to mandate three appointments.
It is already a very huge lift to have these women
come back for two appointments.
There's no medical reason.
There is no medical reason to put vulnerable people
through any of this.
The only reason, beginning to end, is control.
Republicans want to control our bodies.
And by overturning Roe, they succeed.
There are now three generations who
don't understand what life was like in a world without Roe.
They weren't around to see the desperation that drove hundreds
of thousands of American women to get
illegal abortions, many of which were self-induced.
Three generations haven't experienced a world in which
people had no choice but to throw themselves downstairs,
ingest bleach, or use knitting needles,
scissors , and coat hangers.
Three generations haven't lived in a world
where hundreds of women needlessly died each year.
Medical advances mean we shouldn't
have to go back there.
But it is insane that a Supreme Court that doesn't represent
the majority of Americans will cause
women more death and suffering.
I can't describe how painful it is to be here now,
in a place where the Supreme Court has the power to erase
50 years of constitutional law.
Make no mistake, this is not where it ends.
Conservatives will not rest until they have
come for all of our rights.
Everything we have fought for could
be lost unless we take it back.
It's not just about voting in November.
It's about doing everything in our power
to protect and help vulnerable people access
abortion across state lines.
And we have to raise hell--
in our cities, in Washington, in every restaurant
Justice Alito eats at for the rest of his life.
Because if Republicans have made our lives hell,
it's time to return the favor.
We'll be right back.
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