Judy: In the coming days, the
U.S. The prim court is expected
to issue what could be a
momentous decision upending
abortion rights.
Last month, a leaked draft
revealed conservative justices
were preparing to overturn roe
V. Wade, leaving abortion
regulation to the states.
It is not clear how closely a
final opinion will reflect the
draft, but the leak alone has
already reshaped abortion access
for millions of Americans.
I'm joined now by "Newshour"
community reporters Adam Kemp in
Oklahoma City, Gabrielle Hayes
in St. Louis, and Kristin zero
Rodriguez delgado in Fresno,
California.
Hello to all of you.
I know you have done a lot of
reporting around this and I want
to ask you about it.
I know the state of Oklahoma,
there has been a lot of movement
around abortion access.
Tell us, remind us, what are the
rules, the restrictions now, and
how might they change in coming
days?
>> That's right.
Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt
signed house bill 4320 seven
late last month, which
effectively outlaws abortion in
the state almost entirely.
That comes on the heels of a
different band the government
signed earlier in may which
outlawed abortion after six
weeks, which is before most
women know that they are
pregnant.
It is important to know that it
is and election year, and
governor Stitt is seeking
reelection here in Oklahoma.
He has promised to sign every
antiabortion measure that
reaches his desk, and he has
signed five so far this year.
Abortion advocates say this
latest one is the strictest in
the nation, as it not only
outlaws abortion at
fertilization but also allows
private citizens to sue one
another.
There are a few exceptions to
this law.
To save the life of the mother
is one of them as well as for
incidents of rape and incest,
but those incidents have to have
been reported to law
enforcement.
Judy: How are abortion providers
responding to all this?
>> Abortion providers have
effectively ended abortions.
They are not providing them
right now.
The four clinics in the state
stopped them, both medical and
surgical abortions.
Planned parenthood operates two
clinics in the state, and they
actually stopped providing
abortions after the six-we could
ban went into effect in early
may.
>> We have seen already that
Oklahoma patients have been
displaced from our clinics
because of the massive influx of
patients from Texas.
We see a lot of patients that
come from Texas, and we were
seeing many in Oklahoma coming
from Texas, and I always think
there must be thousands of
patients that do not have the
means to make it to be seen in
Oklahoma, to be seen in Tulsa,
to be seen in Kansas, to be seen
in Colorado or New Mexico.
>> Talking to providers on the
ground here in Oklahoma, they
are referring patients to nearby
states -- Kansas, New Mexico,
Raleigh -- Kansas, New Mexico,
Colorado, as far as California
to find care.
Different funds have been set up
here in Oklahoma to help provide
money for travel costs as well
as hotel stays, travel care, and
the price of the procedure
itself.
Judy: Gabrielle Hayes in St.
Louis, if roe is overturned by
the supreme court, what would
abortion access look like in
Missouri?
>> The story goes back to 2019
when Missouri passed a law that
would almost entirely ban
abortions in the state if roe
does fall.
The only exception there is is
for medical emergencies.
It is also important to note
that when that law was passed,
it was challenged in the federal
courts almost immediately, a day
before it was set to go into
effect, it was held up or
blocked by a judge and has been
held up in litigation last
couple of years, so it is still
tied up, and if it were to fall,
it would be almost a complete
ban.
I would also note that after the
draft came out, we did see our
attorney general kind of already
say he is prepared to make an
opinion that would support that.
Judy: If roe, if the decision
that dates back to the 1970's is
overturned, how would abortion
providers respond to that
capital
I know you have been talking to
them.
Remind us, what is the access
right now to abortion in
Missouri?
>> Right now, there is only one
clinic in the whole state that a
person can go to to get access
to an abortion.
Not long after the law was
passed, they had a banner on the
building that said "Still here."
Today they have a new banner
that says "Celebrating 90
years."
That lets the community know
they can still have access to
abortion.
It is also important to note
that there are states around
Missouri where people have
access as well.
We know places across the river
in Illinois, clinics over on
that side of the river are
already preparing to be able to
offer services if roe in fact
does fall.
Judy: I want to turn out to
Fresno, California.
As we said in a moment ago, if
the supreme court overturns roe,
the decision goes back to the
states.
California is one of the states
we expect that we'll be looking
to protect women's access
further.
What do you see going on there
in that regard?
>> That is exactly right.
Before news of the supreme court
leak, California had actually
been moving [indiscernible]
The governor had previously been
moving to eliminate
out-of-pocket costs for
abortions and had allowed
abortion to be included in
medical insurance covered --
coverage plans.
The governor announced the state
would move to amend the
constitution to enshrine
abortion rights in the
constitution, so now legislators
are working on that and they
have until the end of this month
to put that on the ballot for
November.
But legislators are also going a
step further, including most
recently, moving forward with
bills that would essentially
strengthen reproductive care
rights in the state.
One of those includes shielding
pregnant women who might have a
miscarriage from prosecution.
We recently saw here two
high-profile cases of women who
were prosecuted for having
stillborn babies over alleged
use of drugs, and civil rights
lawyers were alarmed by that.
These bills are intended to
protect women from that
prosecution, but the state in
general is moving forward to
strengthen the right to abortion
and the general right to
reproductive care in the state.
Judy: We heard Adam refer and
moment ago to have -- how
Oklahoma abortion providers were
overwhelmed as women from Texas
came across the border, looking
to seek access to abortion.
Tell us about the situation
around providers in California.
Are they prepared if roe is
overturned and women come across
the border into California
seeking abortions?
>> I spoke to planned parenthood
, and they told me they had
anticipated this and they had
expanded their capacity for
patients who might be coming
from different states.
They had also been training more
clinicians in order to provide
those services if they see these
influxes, but advocates from
planned parenthood are also
keeping a very close eye in
places like the San Joaquin
valley where access to abortion
is more limited than it is in
other parts of the state.
One of the things also is
planned parenthood is trying to
make sure that services are not
permitted for people in
California and that they are
able to provide these services
to residents in state but still
able to accommodate people who
might be coming from different
states.
Judy: We know as we wait to see
what the supreme court does, all
eyes will be on the states.
To see how they handle whatever
the decision is.
I want to thank all three of you
.
Thank you so much.