The last door has closed for women in West Virginia. The only clinic still offering abortions in that state stopped performing them last Friday, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision to strike down Roe v. wadehis judgment of 1973 which had changed the course of things for American women.
Without the national protection conferred by the Roe judgment of 1973, the States remain the only masters on board to allow or prohibit this procedure which is tearing the nation apart.
In West Virginia, an article of the Criminal Code enacted in 1882 criminalizes abortions both for the patients and for those who practice them: they are punishable by a 10-year prison sentence. It is not yet clear how the state will enforce this provision, while even its governor, Jim Justice, has signaled that he would not hesitate to call a special session of the legislature if the laws need to be clarified.
But the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia, founded in 1976, did not run the risk: the clinic located in the capital, Charleston, says it “was forced to stop offering abortions and care related to this procedure immediately , until further notice “. Chance of the calendar, the clinic celebrated that evening in gala mode its 46e anniversary.
“There are no more options,” said 31-year-old West Virginian Kelsey Blankenhorn.
Leah Turley, met at a street festival in Charleston, dropped an anxious air: it’s the end in West Virginia.
What will the women do? Either they will end up having to carry the child to term, or they will go to a “friendly state” that still offers abortions. But the poorest will not have this possibility, denounces the 36-year-old woman.
Alex, 26, offered this answer with many silences and hesitations: the “illegal options” will probably be “safer” than before.
In a message posted online, the Charleston clinic recommends that women in need of an abortion use the “abortionfinder.org” tool. Relief funds that have been around for some time are offering to financially help women who will have to travel far from home to get the procedure, and neighboring states, like Maryland, are arranging to accommodate the influx of patients.
“They just have to protect themselves and be responsible, or go to another state,” said Bo Shreve, a man in his fifties met in the historic center with red brick buildings of the capital. According to him, Friday’s judgment is not worth making a fuss about: all the Supreme Court’s decision did was let states and citizens decide what they want. He approves of West Virginia’s very restrictive policies. In an irritated tone, he repeats that the government has more important things to settle, such as inflation.
“Don’t talk to me about rights taken away from citizens. In Canada, you have taken firearms out of people’s hands. »
A pedestrian who overheard the conversation said: “ Roe v. wade ? Good riddance. »
A dark red state
Others have less strong opinions. The subject is difficult and full of questions for Kelsey Blankenhorn, she says, given her Christian beliefs. She considers the fetus to be a living being, “but is it a life worth saving if it ruins the life of another? “.
People don’t have enough education on reproductive issues, especially in the Christian environment, says the young woman, who is nevertheless categorical on this fact: it should be the woman’s choice.
Mme Blankenhorn agrees that his position is not that of the majority of the state’s citizens, who are “very conservative,” especially outside the capital. “It’s not accepted here, and I don’t think that’s going to change. »
Alex agrees: the state clings to its roots, traditions and coal mining past.
Steeped in red, West Virginia is considered a “safe” Republican state and is one of only two states where former US President Donald Trump has won every county in 2020.
Its mountainous landscape has contributed to its isolation, adds Alex, emphasizing this important fact: West Virginia is “very religious.” The American research center Pew ranks it at 7e rank on the scale of religiosity.
Before Sunday Mass, the Reverend of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Charleston distributed the press release written by the bishop of the Catholic diocese, Mark E. Brennan. The latter welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision, which offers “greater protection for the fetus” and encourages state residents to promote a “culture of life”.
The basilica is located in a block where four churches of different denominations are erected. A few dozen meters from it is an important Presbyterian church.
His reverend, Bill Myers, sees things differently.
Abortion is neither a “good” nor a “bad,” he said on Sunday: it is a medical procedure and a “moral necessity” in our time. According to him, we must support women, regardless of their decision.
He said he’s seen a lot of anger since Friday, but feels the debate lacks “compassion.” The Church has not been a good communicator on the subject, he told the To have to.
The mountainous state is also the 6e among the poorest in the United States, and its capital cannot conceal its poverty.
With its air of a bunker, the clinic which offered abortions in Charleston does not look like its immediate surroundings. A stone’s throw from a railway line, in a disreputable area lined with disused buildings, it is certainly out of sight. We don’t get there by chance.
Its immediate neighbor is a “Woman’s Choice” prenatal care clinic, which says it offers free pregnancy tests and “confidential abortion information.” Except that this clinic does not offer abortions — and even aims to discourage them. Like many others in the country, this center has chosen to set up directly next to a clinic offering medical terminations of pregnancy.
On Friday night, a group of women held a candlelight vigil outside Charleston Federal Court to protest the Supreme Court’s decision. But since then, nothing, while in other American cities, the demonstrators have taken little respite.
Why ? There was only one clinic left in the state, so maybe it’s less of a shock here than for those who lost several in one fell swoop on Friday, Alex offers as an explanation.
The Charleston clinic will not stop working: abortions will no longer be performed, but other care will still be offered. “We won’t stop fighting for the abortion rights of every West Virginian,” she pledged online.
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.