The main theme of the opposition was the bill discriminates against low-income women.
“Four years ago I had an abortion,” Caitlin Gaffin said. “I was a grad student working a part-time job and I had moved back home to take care of a family member. I was on Medicaid, so I had insurance for the first time. I was so grateful my decision to not parent was not dependent on the money in my bank account.”
One speaker said the bill basically says it’s OK to have an abortion if you are rich, but not if you are poor. And for those women who cannot afford an abortion and do not have access to the one clinic in the state, it will not stop them from getting one – it will just be unsafe.
“I’ve answered many phone calls from women who are facing unintended pregnancy,” said Julie Warden, communications director for WV Free. “One really stuck with me: she asked if she could induce an abortion by drinking turpentine. That was eye-opening for me because as a privileged white woman, I had never looked at it from that viewpoint.”
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