A California doctor is proposing a floating abortion clinic in the Gulf of Mexico. It can serve as a way to maintain access for people in southern states where abortion bans have been enacted.
The idea is to provide a clinic aboard a ship in federal waters, and out of reach of state laws, that would offer first-trimester surgical abortions, contraception, and other care, said Dr. Meg Autry. Autry is an obstetrician, and gynecologist, and professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
The idea of the floating abortion clinic is currently in the fundraising stage
“There’s been an assault on reproductive rights in our country. I am a lifelong advocate for reproductive health and choice. We have to create options and be thoughtful and creative to help people in restrictive states get the health care they deserve,” said Dr. Autry.
Autry said the idea is only in the fundraising stage through the non-profit, “PROWESS” — ie. “Protecting Reproductive Rights Of Women Endangered by State Statutes.”
Why this proposal?
The proposal comes as abortion access in the southern United States has been swiftly curtailed after the U.S. Supreme Court turned the issue of abortion back to the states.
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas have had abortion bans take effect. A Florida law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save a life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
Autry said their legal team believes that there is a swath of federal water where licensed providers could safely and legally provide abortions out of reach of state laws. For women in southern states with abortion bans, going to the coast and boarding a boat may be closer and easier than trying to travel to a state where abortion remains legal, she said.
“This is closer and faster access for some people, particularly for working people that live in the southernmost part of these states,” she said.