Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Abortion decision only deepens divisions in small-town America

Abortion decision only deepens divisions in small-town America

A week has passed since the decision which altered this country forever, and small-town America is organising.

In Owensboro, Kentucky, home to 60,000 people, a group of around 200 marched down the main street, past a donut shop and bourbon bar.

They were mostly women and they were furious about the constitutional right to choose abortion being stripped away.

Together they chanted in collective outrage, "keep your rosaries off my ovaries", and "my body, my choice", but among them were those who were motivated by intensely personal pain.

Hadley Duvall was 12 years old when she was impregnated by her abusive stepfather, who is now serving 20 years in prison.

"The abuse happened for a long time," she said.

"I'm lucky that it was only one pregnancy and I had the choice, and I feel like everybody in that situation needs to have the choice."

Hadley, now 20, said she was distressed when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 ruling, known as Roe v Wade which had given women nationwide the right to choose an abortion.

"I was sick," she said.

"My heart broke for the little girl that I used to be, and for the other little girls that are still out there, because it happens and it's not just a fantasy.

"It's not just something that only happens in the movies. It's real."

She said women should be given the right to choose what happens to their bodies in all circumstances, not just in especially traumatic situations.

"We might not make a change this year," she said, "but I know I'm never going to hold my tongue ever again, no matter what, even when there has been a change, I'm still going to speak up for people."

Hadley Duvall


In this vast country, a legal patchwork of abortion haves and have nots is taking shape.

In Kentucky, the right to choose was stripped away last Friday and has now been temporarily restored after a judge issued a legal restraining order.

But, in a state where the majority of adults believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, it's unlikely to last long.

Marjorie FitzGerald, who has worked at EMW - one of two abortion clinics in Louisville - for six years, said the changes were especially tragic for poor women who cannot travel to other states where an abortion is an option.

"The closest state for our patients would be Illinois and for many of these patients, they can't take time off from work, they have childcare and transportation expenses and a waiting period sometimes.

"It means a lack of a procedure or sometimes an attempt to take matters into their own hands."

But for some, the reversal of Roe has given rise to opportunity.

On the same stretch of pavement just by the EMW clinic is a similar-looking building called BSideU.

But this is not an abortion clinic, it is a so-called pregnancy resource centre, one of 2,500 such facilities across America.

Many of them provide free ultrasounds and claim to offer information on alternatives to abortion. But experts accuse them of giving false or misleading information to coerce women into continuing their pregnancies.

Some of the women who are treated at BSideU are referred to a white clapboard house on the outskirts of Louisville, occupied by Lifehouse Maternity Home.

There are rocking chairs on the porch and a children's playground to the rear and they have had a 50% uptick in enquiries in the past week.

It is run by evangelical Christians and funded by donations from churches and individuals.

Dolli Neikerk


Its executive director Dolli Neikerk gives a tour of the inside, including a Bible study room and a vast wardrobe of baby clothes. Dolli celebrated when she heard the news that Roe v Wade had been overturned.

"We're not throwing clump of cells showers, we're throwing baby showers," she said.

"I think deep down inside every woman knows that when she's pregnant, she's pregnant with a baby.

"We need to support her and help her navigate becoming a parent or making a decision for adoption."

Dolli said Lifehouse Maternity Home has housed pregnant girls and women aged from 13 to 38.

I asked if she is concerned that encouraging a 13-year-old to continue with a pregnancy after rape will compound the trauma.

"I can tell you from the experiences that we've had here, in both situations those babies were placed for adoption (with) loving families," she said.

"And so I think that gives that young mom an opportunity to make a decision that is her best and she has already been traumatised. So we shouldn't add to that trauma."

Lifehouse Maternity Home in Kentucky


For Dolli and the women at the march In Owensboro, there is unlikely to be any great coming together on an issue which provokes such strength of feeling on both sides.

Abortion in America is completely polarising and as such there will be no equilibrium here, only ugly and deepening division.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Senate Scrutinises AI-Driven Personalised Pricing
Spain Seeks Mainland Transfers for 1,100 Children Stranded in Ceuta
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
Europe’s Drying Rivers Trigger Power Cuts, Factory Shutdowns and Wildfire Emergencies
Record-Low Danube Forces Nuclear Cuts and Emergency Power Curbs
Danube Drought Forces Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Plant Into Full Shutdown
Ceuta Death Toll Rises as Spain and Europe Clash Over Border Response
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign
Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Brilliant move: Péter Magyar Moves to Nominate Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár as Hungary’s President
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Current AI Seeks to Build an Open Global AI Infrastructure Outside Big Tech Control
Germany’s Economic Malaise Reopens the Sunday Shopping Debate
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
Ukrainian Drone Barrage Kills Eight and Strikes Russian Logistics Network
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
×