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
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
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
The Monaco Bombing Has Become a Test of Ukraine’s Intelligence Accountability
Leadership Change and Strategic Rivalry Redraw the Political Map
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
French National Assembly Overrides Senate to Pass Historic Assisted-Dying Legislation
Spanish Prime Minister's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial as Corruption Probes Encircle Governing Party
Zelensky Faces Kyiv Protests Over Ousting of Dynamic Ukrainian Defense Minister
Thomas Tuchel Faces Fierce Backlash After Tactical Retreat Costs England World Cup Final Berth
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Spain and UK Dismantle Gibraltar Border Following Landmark Schengen Integration Treaty
Hungary's "Puppet" President to Be Ousted, Orbán Fumes: "Democracy Is Dead"
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Netflix Weighs Always-On Channels, Bundles and Short-Form Video
Passenger Is Pulled Partly Outside Ryanair Jet After Window Fails Mid-Flight
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
Global News Brief: Escalating Conflicts, Public Health Crises, and World Cup Drama
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
×