TikTok users who live in US states where abortion is still protected, or across the border in Canada, are posting coded messages offering their homes as safe places to stay for women who may now be forced to seek abortion outside their home state following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
The videos often use the hashtag #wegodowntogether and tell users that abortion is legal in their state or country, and invites them to reach out if they need a legal abortion, under the guise of other activities such as “camping”, “wine tasting”, or even “seeing my cows”.
“To my American besties,” writes one user. “I live 20 minutes from the Michigan border. If you want to come ‘see my cows’ for the weekend, let me know. I can give you a safe space while you recover from ‘seeing my cows’.”
Some users will even offer a pick-up from the border, rides to the clinic or help from friends in the area who will make sure they are looked after while they are there.
The trend began in May after Politico leaked the Supreme Court draft decision to overturn abortion rights, but ramped up heavily after Friday’s ruling.
The abortion bans that are already in place or are being put into place right now will in some cases mean lengthy prison sentences for people who have an abortion, the physicians who perform them or those who help people access the procedure. On top of this, experts warned in May that some state legislatures may take aim at people seeking procedures out of state.
Incredible that people have to go underground and risk jail-time…the religious zealots in some parts of the US are hardly distinguishable from the Taliban.
Why did they even go to war with the Taliban? They share so much in common, apart from the Muslim ban on alcohol. The good ol’ boys from the mid-south would love to see women banned from schools, or voting, love to see homosexuality punished by death along with drug taking, and love public executions. The only problem would be all that charitable work that the Quran insists upon. (I’ve read some of the Quran; there’s a lot of charitable work and giving-to-the-poor involved).
Same with Christianity. Jesus despised the rich and had a large number of female followers who he treated the same as his male followers, apparently. If he was silly enough to return to the planet now, he’d be slung in gaol by the very people who claim to be his ardent followers. The only hope would be if he followed various Pharoahs examples and did some wholesale smiting.
This makes the US seem even more like Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale.
America is now a bizarre place. Even more bizarre than before. Dangerous too. Lot of guns about in the hands of weird folk.
Come into my parlour said the Spider to the Fly.
Btw not all provences in Canada allow abortions either. Just as with this legislation not all states in the USA will allow abortions.