Thread by @robinmarty

Okay, lets pick away at all of the ways this columnist was wrong when he tried to claim this article was made up. Ready? Here we go: "Are we supposed to believe this story about an underground abortion railroad?" washex.am/2MTa0fe

Claim: “There is no place 10 hours on bus that would get you to NYC as the place to get an abortion.”

Fact: Greyhounds take a really long time. Trips from Ohio, Indiana, etc are all 14-16 hours long. 10 Hours is basically traveling from Maine to NYC.

Claim: “Surely there are closer places to go to get abortions than that?”

Fact: While the east coast may have more clinics than many other areas, even there they don’t all perform all types of abortions. Some are med only. Many are just 1st tri.

Because abortions after the first trimester are more difficult to find, those can also be clinics more difficult to book. Going to NYC, where there are many clinics in one area, makes sense for many people coming in from other areas of the country.

Claim: “Why would someone in Alabama travel 30 hours to NYC for an abortion instead of a city in between?”

Fact: If a person needs an abortion after 20 weeks, NYC very well may be the closest available option.

I mean it goes without saying that the "five major cities I can think of that are closer and have unrestricted abortion up to the moment of birth” is fictitious, and I welcome this author to name them.

The only place I can even think might apply would be Florida, which allows abortion until viability, but unless there was a fund that could cover everything, NYC would still be more accessible. And Florida hasn’t had strong funding for those needing assistance.

What people often don’t realize is that when it comes to helping those without financial means access abortion, sometimes helping means patients using the clinics and abortion funds that have funding, even if they aren’t the most convenient or closest.

And it can turn into a horse/carrot situation, too - when people give lots of funding to practical support groups in New York for example, then more patients will have to go to NYC, because that’s is where you can get abortions with the most financial assistance.

point being - yes, there are people going to NYC even if other states are closer. They are going because it has clinics. They are going because it has later abortions. They are going because it has no waiting period. They are going because it’s accessible by bus, train, etc...

They are going because that’s where there are people who will put them up for free. Or because that is where they can use Medicaid. Or because they don’t know there are closer options. They are going because they are minors, or non-custodial parents, or can’t safely tell family.

They are going for a whole myriad of reasons and yes, for the most part they shouldn’t have to. But one thing is abundantly clear - it IS happening and NO ONE is making this up.