Thread by @EthnicMediaSvc

🗣️Tomorrow at 11am we'll be looking at what the leaked #SCOTUS opinion on #Roe could mean for AAPI women. Follow the convo @EthnicMediaSvc and fb.me/e/3bVwAnUkg @aaaj_alc @NAPAWF @RepJudyChu @RepJayapal ethnicmediaservices.org/media-briefing…

In just under 10 mins we'll be discussing the leaked #RoeVWade opinion and what a repeal of the landmark case could mean for #AAPI women. Follow us @EthnicMediaSVC or via FB Live: fb.me/e/3bVwAnUkg

Welcome to today's briefing on what the potential repeal of #RoevWade could mean for #AAPI women. Remember you can follow the conversation via FB live 👉fb.me/e/3bVwAnUkg

Our first speaker today is @RepJudyChu (D-CA) who has provided pre-taped remarks. "#Abortion is health care and it is a right," says Chu, who recalls the experience of @RepJayapal with her own abortion.

"As a new immigrant abortion was extremely stigmatized in her community," says Chu, noting Rep. Jayapal was inspired to share her own story by the "relentless" attacks on abortion that culminated in "SCOTUS's leaked opinion

Chu says she was "disgusted and shocked" by the opinion but not shocked. Chu is sponsoring the Women's Health Protection Act, which would enshrine the right to an abortion nationwide. It is the most supported abortion rights bill in the history of Congress.

20% of all immigrants seeking abortions in the US are #AAPI women. "We will march to the polls this November" to protect the rights of every person seeking an abortion, says Chu.

Our next speaker is @RepJayapal (D-Washington). Like many of you... I have been sitting in anger at this naked attempt by a radical SCOTUS to strip away our constitutional #reproductiverights."

I think as an Asian American woman it is important for me to represent the millions of AAPI women who have been in a similar situation as I have, says Jayapal. "It is the freedom to make our own choice."

All this opinion will do is end access to safe & legal abortion and those who will pay the steepest price are minority and marginalized communities, Jayapal says. "Infringing on our reproductive freedoms will be a death sentence for millions."

The implications of overturning set precedent are far and wide ranging. What other settled law will be overturned, asks Jayapal. Gay marriage, interracial marriage, Brown v Board. "It is not going to stop at #abortion."

Th assumption that SCOTUS is "some bastion of political neutrality is just false." When you read the opinion, the argument Alito is making is that there is no right that is clear unless it is explicitly named in the original constitution 200 YEARS AGO.

It never gets easier to watch Republicans obstruct the will of the people, and the right to an abortion is the will of the people, 80% to be exact.

"It is an abomination... it is unforgivable. We will fight to the end for our freedoms," Jayapal vows.

This mid-term election will be one of the most crucial in our lifetime. We have to elect pro-choice candidates at every level of government to ensure our right to choose is never infringed on again. "Lives depend on it."

A question from our moderator @sunita37. Have you told your family about your abortion, given the stigma in the S. Asian community. "I did. Abortion is an issue that happens in every community.

We need to have courage to tell our stories and take away the stigma that does exist in all cultures, says @RepJayapal "It is so important for the AAPI community to know we have champions."

Another question on the criminalization of women seeking abortion. How do we safeguard access, especially for women of color? "As long as states like Washington are not prohibited by a federal ban... we are opening our borders to people across the country."

The only way to fight back is to get a pro-choice majority in the Senate to carve out an exception in the filibuster, or get a 60 vote threshold in the Senate. Both rely on the ballot box.

"We need a legislative solution, which is why your voice and your vote is so important in November," says @RepJayapal

"The integrity of SCOTUS has been severely damaged, and that means our #democracy is damaged," Jayapal says, in response to a question about senate proceedings for recently appointed justices who said they would respect precedent.

Thank you to @RepJayapal for her participation in today's briefings. Our next speaker is @schoimorrow, ED of @NAPAWF.

"We worked with the University if Chicago on a survey of AAPI women, and our findings show that sex selective abortion practices in immigrant communities don't reflect the rates seen in home countries," says Choimorrow, responding to an earlier question.

We are the only national org committed to creating policy changes for AAPI women and girls, says Choimorrow, including by making sure AAPI women have access to quality health and reproductive care.

"This is an issue that matters to us and is a direct assault on our communities." 35% of pregnancies end in abortions for AAPI women. 7/10 of AAPI support legalizing abortion, according to Choimorrow.

AAPI workers, especially women, are overrepresented in low-wage and frontline workforce, and it is often the case these jobs don't provide health coverage or family leave, making it hard to take time off to get an abortion.

"The majority of voters support legalizing abortion. We must continue to make our voices heard," says Choimorrow.

A question from @HenriettaBurro2, on what the response is to those who believe #abortion is murder and that 60% of abortions are happening in communities of color.

These are points that anti-choice people make to distract the conversation, says Choimorrow. "The fact that 60% of abortions are happening in communities of color demonstrates this country has failed women of color in healthcare and well-being in general."

"If you care about reducing #abortion rates, we need to invest in fact-based sex ed, make contraceptives more available, provide affordable child care... there is so much we need to address before we talk about controlling women's uteruses.

Thank you to @schoimorrow. Our next speaker is John Yang, ED and President of @AAAJ_AAJC.

We believe reproductive rights is a civil and human right, which is why we participated in an Amicus brief in the Dobbs cass. Our joint brief was the only to look at the impact on AAPI women.

In the AAPI community, with respect to language access, cultural barriers and the stigma, reproductive rights are already very limited. The SCOTUS leak threatens to put an even more heavy burden on AAPI women.

Huge increases of the AAPI pop in southern states, where AAPI women would no longer have access to #reproductiverights if #RoeVWade is overturned.

"As a Chinese American male and the father of 2 daughters, this is my responsibility to speak up on this issue," says Yang. As people that believe in civil and human rights, this is all our responsibility.

How would the US compare to the rest of the world if #RoeVWade is overturned? "The week before SCOTUS was leaked, Mexico legalized abortion. 3 years ago so did Ireland, S. Korea. The trend is moving the other way."

#Gerrymandering limits AAPI clout in many states. How can voters ensure their interests on #abortion are represented? "This is extremely concerning," says Yang. "The importance of voting, of being involved" is critical.

Our final speaker is Aliza Kazmi, co-executive director for @hearttogrow. "There are serious misconceptions in mainstream media about Muslim stances on this issue. According to a 2022 poll, 56% of Muslims in the US support abortion access."

In Islam, bodies are considered sacred, and bodily autonomy is absolutely an Islamic tenet. "#Reproductivejustice is inherently Islamic, as is the idea of reducing harm in communities in regards to our own bodies."

"It was never the practice of the state to interfere in a woman's right to choose in Islamic societies," says Kazmi. "We don't believe they have the right to do this."

"#Muslimwomen are either seen as oppressed or extremists, or we are invisible. We are working to say we will no longer be invisible and will not be criminalized for exercising our bodily autonomy," says Aliza Kazmi.

There is wide diversity of opinion within the Muslim community on the question of abortion, as this graphic from @hearttogrow shows.

Thanks to all our of speakers for this timely and important conversation on the future of #abortion and #RoevWade and what this means for AAPI communities. Visit ethnicmediaservices.org for follow-up reporting and information on future briefings.

@threadreaderapp unroll