Of the big political issues this year, the battle over reproductive rights has been one of the most bitter. A long list of conservative state legislatures have introduced or passed laws that are expected to lead to the closure of dozens of abortion clinics. These laws have been passed despite a lack of evidence to support them.
So when West Virginia’s proudly anti-choice attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, announced in June that he was investigating abortion regulation in his state, reproductive rights advocates were alarmed.
“We’re seeing very right-wing fundamentalists attempt to chip away at a woman’s ability to access abortion care,” said Margaret Chapman Pomponio, executive director of WV Free, a nonprofit organization that promotes reproductive rights and justice, and which has helped organize rallies against the investigation. “We know that their end goal is to outlaw all abortion.”