As the coronavirus spreads across the country, several states have resorted to ordering a temporary ban on abortion procedures and the shuttering of abortion clinics, with some even threatening jailtime or fines for violating such bans, according to Politico.
Three states in particular have cracked down on abortion during the pandemic: Ohio, Texas, and Mississippi. In Texas, any doctors who violate the ban on abortion procedures can face either a $1,000 fine or up to 180 days in jail.
In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) said that the state will “take whatever action we need” against the state’s last remaining abortion clinic, “to protect not only the lives of the unborn children, but also the lives of anyone who may contract this particular virus.”
Politico also reported that some pro-life advocates are pushing for a nationwide shutdown of abortion facilities, so that such facilities can allow resources and medical care to be redirected to hospitals and other necessary medical facilities. Most prominently, the Susan B. Anthony List and other groups wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, encouraging him to utilize “emergency authority” to do so.