"I suddenly felt vulnerable": in Louisiana, women are preparing for the total ban on abortion

Alexis Guilleux 8:02 a.m., July 7, 2022, modified at 8:02 a.m., July 7, 2022

REPORTAGE

In Louisiana, pro-abortions are preparing to close the three clinics in operation in the south of the state.

They are waiting to hear if a judge blocks or allows the new abortion law.

On that day, no abortions are scheduled.

The clinic is closed, but the bars on the windows reflect the violence that takes place almost daily in this working-class neighborhood of New Orleans.

"I felt like I was being stared at because I was a woman"

“Emmy represents a team traumatized by the decision of the Supreme Court. “When the announcement fell, there were a lot of tears”, she confides on Europe 1. “Personally, I cried.

I suddenly felt vulnerable like I had never before.

I felt like I was being stared at because I was a woman here."

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“Many people suddenly woke up”

Only three clinics still offer abortions in Louisiana.

7,000 people were able to abort there last year.

If the new law goes into effect, the state will be one of the most isolated in the country.

You will have to travel hundreds of kilometers to be able to have an abortion.

"I feel like a lot of people who were on the sidelines on this abortion issue suddenly woke up. I've spoken to friends who are very worried about their daughter and are considering moving out of Louisiana “, continues Emmy. 

Some of the staff will also move to a more progressive state.

Emmy is expecting a long fight.

Because the victory of anti-abortion has been built over several decades.

"It will take us almost as long to recover these rights," she said, calling for donations.

Objective: to strengthen the safety net for families in Louisiana, the second poorest state in the United States.