Texas Governor Abbott makes abortions illegal and tells rape victims take Plan B
Texas is estimated to have over 40,000 rapes every year. Many of the victims cannot afford emergency contraception Plan B pills. Thanks, Abbott.
How did we get here? Thank Republican forced birth zealots like Rubio, Johnson and Cruz who helped stack the Supreme Court with extremist judges to overturn Roe v Wade. Governor Abbott who banned abortions with no exception for rape nor incest. Republican legislators who offers bounties to abortion vigilantes and push to ban contraceptives.
Use this map to see how Republicans are forcing even rape and incest victims to have babies and what you can do to restore women's freedom to choose when and with whom to have a family. You'll also learn how to storytell with data, maps and images.
Mapping the Republican war on women
Republicans loose touch with reality in their war on women
Texas Governor Abbott says rape victims can take Plan B, known as the "Morning-after pill" after his restrictive abortion trigger-law which does not include exceptions for rape nor incest. Rape victims can get a Plan B pill if they access health care immediately after, and report the crime to law enforcement. Texas bars abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, prohibiting the procedure before many women even know they are pregnant.
"Does a rape victim even know what a Plan B pill is? Rape victims aren't just adults who understand what Plan B pills are, there are 10-year-old, 11-year-olds, 13-year-olds," said Odus Evvagharu, Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party. "The governor's statements are out of touch with reality. Not everyone has health coverage, not everyone has transportation to a pharmacy, not everyone can afford the cost of emergency contraception." - FOX 26
Democrat Beto O' Rourke said: "We are going to end Greg Abbott's career on November 8, and the women of Texas are going to lead the way." O'Rourke spokesperson highlighted that the Texas "leads the nation in rape cases on Abbott's watch." Abbott had promised to "eliminate all rapists" in the state last year... - Business Insider
Digital storytelling
Make it easy for people to understand the facts and what they can do. Avoid information overload by keeping your short and simple. This single infographic was designed with ArcGIS Online and includes a lot of information behind a simple facade. The map is interactive and can be used on a phone, tablet or laptop.
- Number of rapes per state with data from World Population Review
- Data from the FBI, CDC and NSVRC (National Sexual Violence Resistance Center) and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
- Abortion laws by state from the New York Times
- Senators and Governors along with their contact details
- How to register to vote, vote by mail, check your voter ID and volunteer to be a poll monitor
- Find candidates who will protect a woman's freedom to choose from #VoteProChoice, NARAL and Planned Parenthood
Get the full picture
Overlaying data helps put the issue in perspective. We overlaid three types of information for each state in this map: the number of rapes, abortion laws and the Senators and Governors responsible for those laws. Combining the three makes it clear how states with Texas, South Dakota and Arkansas which have some of the highest rates of abortion in the country also have the harshest abortion bans. And all three states are led by Republicans.
This map was designed with ArcGIS Online, an app from esri which is a 50 year old firm that specializes in data and mapping. ArcGIS Online costs about $25/month for nonprofits. Apply for pro bono mapping help for social justice, womens' rights and progressive causes here.
Keep It Super Simple (KISS)
Your readers are busy. How do you condense your message into a few seconds? GIFs are ideal for this because they are animated, easy to view and share. We created this GIF to highlight how Republicans have packed the Supreme Court with forced birth zealots who have overturned Roe v Wade. How Abbott banned abortions in Texas with no exception for rape or incest. And the importance of voting in the midterms to restore women's freedom to choose.
To create this GIF we first made a 30 second video with the free iMovie app which lets you animate the images, how long to show each image add also add titles. We used cartoons from Cagle Cartoons in the video and a photo by Eric Gay/AP. This video was converted into a GIF with the free EZGIF app. Upload your GIFs to Giphy, a free service to make it easier for others to find your GIF.
Consider adding cartoons to your story. They are visual. Funny. Easy to understand in any language at any age. A selection of some cartoons about stacking the Supreme Court and the Republican war on women are featured below.
Add a call to action
Don't forget to add a call to action to your story. This story encourages readers to vote for Democratic candidates to restore women's right to choose when and with whom to have a family with the following links embedded in the map:
- #VOTEPROCHOICE
- NARAL endorsed
- Planned Parenthood endorsed
- Register to vote
- Check your Voter ID
- Volunteer to be a poll monitor
Republican War on women is led by questionable men
Republican and Supreme Court hypocrisy on banning abortions for rape victims is rich. Learn more with this relationship map.
TakeAway: Elections matter. Vote for your freedom to choose when and with whom to have a family.
Deepak
DemLabs
DISCLAIMER: ALTHOUGH THE DATA FOUND IN THIS BLOG AND INFOGRAPHIC HAS BEEN PRODUCED AND PROCESSED FROM SOURCES BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED CAN BE MADE REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, LEGALITY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION. THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO ANY USES OF THE INFORMATION WHETHER ISOLATED OR AGGREGATE USES THEREOF.
