Alabama's capital city of Montgomery. A California doctor wants to open a floating abortion clinic in the Gulf of Mexico as a way to keep access for people in southern states where abortion bans have been enacted.
Dr. Meg Autry, a professor at the University of California San Francisco, said that the idea is to provide a clinic aboard a ship in federal waters and out of reach of state laws.
I'm a lifelong advocate for reproductive health and choice and there's been an assault on it. She told The Associated Press that we have to create options and be creative in helping people in restrictive states get health care.
Autry said the idea is only in the fundraising stage of a non-profit called PRROWESS, which is dedicated to protecting reproductive rights of women.
As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court turning the issue of abortion back to the states, abortion access in the southern U.S. has been quickly reduced.
Several states have had abortion bans take effect. There are exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save a life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality.
Autry's legal team believes there is a swath of federal water where licensed abortion providers can legally perform abortions. She said that going to the coast and boarding a boat may be more convenient for women in southern states with abortion bans.
She said that it's closer and faster for people who live in the southern part of the states.
Autry said they are still trying to figure out how women will get to the ship and where the boat will launch.
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