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Abortion Rights Limited Across the Country

Anna Sophie Moltke | Staff Writer Jackson Tammariello | News Editor

In the last year, the states of Texas, Florida and Idaho have passed legislation restricting abortion access and reproductive rights. The Guttmacher Institute found that since Texas’s anti-abortion legislation went into effect, at least one abortion clinic in 12 states which do not border Texas reported seeing additional patients from Texas. Additionally, organizations including Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights have organized protests against the anti-abortion legistlation.

Texas, Sep. 1, 2021 — A restrictive abortion bill went into effect in Texas on Sep. 1, 2021. Approved by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 19, 2021, the bill known as the Texas Heartbeat Act bans abortion after the detection of a “heartbeat” from a developing fetus. That cardiac activity can occur as early as six weeks. Opponents of the bill, such as the ACLU of Texas, have argued that this law is an outright ban on abortions in Texas, as six weeks has the same timeframe as two missed menstrual cycles, at which many women may not even know they are pregnant.

Idaho, March 14, 2022 — On March 14, the Idaho State House approved Senate Bill 1309 (SB 1309), a law similar to Texas’. Like the Heartbeat Act, SB 1309 effectively bans abortion after the fetus has a dectable “heartbeat.” In the case of a successful abortion, the bill also allows the fetus’s family members to bring legal action against the person who chose to have the abortion, as well as the medical professional who performed the procedure.

A woman holding a coat hanger with an attached flyer saying “March 8 International Women's Day” at the International Women’s Day March on Tuesday, March 8 in Los Angeles (Forrest Flanders | The Corsair)

California, March 8, 2022 — Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights organized protests across the United States on March 8 in honor of International Women’s Day. The rallies, which were held in cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, arose in reaction to the recent anti-abortion and anti-reproductive rights legislation.

Activist and author Sikivu Hutchinson proposed ways to get involved with local and national politics to fight the anti-abortion bills that Republican legislators continue to promote. Some methods she suggested include coalition-building, protests, voting, holding anti-abortion politicians accountable, supporting abortion funds, and training people with uteruses to self-determine on their own reproductive health care. Hutchinson believes that the Republicans legislators passing anti-abortion measures have been emboldened by former President Donald Trump and his acolytes. “These are all part part of a more systematic white conservative agenda to dismantle many of the gains people of color, queer folks, and women of all ethnicities have made over the past few decades,” she said. Florida - July 1. 2022 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk awaiting his signature is House Bill 5, which the Florida House voted to pass on Feb. 17. If signed, the bill would go into effect July 1. The bill bans access of abortions after a 15 week period. The law allows exceptions for cases of fatal injury to the mother or for fetal abnormalities that would result in death.

Pandemic Linked to Depression & Anxiety

Sydney Adams-Smith | Staff Writer

For the school’s Spring 2022 semester, Santa Monica College (SMC) offers 20 percent of its classes on-ground. Los Angeles County, where SMC is located, Public Health Department reports a total of 31,508 COVID-19 related deaths and 2,826,077 cases since March 2020 as of Tuesday, March 22. Along with that spread of COVID-19, mental health issues in the SMC community have surged over the pandemic, said SMC counselor Maria Reynoso. “The pandemic brought about a higher need for mental health support for our student population,” she said.

Students at SMC are not alone in the struggle with mental health over the pandemic. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of Americans with anxiety and depression symptoms increased between August 2021 and Feb. 2021.

An Oct. 2021 survey published by the CDC found that the range of adults reporting anxiety symptoms jumped from between 7.4 and 8.6 percent to 28.8 and 37.2 percent within a year. Depression symptom rates went from between 5.9 and 7.5 percent to 20.2 and 31.1 percent within a year. According to the CDC, these increases were among men, Asian Americans, young adults, and parents with children in the home.

Reynoso explained some students felt their anxiety and depression were heightened during the pandemic. There was also a spike in students requesting mental health services from SMC. "Currently, we are also hearing students address the increase in anxiety as they transition from virtual learning back to in-person learning,” She said.

As SMC reopens, students who attend courses on campus are required to show proof of vaccination with a booster and wear masks indoors. This marks a new phase in the school’s reopening since it first switched to all-virtual classes on March 16, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Los Angeles County. In the Fall 2021 semester, SMC held 15 percent of classes on-ground and required proof of full vaccination.

According to Reynoso, more students requested mental health services over the pandemic due to many causes in addition to virtual learning. "Students reported feelings of anxiety and depression for different reasons, including experiencing a sudden shift in learning modalities, lack of social connection, not being able to separate home from school responsibilities, and fears of the unknown,” she said.

SMC students were not prepared to handle the rise in anxiety and depression over the pandemic. "Many did not know how to manage their feelings and related changes," Reynoso said.

There are many resources available to SMC students struggling with mental health. These include individual therapy services for students, a 24/7 Support Line, and Guardian Scholars, a program committed to supporting current and former foster youth exiting the foster care system, also provides students with guidance on mental health topics. More information can be found on SMC’s website.