On Jan. 31, a Kansas state judge issued a temporary
restraining order preventing Dr. Mila Means from providing abortion services,
effectively denying women in Wichita the right to choose. The ruling comes as a
result of a lawsuit brought by Means’ landlord, absurdly claiming that she
would be “creating a clear nuisance.”
Means would be the sole abortion provider in Wichita, a
service that has not been available since Dr. George Tiller was murdered while
he attended church in 2009. Women’s clinics across the state have been
systematically targeted for harassment by right-wing organizations, forcing
many to close down.
Defending and expanding the right to choose is one of the
most important tasks of the women’s movement. Although they claim to be
“pro-life,” organizations opposed to choice seek to legally codify the bigoted
view that women do not have the right to control their own bodies. Defending
reproductive rights is an important way to combat women’s oppression, an
integral part of class society.
