"I want to be able to choose when I have my family and when’s the best time for me.”

JUNE 13, 2022

THE BIG STORY

These 5 people had an abortion. Here's how overturning Roe v. Wade would affect them.

Hannah Drossman for BuzzFeed News

"I want to be able to control what I do. And reproduction is part of that. I want to be able to choose when I have my family and when's the best time for me," said Bianca, a 34-year-old from Pennsylvania.

After finding out she was pregnant shortly after the birth of her first child, Bianca and her partner made the decision to end her pregnancy. "We were still struggling financially," she told BuzzFeed News.

While abortion in Pennsylvania is relatively accessible, Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano supports a ban on abortions with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the person carrying, and has called for the General Assembly to vote on his six-week abortion ban if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

BuzzFeed News spoke to five women from different states who obtained an abortion in recent years and examined how their access to the procedure might be restricted if Roe is struck down. These women's circumstances differed, but as the Supreme Court's likely decision to overturn the right to an abortion looms, many are reflecting on the vicious financial and emotional toll that abortion restrictions took on them.

"This is such a huge financial burden, even for somebody who, theoretically, it shouldn't be that hard on," said Jillian, who traveled from Tennessee to Ohio for an abortion. "I can't even imagine what other women are going through. And that makes me angry."

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

New investigation finds Russia used deadly banned weapons

An aerial view of destroyed residential settlements after shellings in Kharkiv, Ukraine Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Amnesty International found that Russia has deployed cluster munitions and scatterable mines in Kharkiv. Both weapons are banned in international agreements because of their indiscriminate impact.
Russian troops have bombed a bridge in Sievierodonetsk, cutting off a key evacuation route for civilians, Reuters reports. Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said that about 500 civilians are sheltering inside a chemical plant in an area of the city that Ukraine still has control over.

SNAPSHOTS

Thousands of demonstrators across the US took to the streets to protest against gun violence on Saturday, many of whom were teachers and students. "Every single day, we have a new headline about [how] gun violence has taken lives out of our communities," one South Carolina teacher told BuzzFeed News. "As a teacher, I consistently wonder which day will be the day my students will be impacted."

A Texas court once again blocked the state from investigating parents of children receiving gender-affirming care for "child abuse." Last month, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state could resume the investigations after a lower court blocked it from doing so. Now, three families and PFLAG National, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, have filed a new lawsuit in response to Gov. Greg Abbott's legal threats to parents of trans youth receiving gender-affirming health services.

Justin Bieber said half his face has been paralyzed and is canceling shows until he gets better. The pop star shared he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a viral infection that affects about 5 out of every 100,000 people in the US each year.

WHITE SUPREMACIST RIOT FOILED

Dozens of white supremacists were arrested at an LGBTQ Pride event for allegedly planning to riot

One of a group of men who police say are affiliated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front, and were arrested for conspiracy to riot, is processed in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on June 11. John Rudoff / Reuters

Police arrested 31 men who they said were planning to riot at a Pride event Saturday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

At a park event hosted by the North Idaho Pride Alliance, a "concerned citizen" spotted what "looked like a little army" inside a U-Haul truck and called police. Police Chief Lee White said that the men wore clothing identifying them as part of the Patriot Front, a white nationalist group, and the group's founder was among those taken into custody.

The 31 men arrested had traveled to the event from 11 states, the Associated Press reported. At the time they were arrested, they had one smoke grenade, shields, and hats hardened with plastic, and they were booked into jail on misdemeanor conspiracy to riot charges.

In addition to the alleged riot attempted by Patriot Front, the Pride event had inspired a counter-event by a local right-wing group. Panhandle Patriots Riding Club had accused the Pride event of "grooming" children and in response organized what it called the North Idaho Day of Prayer at the park.

LOW STAKES FUN CHALLENGE

This quiz will see if you're clever enough to be a BuzzFeed copy editor

Which of these would you approve of?

Everyone was surprised by the Senate passing permanent daylight-saving time — especially the Senators.
Everyone was surprised by the Senate passing permanent daylight saving time — especially the senators.
Everyone was surprised by the Senate passing permanent Daylight Savings Time — especially the senators.
Everyone was surprised by the Senate passing permanent daylight savings time — especially the Senators.

Which sentence should we use?

I'm taking my only uncle, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to Disney World after his tenure in the Biden administration.
I'm taking my only uncle, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to Disneyworld after his tenure in the Biden Adminstration.
I'm taking my only uncle, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Disney World after his tenure in the Biden administration.
I'm taking my only uncle Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Disneyworld after his tenure in the Biden adminstration.

Which sentence is punctuated appropriately?

You're telling me the guy from "SNL" got a branding that says "Kim?"
You're telling me the guy from SNL got a branding that says "Kim"?
You're telling me the guy from SNL got a branding that says "Kim?"
You're telling me the guy from SNL got a branding that says "Kim"?

Searching for correct answers? Craving more copy questions? Take the full quiz.

The best moments are yet to come,

Alexa

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