On Monday, August 29, 2022, YWCA of Hawai‘i Island, YWCA of Kaua‘i, and YWCA O‘ahu will be hosting a virtual webinar discussing if and how the Supreme Court’s recent rulings will impact abortion access in Hawai‘i. Journalist Yunji de Nies moderated this event and the panel included women from a wide variety of sectors. These panelists include:

Corianne W, Lau, Parter at Denton’s US LLP
Dr. Reni Soon, M.D. at the Women’s Option Center
Khara Jabola-Carolus, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women
Representative Della Belatti, Hawai‘i House Majority Leader

These panelists explored abortion legality and access in Hawai‘i as well as what next steps need to be taken to protect women’s reproductive healthcare in Hawai‘i.

“We felt like it was important for all three YWCA organizations across the state to come together to provide a space to talk about the Supreme Court’s recent decision on abortion rights and how that decision impacts us here in Hawai‘i. We’ve already seen an alarming flurry of legislative activity calling to restrict or simply strip away women’s reproductive healthcare rights on the mainland, leaving many in Hawai‘i concerned that those actions may eventually spill over to our state. This event is an opportunity to open up the community conversation and provide information about how abortion is safe and legal in Hawai‘i as well as what we need to do going forward to ensure it stays that way.” Jen Wilbur, Director of Advocacy at YWCA O‘ahu

Resources:

On August 31, 2022, the Hawai‘i Abortion Collective published the first official guide to abortion rights and resources for all islands.
Click HERE to read the guide