Survival strategies

I’m on the record as being a supporter of remote work for lots of reasons, but I’m not happy to have another one to add to the list: too many corners of the country have become unsafe to live in, with both reproductive and gender-affirming care newly criminalized. Oklahoma has effectively banned gender-affirming care for people of all ages through a prohibition on insurance coverage. In Texas, obstetricians are fleeing the sate because they can no longer give adequate care without fear of recrimination. In Idaho, the only hospital in the town of Sandpoint has stopped delivering babies, forcing people to travel 46 miles to get prenatal care. And that’s only a sampling: it’s clear this is a trend that is only going to pick up speed in the months ahead. Families need to be able to move to where they can be safe; no one should be asked to choose between their health and safety and their job. Remote practices won’t stop this appalling assault on human rights, but it may give people some options for surviving it.