I won't take the easy road
Y’all here’s some random points from my ever-growing post-Roe files. I already had a bunch of good shit to share, and yesterday I did a 7 hour online Save Our Abortion virtual training session1 with 10,000 other people, so strap in.
Reminder: Abortion is not a crime. No stigma, no shame. No matter who, no matter why. People are not going to stop having abortions. I mean, are you kidding me? Not stopping, no matter what.
Abortion is part of the greater framework of Reproductive Justice, which was first defined by Black women in 1994.2
“SisterSong defines Reproductive Justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.”
Right now US healthcare providers are dealing with unimaginable medical crises (and yeah - they already have been for years because of the pandemic); this post-Roe legal murkiness is going to harm everyone eventually. People are going to die.3 People are going to go to jail. The barriers to general healthcare that many have always faced will get worse.4 How is this Pro-Life?
You may have noticed, but the US healthcare system is fucked. Thanks to the rightwing fascists of SCROTUM - I mean SCOTUS - it’s more fucked.
Independent clinics that provide abortion services also provide much-needed safe and compassionate reproductive care, but currently in states with abortion bans, they are being forced to shut down completely, and the ones who can move to safe haven states are fast becoming inundated with calls and appointments.5
Also FYI, the so-called Pro-Life, anti-abortion movement is scary as hell. Murder,6 terror,7 coercion,8 legal intimidation,9 medical disinformation.10 They want you to think they are the majority in this country. They are NOT.11
White supremacist oppressors in America have historically controlled, and still are trying to control populations through violent tactics like forced birth,12 forced sterilization,13 child removal,14 and the criminalization of gender-affirming healthcare.15
Do you need a visual? I love visual note taking and Lizartistry is the tops.
Do you want to read some books? You could read some books about history and about how to fight for human rights. Especially if you’re a white, cisgender heterosexual dude. Step up. Start a book club. Speak out.
The New Handbook for a Post-Roe America: The Complete Guide to Abortion Legality, Access, and Practical Support by Robin Marty
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America by Lauren Rankin
Do you like to support small businesses? Why not give a shout out on social media or in your business newsletter supporting your local abortion fund or your community’s independent health clinic? Look ‘em up at Apiary.org or ineedanA.com and be wary when googling, because there are a lot of fake clinic ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers.’ (see footnote 8)
That’s all - for now. I will leave you with First Aid Kit, a silver lining.
Carrie This 🌤
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvLjjxQn5PcnyFHW0Ac7OPE1DTg9F91an
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/decriminalizing-abortion-women-of-color-continue-to-lead-the-fight-for-reproductive-justice/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/07/16/abortion-miscarriage-ectopic-pregnancy-care/
https://19thnews.org/2022/07/low-income-people-reproductive-care-access-abortion-clinics/
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/blog/remembering-dr-george-tiller-the-man-whose-motto-was-trust-women
https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/06/anti-abortion-violence-terrorism-roe-v-wade/
https://www.exposefakeclinics.com/callandreview
https://www.propublica.org/article/arizona-abortion-father-lawsuit-wrongful-death
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/abortion-right-wings-trojan-horse-racism
https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2022/06/28/abortion-rights-racial-solidarity
https://time.com/5737080/native-american-sterilization-history/
https://truthout.org/audio/the-end-of-roe-will-lead-to-more-family-separation-and-child-disappearance/
https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/solidarity-with-trans-youth