What you do in this moment...
Protecting abortion, May Day and radical love
We knew this was coming. The conservative right has been galvanizing their base around the abortion issue for decades. Nevertheless, when I learned about the leaked SCOTUS draft decision, I was devastated.
To be clear, this is a leaked draft not the final decision, so we don’t want to let the Court off the hook when a decision is finally published. But the direction of this decision is disturbing with very real and far reaching consequences for many.
In it Justice Alito argues “…the court has long been reluctant to recognize rights that are not mentioned in the constitution…we must ask what the 14th amendment means…the clear answer is that the 14th amendment does not provide the right to an abortion”. Here’s what else the 14th amendment does not protect: marrying someone of a different race (Loving v Virginia, 1967), birth control (Griswold vs Connecticut, 1965), unemployment benefits for pregnant women, (Turn v Department of Employment Security, 1975), sexual harassment in the workplace (Meritor Savings Bank vs Vinson, 1986)…just to name a few (thanks @lmacthompson1).
It’s why abolition is for everyone because who and what can be criminalized can shift in an instant - from repro rights to trans rights to voting rights and more. This is not an isolated abortion issue but an all encompassing war by the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. We are all vulnerable in a system of supremacy and we are all needed in the fight for our collective future.
What you/we do in this moment will determine who we are as a community and as a country. Stay awake y’all. And take care of each other.
Kerri (she/her)
Art by @shoutyourabortion
Life after Roe. Can Republicans Stop Patients From Leaving the State for an Abortion? Some Are Willing to Try. [click to tweet]
Advocates and some GOP lawmakers have started mobilizing around potential federal legislation to outlaw abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Get ready for the next frontier of the anti-abortion movement. [click to tweet]
Democratic institutionalists still believe the way to make the institution work is not to change its rules but to somehow change the nature of the opposition. The legitimacy crisis and trusting the process after it's openly failed. [click to tweet]
Abortion decriminalization is part of the larger struggle against policing and criminalization. How our movements can organize in solidarity with each other. [click to tweet]
We have to build anti-racist feminist labor struggles that center around a principled unity on all the issues that impinge upon workers lives. How the labor movement transcends the workplace and includes all of us. [click to tweet]
This leaked draft decision shows us what we already knew: The Justices on the Supreme Court have once again shown their utter disregard for people who need abortions in this nation and bowing down to the whims of white supremacists and extremists. Across the country, we are seeing abortion access rolled back with extreme bans and restrictions. While these extremists are trying to undermine our human rights, we also know that the movement to support liberate abortion is incredibly strong – and growing stronger by the day. Here’s what you can do:
Donate Abortion Funds: First and foremost, abortion is still legal in all 50 states. Check this out for resources to share and organizations to donate to support abortion access in the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico!
VOTEPROCHOICE: Our reproductive freedom is in danger, but we’re electing a new class of prochoice champions to fight for our autonomy to control our own bodies. Will your DA refuse to prosecute abortion patients?
Does your School Board support science-based, inclusive sex ed?
Are your State Reps and Senators ready to protect reproductive freedom? Check out this voters guide for pro-choice champions near you.
Prioritize donating to BIPOC abortion funds: If Roe v. Wade is overturned, its ripple effect will be felt by all marginalized people, particularly in states already limiting access to abortion. Follow Afiya Center in Texas, Holler Health Justice in West Virginia, Yellowhammer Fund in Alabama and Indigenous Women Rising.
Help abortion seekers cross state lines: Organizations like the Brigid Alliance and Midwest Access Coalition directly fundraise to cover travel expenses and related costs for abortion seekers in states with limited options
Learn more about the abortion pill. Visit ShareAbortionPill.Info for information and links on where and how to access pills, how they work, potential legal risks, and more.
Speak out: Mind your language as you do your part to spread the word and organize people into action. Here’s a messaging tool to guide your conversations.
Art by @pathtoprogress
The Supreme Court’s potential dismantling of Roe coincides with an ongoing legislative attack on trans and queer humanity, which means it is more important than ever to support these local aid efforts. Mutual aid organizations are leading the charge to make abortion accessible as attacks on reproductive health continue. our local clinic, collective, or abortion funds are the people who are actually making abortion happen for those who need it. They are the ones on the frontlines showing up to make sure that anyone who needs abortion care will get it. The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice. Organizations like the Brigid Alliance and the National Network of Abortion Funds coordinate travel and remove financial barriers to getting abortions. In the absence of systems the support and protect us, we are going to have to more and more rely on each other.
Art by @micahbazant
Rage. Cry. And let this moment radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.
Art by @rachellettering
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