rePROs Fight Back

As an abortion care worker and doula, Hannah Matthews has seen a plethora of abortion journeys and responses. And while statistically nearly everyone knows someone who has or will access an abortion in their lifetime, one-note narratives bolster assumptions and we are awash in a sea of anti-abortion stigma. Hannah Matthews, abortion clinic worker, community care worker, doula, and author, sits down to talk with us about her new book, You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula, and how to better support those accessing abortion.

Feelings on abortion can be varied. Hannah offers up a guide to the emotional and physical realities of providing true and flexible support to people accessing abortion. The book offers real abortion stories, highlighting a genuinely diverse landscape of abortion care across gender, race, and class lines. In addition, we talk about maintaining hope in the seemingly constant fight for abortion rights.

Links

You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula

Hannah Matthews on Twitter

Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings

Cornerstone

All Options

Exhale

Plan C
Abortionfinder.org
Ineedana.com
Repro Legal Helpline
Repro Legal Defense Fund
Digital Defense Fund

Take Action

Follow Hannah on Twitter and her website stay up-to-date on her work.

Find You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula on bookshop.org.

If you are interested in becoming an abortion doula, familiarize yourself with the reproductive justice needs in your community through being in contact with your local abortion fund and abortion clinics. Look into abortion doula trainings that may be connected to your local funds.

Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings and Cornerstone feature helpful training and resources.

All Options and Exhale are hotlines and text lines that are also possible to get involved in. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade no doubt impacted countless people in the U.S. But there are even some far-reaching impacts in other countries. Bergen Cooper, Director of Policy research with Fòs Feminista, talks to us about a new organizational report that details Dobb’s ripple effects around the world. We also hear from Sharon Vilegwa, Daniel Arango, Dr. Souvik Pyne, and Ijeoma Egwuatu, global partners with Fòs Feminista, about how the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision has resulted in on-the-ground impacts in Colombia, Kenya, India, and Nigeria. 

After the Dobbs ruling, there has been an increase in misinformation and negative narratives surrounding abortion, as well as the review of safe abortion as a constitutional right in Kenya. In Colombia, anti-rights actors feel empowered by Roe’s overturning. Myths and stigma surrounding safe abortion continues to ramp up in India. Dobbs has been used to support arguments against safe abortion legal guidelines in Nigeria. While Dobbs does not have legal impacts abroad, its effects bolster the anti-abortion and anti-rights movement. 

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Fòs Feminista on Twitter
Fòs Feminista on Facebook

The Global Impact of the Dobbs Decision on Abortion Laws, Policies, Legislation, Narratives, and Movements: Findings from Colombia, India, Kenya, and Nigeria
Plan C
Abortionfinder.org
Ineedana.com
Repro Legal Helpline
Repro Legal Defense Fund
Digital Defense Fund

Take Action: 

Make sure to follow Fòs Feminista on Twitter and Facebook and stay up-to-date on their work.

Dive deeper into the new report-- The Global Impact of the Dobbs Decision on Abortion Laws, Policies, Legislation, Narratives, and Movements: Findings from Colombia, India, Kenya, and Nigeria -- featuring reflections from Colombia, Kenya, India, and Nigeria. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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Instagram: @reprosfb
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Starting in the late 1970s, people have been serving as clinic escorts at abortion clinics, guarding and protecting patients from anti-abortion protestors. Since then, volunteer clinic escorts have devised several strategies for making sure patients access the care they need and continue to use their bodies as shields against anti-abortion protestors every day. Lauren Rankin, writer, consultant, and author of Bodies on the Line, sits down to talk with us about the history of clinic escorting and the continued need for such a vital community-based practice.

Anti-abortion protestors often camp out in front of abortion clinics, where they harass, threaten, and attempt to coerce those who are attending appointments. Clinic escorting has often involved walking the patient to the door, standing between a patient and a protestor, and calming a patient through conversation. 

Unfortunately, the federal government has shown time and time again that meaningful abortion protections will be challenging to pass. But there is hope—you can push local elected officials in your community to recognize the importance of abortion care. 

Find Lauren Rankin’s book at your local bookstore or on bookshop.org.

Links

Bodies on the Line

Lauren Rankin on Twitter

The Clinic Vest Project

Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force

Plan C
Abortionfinder.org
Ineedana.com
Repro Legal Helpline
Repro Legal Defense Fund
Digital Defense Fund

Take Action

Check out Lauren’s book, Bodies on the Line, here! You can also keep up with Lauren’s work but following her on Twitter.

Rally for abortion protections in your community. If you are interested in becoming a clinic escort and you live in a state where abortion is still legal, reach out to your local clinic and see if there is a pre-existing escort group. If not, make your own!

You can also contact the abortion fund near you and see if there is anything that they need. You can also donate here.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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Love Podcasts? Love bodily autonomy? Want to get engaged in the fight for sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice? Then this is the podcast for you.  Each episode host Jennie Wetter has a guest on to do a deep dive into issues ranging from abortion, birth control, trans rights, abortion, child marriage, sex education, LGBTQ+ rights, and did we mention abortion. Join us to learn more about the fight for sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice and what you can do to fight back. 

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Trigger Warning: In this episode we talk about intimate partner violence. If you need help or to talk to someone you can call or chat the National Domestic Violence Hotline at https://www.thehotline.org/ 1-800-799-SAFE or the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) at https://www.rainn.org/ 1-800-656-HOPE. 

Over the course of a single year, more than 12 million people are victims of intimate partner violence in the United States. In the year since the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has seen a 98 percent increase in survivors mentioning reproductive coercion as part of their experience as compared to the year before. Marium Durrani, Vice President of Policy at the National Domestic Violence Hotline sits down to talk with us about the rise of intimate partner violence and domestic violence after the overturning of Roe.  

Reproductive coercion, violence, or abuse involves behaviors that intend to maintain power and control related to reproductive health in a relationship. When this type of abuse occurs, an individual’s ability to control their own life, body, and safety is called into question. This type of abuse has greatly increased since the Dobbs decision, and the ability to access sexual and reproductive healthcare-- including abortion-- faces more barriers. Interference by a partner to be economically independent, move freely, and communicate freely, may also prevent a person from accessing care. 

Links

National Domestic Violence Hotline on Twitter

National Domestic Violence Hotline on Facebook

Plan C
Abortionfinder.org
Ineedana.com
Repro Legal Helpline
Repro Legal Defense Fund
Digital Defense Fund

Take Action

Follow the National Domestic Violence Hotline on Twitter and Facebook.

If you are experiencing intimate partner violence, domestic violence, or reproductive violence, you can reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline via call 1-800-799-SAFE, text to 88788, or chat on the website. Find more information here. 

If you can, donate to your local or national domestic violence organizations. 

In an effort to shift the cultural narrative, share information about intimate partner violence, domestic violence, reproductive abuse, and lack of abortion access among your family in your family and friends. If you would like to or feel safe, share your story. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

Support the show

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Instagram: @reprosfb
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There have been and continue to be significant bans on abortion in the military (with limited exceptions), through TRICARE and at military treatment facilities. This means most military service members and dependents who need abortion care cannot access it through the military. Jackii Wang, Senior Legislative Analyst with the National Women’s Law Center, sits down to talk with us about a new policy memorandum that expands abortion access for military service members and their dependents. 

Post Dobbs, the Department of Defense and the Biden administration have announced a number of changes, some of which have gone into effect. These include providing travel and transportation allowances for traveling off base for an abortion, standardizing “administrative absence,” and extending the deadline to disclose a pregnancy to a commander. These policies have been met with fierce backlash from anti-abortion actors, including those in the Senate who are upholding nominations for military posts. 

Links

FAQ: Actions by the Dept. of Defense to Protect Abortion and Reproductive Health Care Access for Military Families  

National Women’s Law Center on Facebook

National Women’s Law Center on Twitter

Plan C
Abortionfinder.org
Ineedana.com
Repro Legal Helpline
Repro Legal Defense Fund
Digital Defense Fund

Take Action

Follow the National Women’s Law Center on Twitter and Facebook.

Have conversations with people in your life about the news surrounding abortion and the military. As politicians continue to attack access, discuss why it’s important to continue to protect care.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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Follow Us on Social:
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Patients needed abortion funds even before the fall of Roe v. Wade in order to access care, but those needs have skyrocketed after Dobbs and as the abortion access landscape becomes more fractured. Tyler Barbarin, Director of Grants and Development for the Louisiana Abortion Fund, sits down to talk with us about how abortion funds are working overtime to help people access the care they need in the United States.

An abortion fund acts as mutual aid, facilitating and providing access to logistical help for those seeking abortion care. Before the fall of Roe, abortion was still incredibly difficult to access in multiple regions of the country. Abortion funds coordinated logistics, organized travel, scheduled appointments, counseled patients before and after medical visits, and fundraised for access costs. In the current legal environment, abortion funds and their ability to assist patients varies from state-to-state. In Louisiana, for example, abortion is illegal, so abortion funds in the state may look like coordinating travel to and care in states where abortion access is still possible. The logistical, informational, and financial barriers that people now face are astronomically larger due to multi-state travel being introduced to the abortion access landscape. 

Many—particularly cisgendered, straight white women—will have the resources and support to access an abortion even in environments that make it increasingly difficult to do so. Those who are most impacted by abortion-restrictive registration are BIPOC folks, those with limited or low incomes, and those who are already parents. And, despite abortion fund’s best efforts to assist, some barriers to abortion care will now be completely insurmountable to some, especially those who are most marginalized. 

Links

Louisiana Abortion Fund
Louisiana Abortion Fund on Twitter
Louisiana Abortion Fund on Facebook
The South Has the Answers
Louisiana Abortion Fund’s 2022 Annual Report
Plan C
Abortionfinder.org
Ineedana.com
Repro Legal Helpline
Repro Legal Defense Fund
Digital Defense Fund

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

Support the show

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On July 13th, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opill, a progestin-only birth control pill, for over-the-counter sale. The United States will now join over 100 countries where birth control pills are available without a prescription. Victoria Nichols, Project Director with Free the Pill, sits down to talk to us about what this approval means for birth control equity and access for those in the US.  

Currently in the United States, over the counter birth control is still not available on the shelves (but it will occur soon!). Up until that point becomes a reality, patients have had to navigate a prescription model, meaning that providers must prescribe birth control during an in-person appointment at a healthcare facility. This model has always featured barriers to access, requiring a patient to take time off work, find transportation, pay co-pays or out-of-pocket costs, and more.

Efforts to move away from the prescription model and make the birth control pill available over-the-counter have been decades in the making, featuring youth activists, medical providers, and reproductive justice advocates working in coalition. The FDA approval is a reflection and culmination of this dedicated, long-term work. 

Now that the FDA has decided that the birth control pill can be accessed over-the-counter, this softens many barriers to access. People seeking the birth control pill will not have to make an appointment with a doctor, wait months for that appointment, seek time off school and work, or worry about the costs of a doctor’s visit. It is expected the birth control pill will be available on-the-shelf in early 2024. 

Links

Free the Pill on Twitter

Free the Pill on Facebook

Advocates for Youth’s Free the Pill Youth Council

Take Action Items

First and foremost, follow Free the Pill on Twitter and Facebook and stay up-to-date on their amazing work. You can also sign up for email updates from Free the Pill here.

Advocates for Youth features a Free the Pill Youth Council, which works in communities across the country to expand access to an affordable birth control pill.

Talk to people in your life about birth control, health equity, and the importance of eliminating barriers to access!

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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Abortion rates around the world have stayed the same since the 1990s—except in countries where abortion restrictions have been newly introduced. Tarah Demant, Interim National Director of Programs, Advocacy and Government Affairs at Amnesty International USA, sits down to talk with us about the countries that have recently introduced abortion restrictions, the countries that have protected abortion care for decades, and what the future of global abortion access looks like moving forward.  

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 was a major loss for abortion rights. Even still, in the last 50 years, there is an unmistakable trend of the liberalization of abortion laws across the world. In fact, the vast majority of countries permit abortion in at least some circumstance, and these countries continue to move toward further liberalization of abortion laws. In all, 60 countries have liberalized their abortion laws, with only four countries having rolled back their abortion laws since 1994. The countries that have rolled back abortion laws include the United States, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland. In each of these countries, maternal deaths rates, criminalization of people seeking healthcare, and rapidly spreading chilling effects among providers, has increased.

The Dobbs case has been and will continue be used as a framework for general anti-rights policy around the world. Similarly, the U.S.’ narrative lead on anti-abortion ideology has the ability to influence other countries’ narratives and political confidence to pass equally restrictive laws. Dobbs and its ideology has also coincided with an emboldening of the global anti-gender and anti-LGBTQI+ movement.

Links

Tarah Demant on Twitter

Amnesty International USA on Twitter 

Amnesty International USA on Facebook

Fos Feminista Fact Sheet: The Global Impact of the Dobbs Decision

Take Action Items

Follow Amnesty International on Twitter and Facebook.

Stay engaged and take heart. The majority of people around the world—3 out of 5—believe that abortion should be legal. Talk about abortion, how it’s normal, safe, healthcare and a human right. 

If you have money to give, give to an abortion fund! If donating isn’t an option, figure out a way to become involved—whether going to events, volunteering, or more!

Reach out to your local council members and elected officials, and make sure they know that abortion access is important to you as a constituent. You can also call your federal elected officials! The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121.

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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June 24th, 2023 marked one-year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade via the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case. Between July and December 2022, an estimated 66,000 people have not been able to access abortion care in their home state. Becca Andrews, reporter at Reckon News and author of No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right, talks to us about the myriad of ways in which the abortion landscape has changed in the past year, including the ways anti-abortion ideology has led to a chipping away at democracy. 

The lives of providers, clinic staff, patients, abortion storytellers, abortion fund workers, reproductive health, rights, and justice advocates and reporters have changed dramatically in the past year. In abortion hostile states, many providers and clinic staff have been prevented from providing care or are hesitant to provide care due to vague legal limits. Reporters like Becca, who follow stories on abortion access and care, are being silenced algorithmically on social media. Abortion fund workers scramble, against extreme time frames and travel requirements, to put together funding for procedures and transportation.

The denial of human rights is leading to a steady building of authoritarianism. States are telling patients and doctors what care they can access or provide, newsrooms (particularly those that are local and state-based) are shrinking, and mis-and disinformation is rapidly spreading (Reminder: the disinformation that informs anti-abortion sentiment also informs the anti-LGBTQI+, anti-democracy, and anti-science sentiment). Without access to information and up-to-date news or social media, people do not have immediate interaction with necessary knowledge and the national conversation is stifled more broadly. This prevents them from fully realizing their human right to sexual and reproductive health care.      

Take Action

Follow Becca Andrews on Twitter, find her pieces on Reckon News, and check out her book.

Set up reoccurring donations to BIPOC- and low-income and queer-led abortion funds. These grassroots organizations are providing safe, dependable mutual aid for those who are particularly in need.

Support organizations like We Testify, who are erasing abortion stigma one story at a time.

As appropriations season ramps up, tell your Congress members that reproductive health and rights is funded—that UNFPA, Title X, international family planning is funded, and the Helms amendment and Hyde amendment is repealed. The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121. 

For more information, check out Relationscapes: https://www.relationscapes.org/

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