As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’re talking about the ultimate sexual and reproductive health and rights topic-- pleasure! Having researched how Black women experience and internalize pleasure, Lorraine Lacroix-Williamson, public health researcher, sits down to talk with us about sexual pleasure, how it fits into the sexual and reproductive health and rights umbrella, and how it relates to public health.

Stigma, purity culture, mis- and dis-information and limited sex education act as barriers to honest feelings and conversations about sexual pleasure. These barriers disproportionately impact women; a 2018 study looking at national data found a huge discrepancy in orgasm experience. Heterosexual men experienced an orgasm 95% of the time they engaged in sexual activity, followed by gay men at 89% of the time and bisexual men at 88%. Lesbian women experienced orgasm 86% of the time, followed by bisexual women at 66%, and heterosexual women at 65%. The good news? There’s plenty of resources to use, things to learn, and ideas to explore to define what pleasure means to you.

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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Politicizing independent institutions, spreading misinformation, aggrandizing and consolidating executive power, weakening checks and balances, quashing criticism and dissent, marginalizing and restricting rights of specific communities, corrupting election, and stoking violence are patterns right out of authoritarian playbook. These patterns are written all over Project 2025, an initiative out of the Heritage Foundation. Beirne Roose-Snyder, Senior Policy Fellow at the Council for Global Equality, sits down to talk with us about Project 2025—what is it, how it seeks to shape America, and what it means for LGBTQI+ rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Project 2025 is a broad vision about the future of the United States led by the Heritage Foundation. The project includes a 950-page map to achieving the project, which is centered maintaining a conservative President and, ultimately, continuing a conservative United States of America. Approximately 80 organizations have signed on to this project, and the targeting and restricting of LGBTQI+ rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights is overrepresented throughout the project and roadmap.

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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White supremacist, Christian nationalist extremists have infiltrated state government on all levels in Idaho, which has created the political environment that led to abortion bans in the state. Garnet Henderson, Senior Multiplatform Reporter for Rewire News Group and host and producer of ACCESS: A Podcast About Abortion, sits down to talk to us about her 10-day reporting trip to the state of Idaho and what she uncovered.

 Idaho, which was one of the first states to ban abortion outright after the Dobbs decision, and implemented the “abortion trafficking” law (which is currently blocked as a legal challenge proceeds), faces a variety of abortion and pregnancy/childbirth barriers. Severe driving times, hospital closures in rural communities, a dissolved maternal mortality review board, stigma, and abortion bans themselves create a climate of fear and impact people’s reproductive decisions.  Thankfully, Idaho has introduced a progressive voting campaign and recently voted to expand Medicaid. 

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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There are a number of provisions in federal statutes that allow providers and hospitals the ability to refuse to provide care, or the information a patient may need to get care elsewhere, if the provider objects on moral or religious grounds. Katie O’Connor, Director of Federal Abortion Policy at the National Women’s Law Center, sits down to talk with us about the history of refusal statutes and rules, what it looks like to be a patient up against refusals, and the new refusal rules out of the Biden administration.

The Trump administration finalized rules that defined refusals and greatly expanded the amount of people in the healthcare systems that could potentially refuse care. The Biden administration’s new rules around refusals rescind the Trump rules, taking us back to the refusal of care statutes with no extended reach. Ideally, and in congruence with this, stripping the Weldon amendment from the Labor HHS appropriations bill and repealing the Hyde amendment would expand access to abortion.  

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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Abortion information, policies, and access is always changing. Ariella Messing, founder and Executive Director of the Online Abortion Resource Squad (OARS), sits down to talk with us about the r/abortion subreddit, a landscape of constantly shifting information, and navigating abortion mis- and disinformation on the internet. 

The Online Abortion Resource Squad was born of a Slack channel and has since shifted to run the abortion subreddit, r/abortion. OARS has provided information throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, after the passage of Texas’s SB8, and after the Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Volunteers, including moderator volunteers who are on for 12-hours a day, undergo intensive training and point those seeking assistance on r/abortion towards information and resources.

Links

Online Abortion Resource Squad

Online Abortion Resource Squad on Twitter

Online Abortion Resource Squad on LinkedIn

r/abortion on Reddit

Take Action

First and foremost, follow the Online Abortion Resource Squad on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also follow r/abortion on Reddit here.

Figure out whatever steps you would need to take to access an abortion in your community, and make sure you are intimately familiar with those steps. Next, apply the same steps for loved ones in your life. Learn the laws where you live. Talk to your doctor, talk to your local representatives, and talk to people in your communities about ways to strengthen abortion access.

If you see someone on Reddit who needs abortion help, send them to/abortion. 

If possible, donate! 

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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A variety of court cases, which have the ability to severely restrict, limit, and criminalize sexual and reproductive health care—such as abortion— are circulating throughout the U.S. Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, at Rewire News Group and co-host of Rewire News Group's podcast Boom! Lawyered, sits down to talk with us about current court cases around the country and what these cases may mean for protecting basic SHRH care.

The pillars of these court cases include that of miscarriage criminalization, abortion ban exceptions, criminalizing medical providers, placing care limitations on emergency rooms, state abortion bans, and access to mifepristone; the decisions that come from these cases may have erect more barriers to care, spread additional stigma, and create legal concerns for patients and providers.  

Links

Jessica Mason Pieklo on Twitter

Rewire.News on Twitter

Rewire.News on Facebook

SCOTUS Is Likely to Decide if Abortion Is Health Care

Idaho's Reproductive Health Crisis and Christian Nationalism

Ohio Woman Who Miscarried Faces Charge That She Abused Corpse

Kate Cox sought an abortion in Texas. A court said no because she didn’t show her life was in danger

Take Action

Follow Rewire.News on Twitter and Facebook, and find Jessica Mason Pieklo on Twitter here. 

Take care of yourself. These court fights will require a long haul approach, and do what you need to do to engage in self-care. Make sure you are supporting direct aid services—donate, if possible, to your local abortion funds. In addition, amplify local voices, which most intimately understand the network of care.

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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The Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice is a federal policy agenda that briefs every incoming administration on how to expand and protect domestic and global sexual and reproductive healthcare. Caitlin Horrigan, Senior Director of Global Advocacy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Candace Gibson, Director of Government Relations at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, sit down to talk with us about the 2023 Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice and how it reflects the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  

 The blueprint outlines policy actions and leadership actions—including executive actions that can be taken by the President and asks for government agencies, including asks from the Department of Homeland Security, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Links

Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice on Twitter

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice on Facebook

Planned Parenthood Federation of America on Twitter

Planned Parenthood Federation of America on Facebook

Take Action

 First and foremost, follow NLIRJ on Twitter and Facebook and PPFA on Twitter and Facebook.

Amplify the blueprint and the policy agenda it lays out in your communities and platforms. Share on social media, share with friends, family, and policy makers, and send to related (and non-related!) organizations.

Reach out to local, state, and federal elected officials and stress the importance of achieving the vision of SRHR for all. You can contact the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. 

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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The needs of LGBTQI+ people to live safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives are as important as the are universally necessary. Vivian Topping, Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement at the Equality Federation sits down to talks with us about achieving LGBTQI+ justice, what a just world for LGBTQI+ folks looks like, and some hopes for the new year.

To support and enhance the lives of those in the LGBTQI+ community, people need access to healthcare, job training, stable housing, and more. Unfortunately, constant legislative attacks to LGBTQI+ people’s rights and safety means that the much-needed progress on these core areas is put on the backburner while acute and dangerous fires are put out. Anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-trans ideology and messaging from far-right groups can be so severe that it seeps into a variety of political and advocacy circles across the spectrum of issue areas. 

The good news? Over the past year, many states have passed transgender sanctuary laws, while 491 anti-trans bills have also been defeated. As we head into 2024, be on the lookout for continued extremism and misinformation, and also note that loud and out-spoken community resistance. 

Links

Equality Federation on Twitter

Equality Federation on Facebook

Take Action Items

Follow the Equality Federation on Twitter and Facebook and stay up-to-date on their work.

Find your local Equality Federation partner, nearby events, and other ways to get involved here! When state equality groups and LGBTQI+ communities are asking you to show up—whether at protests, voting, calling representatives, etc., be there.

If you can, you can also give to your local LGBTQI+ organizations, especially through a reoccurring donation.

rePROs Fight Back has been named a finalist in two categories in the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards. The winners of these awards are chosen by support from our community. You can “celebrate” or vote for rePROs Fight Back here: Human and Civil Rights Awareness and Media Awards and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awareness and Media. Finalists can be celebrated online from December 5th to December 21st at Celebrate.Anthemawards.com. 

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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Even years before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, reproductive health and rights organizations were noticing that their abortion content posts were being removed, suspended, shadow banned, flagged, and subject to advertising suspension. Jane Eklund, Tech and Reproductive Rights Fellow at Amnesty International USA, sits down to talk with us about abortion content digital suppression on social media platforms.

Across social media platforms, abortion-related content is often removed or interfered with in some way even though it does not violate the social media platform’s community guidelines. This can lead to decreased engagement, reach, and visibility for content related to abortion and that is often posted by sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations. Digital platforms have also become spaces were criminalization has increased; police have seized Facebook messages and Google searches to prosecute people for searching for and obtaining  abortion care.

Links

Amnesty International USA on Facebook

Amnesty International USA on Twitter

 Digital Defense Fund

Take Action

First and foremost, follow Amnesty International on Facebook and Twitter. 

Follow reproductive health and rights on social media, including their back up accounts. Plan C, Women on Web, and Shout Your Abortion have very helpful information. Like, share, and interact with their content to increase their reach. Support digital campaigns from reproductive health and rights organizations, as well. 

Make sure you talk about this issue—both abortion and abortion content suppression online. Suppression is silence, which makes space for stigmatization.

rePROs Fight Back has been named a finalist in two categories in the 3rdAnnual Anthem Awards. The winners of these awards are chosen by support from our community. You can “celebrate” or vote for rePROs Fight Back here: Human and Civil Rights Awareness and Media Awards and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awareness and Media. Finalists can be celebrated online from December 5th to December 21

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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As the holiday season continues and people sit down with their family and friends around dinner tables and fireplaces, personal question and general conversations about current events—some related to sexual and reproductive health and rights and transgender health and rights—may arise. Erin Matson, Co-founder, President, and CEO of Reproaction, sits down to talk with us about how to have difficult conversations, when to engage, and how to build up your boundaries during conversations, confrontations, and questions. 

Links

Reproaction on Twitter

Reproaction on Facebook

Erin Matson on Twitter

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

Take Action

Follow Reproaction on Twitter and Facebook and stay up-to-date on their work. You can also find Erin Matson on Twitter here.

If you want to show that you are an ally or help challenge stigma, you can get some merchandise like this on Bonfire and show your support!  

Remember, engage in conversations to your own comfortability. Sometimes, we must protect our own mental and emotional wellbeing, safety, and security. 

For more information, check out CRAMPED: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cramped/id1778101696

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