Plus: Florida Democrats arrested for protesting proposed abortion ban

Here’s another edition of Hard to Believe It’s Only Tuesday, a weekly roundup of the top headlines, tweets (for now!), toks, takes, and more in abortion news. You can always email me (andrea.grimes@gmail.com) or DM me on instagram with action items, takes, and news clips.

The big takeaway: Late Friday afternoon, we got conflicting federal rulings out of Texas and Washington State on two cases surrounding the way(s) the FDA regulates mifepristone, the first pill used in most medication abortion regimens. The Washington (state) case aims to expand the pill’s availability, while the Texas case concerns rescinding its FDA approval. Which means mife’s availability in general — and potentially, but not definitely, its accessibility in states where medication abortion remains legal — is about to be in the hands of the anti-abortion Supreme Court. Right now, though, nothing about mifepristone access changes until the end of this week, and maybe not even then. (It’s also possible to end a pregnancy using just one medication — misoprostol — though some studies have found that method to be slightly less effective, and more likely to be painful/uncomfortable than the mife-miso combo.)

Kaiser has a good backgrounder on the two cases and their implications. A number of legal experts have noted that Trump appointee Matt Kacsmaryk’s ruling out of Texas is explicitly and intentionally anti-abortion, and more than that, attempts to lay groundwork for fetal personhood. Which is exactly and only what he was hired to do.

Repro legal scholar David Cohen’s twitter thread on the Texas ruling is probably the most coherent and quick read on what the future of these two cases looks like right now. There are a number of live issues, among them the fact that the Comstock Act, which Kacsmaryk cites as applicable to restricting mife distribution, applies only to the FDA, and that the overall impact of the case, even if SCOTUS privileges the Texas ruling over the Washington ruling, might not be as dire as some have feared.

The Top Headlines

• “With dueling rulings, abortion pill cases appear headed to the Supreme Court” (NYT)

• “Physicians react to ruling placing abortion pill use in jeopardy” (News from the States)

• “Abortion providers grapple with conflicting rulings on a key pill” (WaPo)

• “Texas abortion funds cautiously resume services following legal reprieve” (The Guardian)

• “Washington stocks up on abortion pills ahead of court ruling” (ABC News)

• “Are abortion pills safe? Here’s the evidence” (NYT) — Yes, they are, and framing this as if it’s a real question is such a weenie-ass move.

• “Wyoming abortion clinic fire suspect to go free pending case” (AP)

• “Florida Democrats charged after abortion rights protest” (AP)

• What’s going on with abortion bans, legal challenges, and bills at the state and local levels:

  • 🟢 “Whitmer strikes 1931 abortion ban from Michigan law” (AP)

  • 🟢 “[New Mexico] governor signs bill protecting abortion and gender-affirming care providers” (Source New Mexico)

  • 🟢 “Oregon bill on abortion, gender-affirming care clears first hurdle” (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

  • 🟢 “[Arizona Gov.] Hobbs vetoes bill that would have codified fetal personhood” (KNAU)

  • 🟢 “Abortion clinic ban in Utah challenged by lawsuit” (AP)

  • 🟢 “Health care providers sue Idaho AG over new guidance limiting out-of-state abortion referrals” (CNN)

  • 🟢 “Colorado on track to increase access, make abortion and gender-affirming protections law” (Denver Post)

  • 🟡 “[Florida] abortion rights activists call for trespassing charges to be dropped following Monday arrests” (Florida Phoenix)

  • 🔴 “Idaho becomes one of the most extreme anti-abortion states with law restricting travel for abortions” (NBC News)

  • 🔴 “Florida Senate passes six-week abortion ban backed by DeSantis” (PBS)

  • 🔴 “Bill intended to force prosecutors to pursue abortion, election cases passes [Texas] Senate” (Texas Tribune)

  • 🔴 “Latest slate of Montana abortion bills advance ahead of upcoming deadline” (Daily Montanan)

The Takes

• For smart mife case context from actual experts: watch repro legal scholar Michele Goodwin and OB-GYN Dr. Jamila Perritt on MSNBC discussing the rulings, or tune into Boom! Lawyered with Rewire’s Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo.

• The Nation’s Elie Mystal on anti-abortion fear-mongering proceeding apace: “As of this writing, I simply do not know if it is legal in the United States for a pregnant person to receive a medical prescription to terminate their pregnancy. And that is part of the point. Confusion is the point. Fear is the point. Letting people know that their bodies are subject to the whims of random male judges and shadowy religious organizations is the point. This is not Law we’re dealing with. This is Inquisition. This is theocratic forces using the apparatus of the state to force their religious views on everybody else.”

• Jezebel’s Kylie Cheung reminds us that “abortion trafficking” is not a thing: “Anti-abortion lawmakers don’t care about children’s safety—they care about finding the most potent, convenient boogeyman of the day to ban abortion for as many people as possible.”

The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• Perhaps a break for something a little lighter? Enjoy this Pedro Pascal-tastic thread from the Texas Equal Access Fund.

• I find nothing to argue with in this post from Buckle Bunnies Fund:

  bucklebunniesfundtx

  

  A post shared by Buckle Bunnies (@bucklebunniesfundtx)

• We Testify’s Renee Bracey Sherman reminds us that pregnancy criminalization is a nationwide issue, not just a “red state” problem.

  

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The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• 🗣️💸 Anywhere, but especially Texas: Via the Afiya Center, donate and make calls to demand justice for baby Mila Jackson and her family. Baby Mila was wrongfully taken away from her parents following her birth in Dallas in March.

• 💻 Online: Prism’s virtual event, Disrupting Adoption Narratives: Adoptees for Reproductive Justice, is Tuesday, April 11th.

• 🎨 Dallas: Join the Afiya Center for Rise Up for RJ: A Night of Art and Performance at the African American Museum of Dallas on Friday, April 14.

• 👶 Fort Worth: The Texas Equal Access Fund and the TCU Dept. of Women’s and Gender Studies are cohosting an infant care resource drive on Saturday, April 15.

• 💸 United States: Applications for the Third Wave Fund’s Own Our Power Fund are due by Friday, April 21. From Insta: “youth-led reproductive and gender justice organizations with an annual budget of up to $500,000 USD are eligible to apply, with a priority on groups located in regions or focused on issues that are philanthropically under-resourced.”

• 🥂 Austin: Celebrate Jane’s Due Process at LoLo Wine Bar on Wednesday, May 17th.

• 🥂 Dallas: The Texas Equal Access Fund’s First Bloom community awards gala is Thursday, May 18.

• 💸 Everywhere: It’s Abortion Access Fund-A-Thon season! Find a team, a fund, and/or a fundraiser near you, or start your own! Fund some abortions!

• 📥 Anywhere: Looking for a job in repro? ReproJobs can help you spruce up your resume!

• 🧑🏾‍⚕️ Anywhere, for medical residents training in abortion care: Obstetricians for Reproductive Justice and others will fund residents who need to travel out of state for abortion care training through December 2023 (or retroactively since July 1, 2022). Here’s how to apply.

• 🧑🏾‍⚕️ Anywhere, for health care providers: UCSF’s Dobbs Impact Study is looking at instances of “poor-quality medical care since the Dobbs decision,” and they’re encouraging providers to submit de-identified stories.

• 👕 Anywhere: get swag!

  • “Don’t Talk To Cops” tees from If/When/How say all you need to say: nothing.

• 🤠 Texas:

  • Join the Texas Abortion Hype Squad.

  • Local teen-friendly businesses in in Bryan, College Station, Lubbock, or San Angelo can become pickup spots for repro kits assembled by Jane’s Due Process. Here’s the application form.

• 📖 Anywhere, resources edition:

  • Read this solidarity + organizing brief from Interrupting Criminalization and a coalition of repro and anti-criminalization orgs.

  • I Need An A’s new “stories” section provides resources, support, and information for folks seeking abortion care.

  • Plan C Pills has published a self-managed abortion field guide in super fun, accessible zine form.

  • Physicians for Reproductive Health has updated guidance on discussing and reporting on later abortion care.

  • The Repro Legal Defense Fund and the Community Justice Exchange have an extensive, attractive, and fact-filled guide to abortion criminalization in both English and Spanish.

  • Check out the “Pro Choice, But” campaign to better understand how to talk with folks who are, well, pro-choice … but.

  • Read the National Immigration Law Center’s know-your-rights-guide to abortion access for immigrants and share widely.

  • Familiarize yourself with this Digital Defense Fund guide to keeping your abortion private and secure, or check out the If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline guide to internet safety.

  • Read this guide on using trans-inclusive language from ARC-Southeast and the Transgender Law Center.

  • REPRO Rising Virginia has a thorough guide to updating your protest signs to make sure you’re using the most forward-thinking, respectful, and impactful language around abortion.

  • Here’s a big list of action items and info created by @RHAVote, and another big list of action items and info created by Alison Turkos.

• ✍️ Sign and share:

  • Anywhere: Tell Planned Parenthood North Central States to stop union-busting.

  • Anywhere: Sign the RJ Response to Stop Cop City.

  • Anywhere: All Above All*’s petition to lift outdated restrictions on medication abortion.

  • Anywhere: UltraViolet’s petition calling on pharmacies to provide medication abortion access where it’s legal to do so.

  • Texas: Avow Texas’ petition demands county district attorneys pledge not to prosecute people for providing abortions, or because of a pregnancy outcome.

  • Anywhere: All Above All*’s petition asks President Biden take immediate steps to ensure abortion justice for immigrants.

  • Georgia: Sign the Amplify Georgia Collaborative’s petition to support the Georgia Reproductive Freedom Act.

  • Anywhere: Use All Above All*’s online form to express your support for the EACH act in Congress.

• 💸 From your wallet:

  • Donate to the Online Abortion Resource Squad, which supports the R/Abortion subreddit 24/7/365.

  • Via the Repro Legal Defense Fund: donate to the defense fund for pro-abortion organizers targeted under a law originally meant to protect abortion clinics and providers.

  • The Valley Abortion Group is a new all-trimester abortion facility fundraising to open in New Mexico — donate to the GoFundMe.

  • Buy something off the wishlist of an independent clinic, abortion fund, or clinic defense group, or donate to support abortion funds. This link distributes your donation to 90+ funds around the country. Or donate to support independent abortion providers!

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Goodnight and good dunk: With friends like these, who needs enemies?

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That’s all for this week. I’m sure I’ve missed something you’d like to see featured in this roundup, for I am but one woman with a computer and an abortion-news-induced drinking problem. Holler at me — andrea.grimes@gmail.com, or DM me on Instagram, and I’ll try to add follow-ups as I’m able.