Plus: The Texas Supreme Court will hear AG Ken Paxton’s best argument for forcing pregnant people with life-threatening pregnancies to die at the hands of the state.

Here’s another edition of Hard to Believe It’s Only Tuesday, a weekly roundup of the top headlines, tweets, toks, takes, and more in abortion news. You can always email me (andrea.grimes@gmail.com, or grimesandrea@proton.me for more sensitive inquiries) or DM me on instagram with action items, takes, and news clips. This post is probably too long for email, so click the headline above or head to the HTBIOT page to get the full read in your browser, because you don’t want to miss this week’s Goodnight and Good Dunk!

The big takeaway: I won’t try to summarize nearly three weeks’ worth of abortion news — thank you for your patience while I was traveling! — but I will direct your attention to: Tuesday’s (i.e. tomorrow’s) SCOTX hearing over Texas AG Ken Paxton’s desperate wish to see pregnant people die at the hands of the state, more evidence of record support for abortion rights nationwide, and the latest Trump flippy-floppy abortion fuckery.

The Top Headlines

• “Some Republicans Were Willing to Compromise on Abortion Ban Exceptions. Activists Made Sure They Didn’t.” (ProPublica)
• “Louisiana’s Governor-Elect Wants To Withhold Funds For New Orleans’ Decaying Water Infrastructure Until Women Who Seek Abortions Are Prosecuted” (Essence)
• “The Black Women Who Fought for Ohio’s Historic Abortion Win” (Elle)
• “Near-record 55 percent support abortion rights: Survey” (The Hill)
• “From Emergency Room to Prison: Health Care Providers Are Most Likely To Report Pregnant People” (Mother Jones)
• “Texas businesses say abortion ban costs state nearly $15 billion a year” (KXAN)
• “Abortion concerns once delayed a major religious freedom law. Now, they’re back in the spotlight” (Deseret News)
• “Births have increased in states with abortion bans, research finds” (CNN)
• “5 states where the abortion fight is likely to play out next” (The Hill)
• “Anti-Abortion Groups Shrug Off Election Losses, Look to Courts, Statehouses for Path Forward” (KFF Health News) — Probably a more accurate secondary clause for that hed would read “look to subvert democracy for path forward.”
• “Progressive and Anti-Abortion? New Group Plays Fast and Loose to Make Points” (KFF News)
• “‘A story of revolutionary deep care’: revisiting the history of radical abortion defense” (The Guardian)

• 🇺🇸 What politicians and politicos on the national stage are doing and saying about abortion in advance of the ‘24 election:
  • “Trump, Who Destroyed Roe, Thinks He Can Run As an Abortion ‘Moderate’ in 2024” (Rolling Stone)
  • “Republicans search for the best messenger on abortion, pitting Nikki Haley’s approach against Trump’s” (NBC News)
  • “DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy compete for Iowa evangelicals’ support at Family Leader forum” (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

• ⚖️ What’s going on with abortion bans, legal challenges, and bills at the state and local levels:
  • 🟢 “[Montana] Abortion rights group proposes constitutional amendment to protect access” (Montana Free Press)
  • 🟢 “Virginia Dems confront Youngkin with bills on abortion, guns and more” (WaPo)
  • 🟢 “‘Michigan has showed the world’: Whitmer signs pared-down Reproductive Health Act into law” (Michigan Advance)
  • 🟢 “Missouri Supreme Court deals a blow to secretary of state’s ballot language on abortion” (AP/Yahoo)
  • 🟢 “DOJ challenges Alabama AG’s threatened prosecution for out-of-state abortions” (WHNT)
  • 🟡 “Abortion rights won big on the ballot in Ohio. But in Missouri, advocates remain divided” and “Missouri rape hotline reporting requirement in abortion-rights petition draws criticism” (Missouri Independent)
  • 🟡 “Abortions in Alaska can only be performed by doctors. Is that about to change?” (Alaska Public Media)
  • 🟡 “Alliance Defending Freedom asks U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in Idaho abortion case” (Idaho Capital Sun)
  • 🟡 “New policy leads to settlement in ballot petitioner rights lawsuit” (South Dakota Searchlight) — The policy in question was targeted in part at South Dakota repro rights advocates collecting signatures for a for a pro-abortion-rights ballot initiative.
  • 🟡 “As potential hurdles to abortion amendment proposed, advocates ready to keep up the fight” (Ohio Capital Journal)
  • 🟡 “Texas Supreme Court to hear case Tuesday challenging state’s near-total abortion ban” (Austin American-Statesman)
  • 🟡 “Oklahoma Supreme Court keeps anti-abortion laws on hold while challenge is pending” (AP)
  • 🟡 “Texas bill aims to block wave of local abortion travel bans” (The Hill) — I don’t even know what color dot to give this? The Texas Legislature is on its fourth special session of the year (Republicans are fighting over school vouchers) and this bill doesn’t have a single solitary prayer. I guess it might, I don’t know, inspire Republicans to introduce another bill mandating local abortion travel bans? Truly, this thing getting coverage in The Hill is extremely weird.
  • 🔴 “Carson City judge rejects statewide abortion initiative” (Nevada Appeal/AP) — Note that Nevadans for Reproductive Rights, the group behind the ballot effort, says it’s considering an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.
  • 🔴 “Oklahoma AG sues Biden administration over family planning grant clawback” (Oklahoma Voice)
  • 🔴 “SC high court refuses to take up latest abortion challenge, lets ban stand at 6 weeks” (South Carolina Daily Gazette)
  • 🔴 “Lebanon [Ohio] delays repealing sanctuary city ordinance on abortions” (Dayton Daily News)

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The Takes

• OB-GYN resident Dr. Meghana Kudrimoti is in Rewire, celebrating her ability to “come home” to Ohio after the passage of Issue 1.
• Repro legal expert Jessica Waters is in The Hill calling on Americans to “pay attention” to the looming threats to medication abortion access nationwide: “If FDA approval is rescinded and mifepristone is removed from the market or more severely restricted, medical abortion access could be decimated nationwide — even in states that protect abortion access. The hard-fought state victories are gutted if the medication used for the most common abortion method isn’t available.”
• Missouri repro lawyer Bridgette Dunlap takes to her newsletter for an incredibly detailed look at the state’s competing(ish) ballot proposals, making a strong case for the proposal that is not backed by a GOP operative: “[the aforementioned operative, Jamie] Corley’s effort is a tacit acknowledgement that the legislators in her Republican party are so unreasonable that even an effort to make abortion legal on paper for rape victims or doomed pregnancies would be futile.  There is no denying the legislature’s extreme hostility and indifference to the health and dignity of Missouri women—but that is why we need constitutional protections much more robust than these to restrain it.“
• Repro legal scholar David S. Cohen and ANSIRH’s Carole Joffe are in Slate looking at post-Roe wins: “The Supreme Court may have ended Roe v. Wade, but thanks to the will and determination of abortion seekers and providers, it did not end abortion. In fact, it may have accomplished the exact opposite by prodding people on the ground to make abortion, on the whole, more accessible than ever before.”

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The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• People really like abortion access! Again and again!

The abortion ban that sends our neighbors in North Dakota over state lines to get essential healthcare is not popular with North Dakota's voters, unsurprisingly https://t.co/sde133QJmH

— UnRestrict Minnesota Action (@UnrestrictMNAct) November 27, 2023

• ANSIRH tweets an uplifting (ish? under the circumstances?) thread on the “resourcefulness and resilience” of people who have abortions, providers, and others:

We have a damaged and fragmented health care system. Many abortion seekers aren’t able to afford or access care.

But the increase in abortions in the past year shows the resourcefulness and resilience of patients, providers, activists, funders, and researchers. [🧵]

— ANSIRH (@ANSIRH) November 13, 2023

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The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• 👕 SWAG OF THE WEEK! 👕
  • How about some festive pro-abortion holiday gear benefitting the Yellowhammer Fund????
• 🎉 Brownsville, TX: Join repro advocates in the Rio Grande Valley at the Bilingual Feminist Book Club at the Buho Bookstore on Tuesday November 28th, or at the UTRGV Repro Justice Posada on Wednesday, November 29.
• 👶🏼 Dallas, TX: The Texas Equal Access Fund’s infant care resource drive is Saturday, December 16th.
• 🍑 Georgia: There are three, three, three! opportunities to join the Feminist Women’s Health Center‘s Legislative Advocacy workshop(s), on Thursday January 4, Saturday January 6th, or Sunday January 7th, 2024.
• 🥂 The Carolinas: The Carolina Abortion Fund’s second annual gala is Saturday, February 3, 2024.
• 🔬 Anywhere, for abortion fund leaders: Participate in a UCSF study!
• 🦺 St. Louis area: Illinois’ Hope Clinic is looking for clinic escorts. Here’s how to learn more.
• 🚗 Kentucky: The Kentucky Health Justice Network is looking for volunteer drivers and case managers. Here’s where to sign up.
• 📱 North Texas: The Texas Equal Access Fund is looking for bilingual Spanish-speaking volunteers for their text line. Here’s where to sign up.
• 📥 Anywhere: Looking for a job in repro? ReproJobs can help you spruce up your resume.
• 🤠 Texas: 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.
• ⛰️ Southwestern Virginia and Appalachia: The New River Abortion Access Fund is looking for volunteers.
• 🗳️ Anywhere, U.S.: Hey Jane x Vote America helps prep voters to support pro-abortion policies and candidates

• 💸 From your wallet:
  • The IPPF and the Palestinian Family Planning Association are attempting to provide care for tens of thousands of pregnant people in Gaza; learn more here and donate/spread the word.
  • Here’s the verified crowdfunding page for “Ashley,” the 13-year-old mother who was denied abortion care in Mississippi and profiled in TIME magazine.
  • Donate to support the Austin Women’s Health Center and their essential repro health services, including miscarriage management and abortion referrals.
  • Donate $$ and pads to Just the Pill’s mobile clinic.
  • Here’s the verified crowdfunding page for the family of Samara, a 17-year-old in San Antonio and Buckle Bunnies Fund patient who died from repro health complications.
  • The Valley Abortion Group is a new all-trimester abortion facility fundraising to open in New Mexico — donate to the GoFundMe.
  • Donate to the Online Abortion Resource Squad, which supports the R/Abortion subreddit 24/7/365.
  • Donate to Elevated Access, which transports folks for abortion and gender-affirming care.
  • Donate to ensure Desert Star Family Planning in Phoenix can keep providing essential abortion care to folks in the Southwest.
  • Find your local abortion fund and donate.
  • 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.

• 🎙️ Podcasts!
  • Rewire’s Boom! Lawyered
  • Access, a podcast about abortion
  • Repro Legal Defense Fund’s No Body Criminalized
  • The Population Institute‘s rePROS Fight Back
  • Abortion Access Front‘s Feminist Buzzkills Podcast

• ✍🏿 Sign and share:
  • Anywhere: Sign this multi-org-backed petition demanding Google stop “collecting and retaining location data and aiding abortion prosecutors.”
  • Anywhere: sign the Fight for the Future petition to demand better digital safety and security on Slack!
  • Anywhere: Sign the RJ Response to Stop Cop City.
  • Anywhere: UltraViolet’s petition calling on pharmacies to provide medication abortion access where it’s legal to do so.

• 🔎 Abortion Resources
  • ⚕️ Abortion providers, rights, and support:
    • Looking for a clinical abortion provider? AbortionFinder and INeedAnA are trustworthy and updated regularly.
    • Here’s the National Immigration Law Center’s know-your-rights-guide to abortion access for immigrants.
    • Abortions Welcome is a “pro-choice spiritual companion for use before, during, and after abortion.”
    • Want to become a practical support volunteer helping folks access abortion? Read this essential FAQ from Apiary first.
  • 📚 Research:
    • Here’s If/When/How‘s new report on the criminalization of self-managed abortion between 2000-2020.
    • New research from Pregnancy Justice looks at the data behind rising criminalization of pregnancy.
    • Here’s new research from Gynuity on the safety and effectiveness of misoprostol-only medication abortion.
    • Read Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer’s report, “Towards an Indigenous Reproductive Justice: Examining Attitudes on Abortion among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.”
    • Here’s new research on abortion access for incarcerated folks.
  • 🗣️ Communicating about abortion:
    • Check out the ANSIRH On Screen program’s latest resource sheet and recommendations on abortion portrayals in film and television.
    • Who Not When’s guide to reporting on later abortion is just great.
    • Check out the “Pro Choice, But” campaign to better understand how to talk with folks who are, well, pro-choice … but.
    • Read this guide on using trans-inclusive language from ARC-Southeast and the Transgender Law Center.
    • REPRO Rising Virginia has a thorough guide-via-Twitter-thread to keeping your protest signs fresh.
    • Physicians for Reproductive Health’s wide-ranging messaging guide covers all kinds of topics in repro and abortion care.
  • 🚓 Abortion and pregnancy criminalization:
    • Read this solidarity + organizing brief from Interrupting Criminalization and a coalition of repro and anti-criminalization orgs.
    • 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.
    • 🏠 Self-managed abortion:
      • If/When/How’s Repro Legal Helpline guide to internet safety.
      • Plan C Pills has published a self-managed abortion field guide in super fun, accessible zine form.
      • The Digital Defense Fund has a useful guide to keeping your abortion private and secure.
      • This gorgeous slideshow from South Texans for Reproductive Justice!
      • Check out the SMAZine from Urge and LiberalJane.

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Goodnight and good dunk — Thanks to Lisa Needham, I can’t un-read the phrase “brain full of dirty forks” and now you can’t either!

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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 grimesandrea@proton.me for more sensitive inquiries, or DM me on Instagram, and I’ll try to add follow-ups as I’m able.

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