Plus: Increasingly desperate Republicans tell increasingly desperate lies about abortion.
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:In Missouri, a massive loss for Republicans trying to rig the system to keep ballot measures — especially abortion rights ballot measures — out of voters’ hands. Cheers to the Missouri Dems who pulled off a record 50-hour filibuster last week to secure the win.
“Dobbs Was A Gift To Domestic Abusers” (The New Republic) — There have been a couple of pretty irresponsible stories about domestic abusers weaponizing abortion bans to terrorize their former partners circulating in the last couple of weeks. These stories ran against the express wishes of the people at the center of them — because they put their subjects in danger — so you won’t find me linking to them here. Instead, I recommend this piece from Melissa Gira Grant about the bigger picture of how abortion bans empower creeps and abusers. (Because that is what they are intended to do. It’s a feature, not a bug, etc.)
“17% of Voters Blame Biden for the End of Roe” (NYT) — I’ve been less online than usual in the past couple of weeks but I’m still seeing a lot of chatter about this as if it is some consequential harbinger. The voters in question are people who do not follow politics or the news; they’re not even mostly folks who think Biden should be doing more to protect abortion rights or access (though some say they do think that). In light of this, I’m a little surprised the number isn’t higher. I just don’t think this is a big deal beyond being a huge flaming neon sign for Biden to get his ass out there personally and ramp up the pro-abortion rhetoric.
👩🏽⚕️What’s happening with clinical abortion care, providers, medication abortion, and such:
“Despite state bans, abortions nationwide are up, driven by telehealth” (NPR) — According to WeCount, there were 86,000 abortions per month in the US in 2023, up from 82,000/month in ’22. But this doesn’t mean everyone who needs an abortion can get one, or can get the kind of abortion care they prefer. I especially want to highlight these remarks from UCSF researcher Dr. Ushma Upadhyay: “We know that there are people living in states with bans who are not getting their needed abortions. The concern we have is that that might be overlooked by these increases.”
The Broward Women’s Emergency Fund’s Rosa Valderrama is in Rewirewith a look at some truly terrible both-sidesing in the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “We cannot allow the media to continue to platform extreme anti-abortion narratives and give them the same weight as the voices of medical providers and people who have actually had abortions. In recentpolls, around 60 percent of Floridians say they support expanding abortion access. We don’t want to be criminalized or see our friends and family criminalized for ending a pregnancy.”
Legal scholars Mary Ziegler and Reva Siegelhave published a draft of a new legal history of the Comstock Act, wherein they challenge “the claim that the obscenity law is a plain-meaning, no-exceptions, national ban by tracing health-based access to reproductive care over the life of this statute.”
Journalist Marisa Kabas is in the Handbasket with a report from ComstockCon, a gathering of activists, scholars, organizers, artists, policy wonks, and generally brilliant folks that I had the pleasure of helping organize. She writes: “The point of ComstockCon wasn’t to scare us into fighting for abortion rights, or even to formulate a plan to overturn the Comstock Act (though the wheels are already in motion for that.) What emerged from the day was further confirmation that abortion does not exist in a vacuum, because no struggle does. Multiple speakers referenced the protests against genocide in Gaza and Harvard’s student encampment a few minutes away; anti-blackness and racism undergirded every panel; and numerous links were made to trans liberation and health care. And by the end of the day, one thing was clear: The most powerful tool for protecting and expanding abortion rights—and all human rights—is through solidarity.“
The Tweets/Toks/Skeets/Grams
Here’s the Buckle Bunnies Fundreminding folks to keep ourselves and our favorite abortion funders safe by being mindful about digital security!
Author Mikki Kendalltweets a word on the goals of the anti-abortion/forced birth movements:
🍉 🚨 NON-ABORTION INTERLUDE 🚨 🍉
Supporting families separated by genocide is a reproductive justice issue, which is why I’m fundraising for Aya Musallam and her campaign to reunite her family, who have been separated by Israel’s attacks on Gaza. They’ve lost their family home, and they’re spread out all over the world. Right now, Aya’s working to get her sister Lara, her brother-in-law, and her nephews Ayham (2 years old) and Yaman (4 months old) to safety and back together with Aya, her mom, and her little sister, who are in Russia, and Aya’s brother and father, who are in Egypt.
Aya is over 2/3 of the way to her goal! We just need to raise €6,386 to complete Aya’s campaign.
If you can donate even a few bucks, it makes a big difference. If you can’t donate, please share Aya’s Go Fund Me page widely with your networks, or you can like/share/comment/bookmark and otherwise interact with my fundraiser videos on TikTok and Instagram to make sure they aren’t suppressed by the cowardly, censorious algorithms.
🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉
The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?
👕 SWAG OF THE WEEK! 👕
These Texas-tastic tees supporting the Rio Grande Valley’s Frontera Fund are available to order until Tuesday, May 31!
💸 EVERY-THE-FUCK-WHERE: It’s abortion fund-a-thon season, an annual bevy of bowl-a-thons, bake-a-thons, craft-a-thons, and basically every other kind of a-thon you can think of to celebrate and fund members of the National Network of Abortion Funds. Find your local event here!
🦺 St. Louis area: Illinois’ Hope Clinic is looking for clinic escorts. Here’s how to learn more.
🐝 Anywhere: The “Pollination Station,” Apiary Practical Support‘s volunteer training series, is now taking applications.
🚗 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.
🤠 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:
Donate to keep the West Alabama Women’s Center’s doors open so they can provide gender-affirming care, repro care, pre- and post-natal care, miscarriage management, and much more.
Buy a wishlist item for the Yellowhammer Fund‘s Repro Raven bus.
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.
Donate to rebuildAffirmative Care Solutions, the Illinois clinic attacked by an anti-abortion extremist who drove his car through the front of the building.
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.
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.
The Center for Reproductive Rightshas an interactive online resource looking at “the current status of abortion rights through state court constitutional decisions.”
Here’s If/When/How‘s latest 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’sreport, “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.
Goodnight and good dunk — Everyone should have a hobby, and right-winger Anna Lulis has a passion for getting relentlessly dunked on for her asinine abortion takes. Reality star, activist, and attorney Preston Mitchum was among many who obliged. The QTs and replies are ripe for chuckles.
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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