Plus: New research shows self-managed abortion has increased since Dobbs
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:New research from ANSIRH shows that, post-Dobbs, there’s been an increase in people self-managing their abortions, but/and, folks are not always using the safest and most effective methods. From the report in JAMA:
“Consistent with earlier research participants used a wide range of methods beyond self-sourced mifepristone and/or misoprostol for SMA, including several with the potential for harm and many that likely offer low to no effectiveness in ending a pregnancy. Thus, interaction with the health care system following SMA is not uncommon, whether to seek emergency care related to adverse effects or complications or to seek subsequent prenatal or abortion care. It is therefore critical that clinicians across medical specialties, but particularly those in emergency and primary care settings, be aware of potential complications associated with SMA as well as its usual clinical course. Furthermore, given recent evidence that clinicians are the most common way in which people with SMA are connected with the carceral system, clinicians must ensure that they protect patient privacy, especially in settings where abortion is increasingly criminalized.”
The reporting on this has been predictably messy, with a number of outlets leaning hard on back-alley tropes that only serve to confuse, shame, and stigmatize people who need reliable, accessible information on self-managed care in the absence of the clinical options they might otherwise prefer. Nancy Cárdenas Peña, campaign director at Abortion On Our Own Terms, wrote a really thoughtful pushback post against an especially egregious Guardian headline on Instagram:
An important distinction when using language around self managed abortion is that medication abortion is extremely safe and effective. The pills themselves are not dangerous nor a “nightmare”. It is the restrictions, lack of information, and obstetric violence enacted by the state that puts people in danger.
“The Senate Passed a Bill That Could Censor Abortion, Trans Info From the Internet” (Jezebel) — The House doesn’t reconvene until September, and some are not optimistic about the Senate version’s chances there, which means it’s extremely important to take this time to contact our reps and remind them what a bad idea this thing is. KOSA is a terrible proposal, terrible policy, terrible all around — the tl;dr is that it doesn’t even begin to address the problem(s) it purports to solve (“protecting kids”) while creating new and serious problems for marginalized and vulnerable folks, especially young people (and censoring information about abortion, sex, queer identity, etc. online for everyone). Visit StopKOSA.com for resources and language on contacting your reps, and learn yourself up on the bigger picture at Fight for the Future.
“Mark Robinson backs 12-week abortion ban in campaign ad, after prior call for ‘no compromise’” (NC Newsline) and “A North Carolina Republican who mocked women for abortions runs ad with his wife’s own story” (AP) — The North Carolina lite guv is the Ur-example of Republicans trying to hold any and every position on abortion all at once in order to retain the barest possible grip on political power. Robinson’s wife joins him for his latest campaign ad, in which they talk about deciding together 30 years ago to end a pregnancy that occurred before they were married. This softer tack stands in notable contrast to some truly appalling shit Robinson has said in the past, including that people who have abortions “weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down,” and that “there is no compromise on abortion.” It’s tempting to think that Robinson’s positions — that women who have abortions are slutty baby-murderers, and that if he chooses abortion with his partner, he deserves compassion — are in conflict. They aren’t: people who believe abortion should be banned have abortions (and so do their partners), just like everyone else. Anti-abortion politics are the politics of abuse, patriarchy and authoritarianism, not of intellectual and spiritual consistency. Like all anti-abortion politicians, Robinson believes he is a special case — you have to believe something like that to think you’re entitled to the level of control he and his fellow Republicans seek over the reproductive lives of strangers. (See: Vance, J.D.) There have to be special rules for Daddy, or else Daddy can’t do his job of making the rules for everyone else. (And FWIW, I actually hate this whole deal. I hate it when lefties go gotcha-oppo and try to attack anti-abortion politicians using their wives’/girlfriends’ abortion experiences, and I hate it when right-wingers try to weaponize other people’s abortion stories for their own political purposes. I don’t know anything about Yolanda Robinson, but I hope whatever process led her to appearing in this ad and talking about her abortion was a process she felt okay about. People who have abortions deserve to feel safe and supported in sharing their experiences on their own terms.)
“Cost of stocking birth control strains family planning clinics in some states” (NBC News) — Featuring an interview with Tuscaloosa’s Robin Marty, operations director at WAWC Health, which previously provided abortions and has kept its doors open against the odds to serve patients who need contraception, gender-affirming care, and cancer screenings.
Via Joshua J. Friedmanon BlueSky, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will run five full-page open-letter-type ads in Texas newspapers inviting doctors to move their practices to New Mexico. She writes: “We’re fiercely committed to protecting medical freedoms here and we’re taking steps to ensure that what happened in Texas never happens in New Mexico.”
❤️ the Palmetto State Abortion Fund! (There’s lots of good pro-abortion content on BlueSky, btw — if you’re on the app, check out the abortion feed.)
👶🏽 Dallas, TX: The TEA Fund’sinfant care resource drive is Saturday, August 10 at the Church in the Cliff.
🛍️ Anywhere, but Texas-focused: The Lilith Fund is bringing PACKs (post-abortion care kits) back! Volunteer in San Antonio to build kits, or donate or buy something from their Amazon wishlist by Wednesday, August 14.
👻 Denton/DFW: The TEA Fund‘s “Haunted Hotties Showcase” is Saturday, October 26 at Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton.
🦺 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:
The $1 Million for Black RJ campaign is live through August 31! Donate here.
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, or donate to help pay their insurance bill.
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.
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 INeedAnA‘s fabulous, comprehensive online resource for people under the age of 18 who need information about how to access abortion care, especially in states that require parental involvement.
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, plus a new report that looks at how callers to their Repro Legal Helpline have been affected post-Dobbs
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 — Wherein repro reporter Sofia Resnickpoints out that anti-abortion lobbyists understood the RNC’s 14th Amendment personhood take perfectly, even when mainstream and legacy political reporters didn’t:
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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