so, what's going on with mifepristone?

there are a lot of bad words in this post

Apr 11, 2023

Hi friends, thank you so much for being here! It means a lot to me. If you enjoy my writing, I’d love it if you’d share A Little Something Sweet with the people you love. I also invite you to upgrade to a paid subscription, which gives you access to my Rom Coms Revisited movie club, exclusive recipes, and other subscribers-only content. Your support of my work allows me to keep creating here and elsewhere. I’m so grateful, xoxo.

Today I’m talking about three attacks on reproductive rights/bodily autonomy here in Texas that are distinct but deeply related. All of them happened in the past month. All of them are unjust and cruel by design.

1: Baby Mila Jackson was born healthy on March 21st, delivered by a midwife in her family’s home in Dallas, TX. A few days after her birth, Mila’s mother Temecia took her and her two older brothers for a routine pediatrician visit - to their family pediatrician of 10 years. The doctor was concerned about Mila’s physiological jaundice, but this common condition was already being treated by their well-respected, professional midwife. The pediatrician (piece of shit Dr. Anand Bhat) didn’t like that answer, so he decided to call CPS on them. Ultimately, week-old baby Mila was forcibly taken from her family and her father Rodney was arrested by police without cause. Note: the warrant was issued to the wrong family - citing a completely different mother with a completely different name. What the actual fuck!!

Black families are routinely and disproportionately targeted by CPS, in Texas and nationwide. There is a maternal health crisis that makes pregnancy and birth much more dangerous for Black birthing people - who are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white people. They are more likely to experience abuse at the hands of medical professionals, and less likely to have their pain or concerns taken seriously. So it’s notable that baby Mila was born in the comfort of her family’s home, with her and her mother’s care managed by a Black midwife. As the Afiya Center tells us, “Midwives create better health outcomes for Black mothers and their babies and are essential to solving the maternal health crisis in Texas. Criminalizing Black midwives, Black families, and Black babies in the midst of this crisis is unconscionable.”

The story has slowly been getting more news coverage, but Dallas CPS still refuses to return her to her family. Mila has now been away from them for two weeks, and their court hearing has been pushed back an additional two weeks. Please call Dallas CPS at (800) 720-7777 to demand they immediately reunite the Jackson family, and stop targeting and criminalizing Black families going forward. You can also donate to help cover legal expenses through The Afiya Center’s Legal Defense Fund.

2: On March 29th, Samantha Casiano was forced to give birth to a baby that died four hours after birth, in her father Luis’ arms. Her baby had anencephaly, a condition that is incompatible with life and causes parts of the brain and skull to not develop. But let’s rewind. Samantha and Luis found out about the diagnosis of anencephaly just before Christmas, when she was 20 weeks pregnant. According to an NPR article, “She asked her OB-GYN what her options were. Casiano says her doctor told her, "Well, because of the new law, you don't have any options. You have to go on with your pregnancy.” Imagine someone saying this to you. It would be devastating, not to mention horrible and cruel. It’s also untrue - the type of abortion care Samantha needed is available in other states. But whether it’s accessible is a completely different question.

Samantha wanted to do what she knew was right for her and the fetus and not continue the pregnancy. But because of Texas’ disgusting anti-abortion laws, she was forced to continue it. She spoke to clinics elsewhere, but the logistics of seeking care in another state (New Mexico or Arizona) weren’t possible for her. She would’ve had to take days off work, drive over 700 miles from eastern Texas, and find childcare for her four older children and godchild. Reminder: abortion bans target and disproportionately affect poor people, BIPOC, and immigrants.

What Samantha was forced to go through is unconscionable. It makes me so angry and so sad. I’ve spoken before about what it was like for me to be pregnant when I didn’t want to be, before I was able to get an abortion. I can only imagine how horrific Samantha’s experience was carrying a fetus incompatible with life for months and months. She was forced to go to doctor’s visits and endure people asking questions about her pregnancy. She said, “I love my baby, but she should be at rest by now. I just keep thinking that over and over again – my baby should be at rest, I shouldn't have to put her through this." The cruelty is unspeakable.

And there’s another layer. When Roe fell, a law went into effect in Texas that requires all fetal remains to be buried or cremated. At the sole expense of the family. Vile person Amy O'Donnell, the “director of communications for the Texas Alliance for Life” claimed to NPR that “Several private and religious organizations provide free caskets and other services, but said public funds for infant funerals is not currently part of the "Alternatives to Abortion" state program.” Yes, you heard that correctly - free caskets for the fetus you were forced to carry, against medical guidance and general human compassion.

3: On Friday, smug-faced garbage human Matthew Kacsmaryk, a judge out of Amarillo, TX, demanded that the FDA un-approve mifepristone - one of the two very safe pills typically used in a medication abortion. Important note: this judge cannot “ban” mifepristone - this ruling could make mifepristone unapproved by the FDA, but not illegal. But wait: there’s a conflicting lawsuit out of Washington state that orders the FDA to maintain the approved status of mifepristone (because it is a safe medication that has been approved by the FDA for over 20 years). It’s likely that it will now go to the Supreme Court where bitch baby Brett Kavanaugh gets to weigh in. God I hate that guy.

So here’s some important things:

Mifepristone is safe, and will be a part of abortion care regardless.
No matter where you live, you can order abortion pills right now, before you need them. Visit Plan C Pills, INeedAnA.com, or AidAccess.
Do not talk to cops, under any circumstances.
If you need to go to a hospital, you do not have to tell them you took abortion pills - they will not be able to tell. The majority of people criminalized for self-managing their abortions were reported to police by medical staff. They are 100% not required to, but medical staff sometimes take it upon themselves to become an arm of the carceral state.
Visit https://www.wetestify.org/self-managed-abortion for information about self managed abortion and legal resources.

I know it’s hard to keep up with the constant barrage of horrible things. I know it can feel hopeless. But now’s the time to continue the fight, defiant as ever. We determine our right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.

some notable (and less notable) things

We’re moving soon and I’m trying to clear out my inventory, so everything is 30% off in the Sweet Feminist Shop with the code “SPRING”! Get your pro-abortion/pro-feelings wares while they’re here.
Book recommendation: Sabia Wade’s Birthing Liberation

Birthing Liberation presents reproductive justice as the pathway to equity and the birthplace of liberation.

Sabia C. Wade, renowned radical doula and educator, speaks to the intersections of systemic issues—such as access to health care, house transportation, and nutrition—and personal trauma work that, if healed, have the power to lead us to collective liberation in all facets of life.

Collective liberation rests on the idea that in order for us all to have equity in this world—from the safety of childbirth, to the ability to bring a baby home to a safe community, to having access to resources, safety, and opportunities over the long term—we must all become liberated individuals.

Birthing Liberation creates a path to social and systemic change, starting within the birthing world and expanding far beyond.

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I know I just talked about this literally last week, but I can’t get over this song - we love the friendship love representation!!
Coming this Sunday 4/16: Rom Coms Revisited, The Wedding Date!
- ICYMI, Rom Coms Revisited is a new movie club for paid subscribers where we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of your fave 90’s-early 2000s rom coms! Twice a month I publish a post analyzing one of our beloved rom coms through a feminist lens. And don’t worry, you’re still allowed to love them - I do. I announce the movies ahead of time so y’all can watch along. After the post is live, we discuss in the comments/my subscriber’s only chat thread! Here’s the two we’ve done so far:
  - 50 First Dates
  - How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

a recipe

gooey butter bars

This dessert originated in St. Louis, but eventually spread to the surrounding Midwestern cities (including my hometown of Kansas City). They’re difficult to describe if you haven’t eaten one before, but I’ll give it a shot. Basically, it’s a shortbread crust topped with the gooiest, butteriest, yellow-cakiest flavored filling imaginable. The top gets a nice little shiny crackle, and it’s finished with a showering of powdered sugar - for purely aesthetic reasons. This is the thing people ask me to make for them, and I’m going to be honest - it’s my fave too!