What do we do now?

Ways to help people who have abortions, no matter what comes next

This week sucks! So let’s take a second to regulate. If you’re at home: fill your bottle with ice water and settle under a blanket. If you’re not at home: breathe in through your nose for 4, hold for 4, out for 4 (repeat a few times). If possible, look out a window. OK keep reading.

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If you’re new around here, it’s important you know that I spend a huge chunk of my energy trying to make things easier for people who have abortions. It’s a steep climb. Like everyone in our movement, I’ve watched protections erode, and then erode some more. It’s infuriating, but because we’ve been through so much of this same shit already we know know how to keep going. Note: I’m not immune to existential despair. I didn’t know it was possible to simultaneously feel nihilistic and intensely motivated, but turns out it is. All that to say, I’m not trying to positive think our way through this. This isn’t me sugarcoating things. This is a list of concrete things we can do and keep doing, no matter what comes next.

What you can do:

• Make sure you’re sharing accurate information from trusted and verified sources. Bookmark this regularly updated list of trusted resources (I made it!). You’ll find information on helplines, how to find care, info on abortion pills, legal support/safety, financial/practical support, emotional support, and where to donate.

• Consider ordering medication abortion pills in advance (the shelf life is two years). Plan C’s website provides information about how people access abortion pills in all 50 states.

• Visit www.ineedana.com for continually updated info about how to access abortion care no matter where you live.

• Support your local abortion fund or practical support organization. Your contribution will go much further than it would with a larger org (ie Planned Parenthood) because the smaller ones are usually providing direct services and support. You can find the closest fund to you here, and practical support org here. Here are some options I recommend:

  • Criminalization is going to get worse, and we’re going to need a lot of support in that area. Pregnancy Justice and the Repro Legal Defense Fund help people who are criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes - please direct funds their way.

  • Chicago Abortion Fund and DC Abortion Fund are helping a lot of people traveling from elsewhere right now.

  • Online Abortion Resource Squad helps people find good information on Reddit

• Watch my Abortion Affirmation videos on IG for non-judgmental unconditional acceptance for people who have abortions.

• Identify strategies to keep yourself and others safe.

  • Don’t speak to police about your or anyone else’s abortion.

  • If you need medical care after self-managing an abortion you do not have to tell them you took abortion pills. They will not be able to tell because an abortion and a miscarriage are clinically very similar.

  • Make sure to use an encrypted messaging service like Signal - not things like facebook messenger, IG or regular texting. Check out Digital Defense Fund for more strategies.

• Order cute merch so people feel supported in public! Like this Abortion Forever beanie from Shout Your Abortion.

What you can change:

• Refuse to participate in stigma and shaming. This is going to take a culture shift, and we can do it. Language shifts can be incredibly powerful, here are some suggestions:

  • If you mean abortion, say abortion - no more “women’s healthcare” circumlocutions (a fun word though, huh!)

  • Consider swapping pro-choice for pro-abortion. Pro-choice isn’t meaningful if there isn’t actually a choice, due to things like restrictions, bans, economic barriers, geographic barriers, etc. There is nothing wrong with being pro-abortion because there is nothing wrong with having abortions.

  • Normalize abortion in everyday conversation - no need to tiptoe around.

• We deserve our own narratives, not the ones imposed by anti-abortion weirdos. It’s so important to center people who actually have abortions. What are we asking for? How do we want to be spoken about? A great way to do this is reading abortion stories, written by the people who have them. Note: I encourage you to share your own if it’s safe and comfortable for you to do so!

What you can feel:

• Rage, desperation, sadness, fear, and literally any other emotion that comes up for you. Please join me in embracing emotional agnosticism!

What you can remember:

• Our right to abortion care doesn’t come from the state or the courts. We don’t need anyone’s permission.

• Abortion is common, normal, and okay. There is nothing wrong with you if you need one.

• People can and do safely self-manage their abortions regardless of legality. Check out Abortion On Our Own Terms for more on that. The primary risk is a legal one - if you are concerned about being criminalized for your pregnancy outcome please reach out to Pregnancy Justice or the Repro Legal Defense Fund.

With intense love and intense anger,

Becca

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