Resistance and Resources for a Post-Roe World
As I sit down to write, my body is numb, as though out of self-preservation, it is refusing to let me feel the full depths of these horrific SCOTUS decisions. Our homegrown American Christofascist extremism. For years, I and so many activists have been told we are hysterical, hyperbolic, overreacting - pick your dismissive language. And now we are here. Our worst fears realized, and it will get so much worse before it will get better. If this shocks you, welcome to the "Burn shit to the ground" movement (but not literally cause we're not MAGA insurrectionists). You can join us or stay silent and be complicit with the stripping of rights of millions of people. There is no middle ground.
No one is free until we are all free - liberation is a communal endeavor.
- Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds' Collective Power Fund: https://donate.abortionfunds.org/give/324729/#!/donation/checkout
- Donate through ActBlue and split your donation between 80 abortion funds across the country: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fundabortionnow
- Join the Abortion Access Front FREE training on July 17th to learn how to be more actively involved: https://www.aafront.org/operation-save-abortion/
- Donate to the Brigid Alliance, which helps people with travel and logistical costs of accessing abortion care: https://brigidalliance.org/
- Lobby your state and federal representatives. Find them here: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/
- Tell them you support codifying reproductive rights into law. There is a bill called the Women's Health Protection Act that has already passed the House. Guess who is holding it up in the Senate!! Call them every week. Don't stop putting the pressure on them and making your voice heard. Also, be polite to their staff.
- Push your congress reps and senators to immediately investigate Justices Thomas, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. They lied under oath during their confirmation hearings and must be impeached. Additionally, it is well documented that Thomas has failed to disclose his treasonous wife's income as well as his from the Federalist Society. SCOTUS is not some court on high. They can and must be held accountable for stripping away the rights of millions of Americans.
- Pressure your reps to eliminate the Senate filibuster. Be specific that if they won't support full abolition, ask them to support reforming it to a talking filibuster.
- Urge your reps to expand the Supreme Court with secular judges who believe in the Constitution and not theocracy
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Biden's shrug and telling people to vote in November is unacceptable. As president he can:
- Open healthcare clinics on non-Indigenous federal lands, particularly in states that have banned abortion, and lease to providers who cover their own funding and work with non-profits (goes around the Hyde Amendment debacle)
- Guarantee the right to travel and travel vouchers for people who need a "vacation"
- Make abortion meds available through federal mail and on federal land
(Above points are from lawyer and justice correspondent Elie Mystal, author of Allow Me to Retort, https://www.thenation.com/authors/elie-mystal/) - Join a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign for the November elections.
- The Working Families Party has a virtual phonebank every Thursday to elect pro-choice candidates who are committed to codifying Roe v Wade. You can join from anywhere. Sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/thefrontline/event/470116/
- The Sunrise Movement is an environmental justice movement led by Gen Z: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/
- Voters of Tomorrow is an immigrant-led movement to get young voters politically engaged: https://www.votersoftomorrow.org
- Lobby your local District Attorney and ask them to not prosecute people seeking reproductive care and the medical professionals who provide it
- The Poor People's Campaign, led by the Reverend William J Barber, is one of the best intersectionally-focused movements, if you're looking for a starting place. Rev Barber believes that we must fight for women's rights, voting rights, living wages, and universal health care together.
Take to the Streets & Protest:
Taking to the streets is a powerful reminder that you are not alone in this fight. It also is a visceral message that there are millions of us who are angry and refuse to let this decision stand. Protest is your right, and can also be a dangerous undertaking when standing up to violent power structures. Here are some tips to prepare, though this is not an exhaustive list:
- COVID is raging across our country. The pandemic is not over! MASK UP with N95/KN95 masks! Our work needs to be intersectional and inclusive. By not masking, we are not creating a safe environment for immunocompromised and disabled people to join. It also is a self-protective measure, both against COVID and the police state.
- Inclusivity on protest posters is important. Here's a great thread on ways you can easily do that from REPRO Rights Virginia: https://twitter.com/REPRORising_VA/status/1547656303610191874?s=20&t=gl11bzzk2Ewne0gLfI1QIw
- DO NOT RSVP to any march or protest. Do not put your name on a list that police can then use to charge or hunt you with.
- Be prepared for the police to be violent. They are not your friends or allies. Do not take photos with them - they will use it as copaganda if they can. Do not talk to them. We live in a police state.
- Protesting in some states is now much harder. Know what your state's laws are before you go or engage in any potentially unlawful activities. In some states, drivers are now protected if they drive into protestors. (https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/06/21/eight-states-enact-anti-protest-laws)
- Police are no longer required to read you your Miranda rights if you are arrested - and they can't be prosecuted for failing to do so. Thanks, SCOTUS, for that ruling last week (https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/23/politics/supreme-court-miranda-rights/index.html)
- This article is an excellent resource on basic tips to stay safer while protesting: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-protest-safely-gear-tips/
Education:
Actively engaging in learning to better understand your own privileges and systemic injustices is vital. It is also like peeling away the layers of an onion. You might think you understand something fully, only to realize that that was superficial and there is more to unpack. The more you educate yourself on these complex issues, the better conversations you will have with others and the better you will be able to call out injustice. Below are a few things to keep in mind for this particular moment:
- Those who came before us in the fight for equality, as well as the success of activists around the world, is a wealth of knowledge and insight. A number of countries in Latin America have recently been making progress in women's rights and we have a lot to learn from their work. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/10/abortion-roe-v-wade-latin-america
- Need help getting started with talking about abortion? AbortionFunds has put together guides to help: https://abortionfunds.org/heart-to-heart/
- Language matters.
- This isn't the Handmaid's Tale. https://blackfeministcollective.com/2018/12/08/why-the-the-handmaids-tale-is-problematic/
- This isn't the American Taliban. It's homegrown American Christofascism. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-roe-v-wade-debate-brings-age-old-islamophobic-tropes
- Now that Roe has fallen, it is important that we change our communal language from "Save Roe" and "Protect reproductive rights" to "Restore reproductive rights" and "Make women equal"
- Be inclusive in your language. It isn't just women who seek abortion care. Trans and non-binary people deserve consideration as they, too, seek reproductive care, including abortions.
- It may feel like a great idea to force all men to have vasectomies. However, it ignores a dark eugenic history of forced sterilization in America, one that continues to this day. (https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2020/11/04/americas-forgotten-history-of-forced-sterilization/) Additionally, the law that allows forced sterilization of people is still on the books and wasn't overturned by the Supreme Court (See Buck v Bell)