Let’s Talk About: Abortion
In light of the recent leak of the impending overturn of the Roe v. Wade (1973) decision by POLITICO, my social media pages have been flooded with a lot of things–blanket statements and scare tactics about the impending ban, lists of resources for populations vulnerable to this overturn, sites to get abortion pills on, among other things. In filtering through all of the noise, it is important to remember that abortions effect people of all genders. Abortion is a human right that should be guaranteed to anyone that needs or wants one at any time. Uteruses are not exclusive to cisgender women.
But, something that has been quietly simmering just under the surface of the white-washed, cisgender narrative regarding this terror, is the blatant exclusion of a number of populations from this discussion. This decision will disproportionately affect Black, POC, low income, trans, and disabled populations (among other groups) and has already affected these populations for a very, VERY long time. People keep reminding us that this decision is the beginning of the stripping of human rights, but in reality, this has already been happening. Trans bathroom and sports bills have gone into effect in a number of states. Dozens of states have trigger laws that will go in effect to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Trans people have an extremely difficult time accessing and affording life changing medications, surgeries, and mental health care. Non-hispanic Black women have the highest maternal mortality rates in our country. The list goes on and on and on.
In order to use my skills, I’ve decided to compile an ongoing list of resources, funds, and helpful links that can be easily shared and used to educate. Knowledge is power and the more we can do collectively, the better off we will be.
So what can you do to get involved?
Register to vote in your state
Vote.org
Share resources loudly AND widely. Make your opinions and stance known. If you are able and have the mental space, educate those around you.
Helpful Educational Links
Black Maternal Mortality Rate:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2020/maternal-mortality-rates-2020.htm
Anti-Trans Bills:
https://www.them.us/story/dont-say-gay-bill-anti-lgbtq-legislation-florida-idaho
Lambda Legal:
https://www.lambdalegal.org/about-us
Human Rights Watch:
https://www.hrw.org/about/about-us
Contact Your Representatives (Local, State, AND Federal) to tell them where you stand on these issues and how you would like them to vote and make decisions. Remember: They represent YOU. Their job is contingent on our decisions and votes. We are their bosses and we decide who we keep in office.
How To Find Your States’ Representatives:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Contact Information for House of Representatives:
https://www.house.gov/representatives
Contact Information for Senate:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
Find Your Local Government Contacts:
https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/stategov/index.html
Donate to independent abortion funds.
National Network of Abortion Funds:
https://abortionfunds.org/funds
Abortion Funds in Every State:
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1T-aDTsZXnKhMcrDmtcD35aWs00gw5piocDhaFy5LKDY/mobilebasic
Note: This is an ongoing list. Please feel free to contact me if you would like me to edit, alter, or add information to this list. I want this to be a factual, empathetic, useful , and shareable resource.