Feeling Hopeless? Here's How We Fight Back
We can do this. We have to.
It’s the first full day of the Trump administration and things feel exactly as bad as we expected them to. We have lots of work ahead of us, but I wanted to remind folks that we have prepared for this. That’s what we’ve been doing here at the newsletter, and I know it’s what so many of you have been up to out there in the world.
We really can do this. We have to.
Since Roe was overturned, Abortion, Every Day has been breaking down anti-abortion strategies, publishing explainers, and laying the groundwork for exactly this moment.
So as we gear up for the next four years, I’ve pulled together a few AED pieces that might help. If you’ve joined as a subscriber recently, these might be new to you; if not, consider them a quick refresher to keep us all ready for the fight ahead. (And if there are any other Substacks, publications, books or articles that you think the AED community would appreciate, please feel free to share them in comments!)
Let’s start with the basics. Conservatives published a road map for the Trump administration, so I dug into what that plan said about abortion rights. As you can imagine, there’s a lot to unpack. And by the way, this isn’t just about federal attacks—the anti-abortion priorities in Project 2025 can also be a lesson for what to look for on a state level:
For even more information on what could happen to abortion and other reproductive rights under Trump, read the below explainer. It’s shitty to think about, I know—especially getting into those nitty-gritty details. But I really do believe that we’re best off being as prepared as possible:
If after reading the above piece, you still have questions about what might happen to abortion rights under the Trump administration, there’s a good chance I’ve answered it below. There, I lay out what a national ban might look like, how abortion pills will be attacked and how to get abortion medication in the meantime:
Speaking of ordering abortion medication, that’s one of the five things I suggest folks consider doing right now to protect and prepare themselves for the next four years. I also explain how to protect your digital privacy and safety, give you ways to help local abortion rights groups, and share how you can learn about your legal rights:
If you can’t tell by now, I’m a big believer in over-preparing! The more we know about what’s coming, the better. (And the easier it will be to recognize those attacks as Republicans try to hide them in bullshit rhetoric about protecting women and girls.) So if you missed my predictions on what kind of specific attacks to look out for this year, make sure to check them out below:
The only thing worse than Trump being president is JD Vance being a heartbeat away from the oval office. In some ways I find Vance more terrifying, because unlike Trump he’s a true believer. He wants women back in the home and abortion totally banned at the national level—and thinks he can smooth-talk his way out of voters realizing that. In the interest of knowing your enemy, make sure to read up on who Vance really is:
Finally, there’s never been a more important time to call out lies and reinforce reality. I mean, we’re watching as people give Nazi salutes and then claim it’s all in our heads! So familiarize yourself with some of the biggest anti-abortion lies of the past year, and let them be a lesson for the kind of gaslighting we can expect to see in 2025:
Finally, don’t forget to check out Abortion, Every Day’s resource page, where I have info on how to obtain an abortion and how to support the groups working to restore and protect reproductive rights.
I’ll have more in the coming days on how we can work together under the new administration, but it’s time to settle in for a long fight.
On that note, I’d love to hear what you’re worried about, interested in, or want to see more of at Abortion, Every Day—take our quick reader survey to share your thoughts. It won’t take more than five minutes, and your participation will help me craft AED into the kind of newsletter and community we need over the next few years.
I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves, today and every day. -Jessica
Hi Jessica. There is an article by Jennifer Rubin on the Contrarian Substack about the distortion of language similar to what you have been saying all along about how the other side talks about abortion. Hopefully the people out there are listening.
Thank you as always, you know just we needed to read today.