I want to contribute to an abortion fund, but I can't decide which one! Planned Parenthood, or a local abortion fund, or a national abortion fund! Any advice on how to pick one?
Hi - here to ask for a resource/advice. I’ve started up an abortion access group in my area. I’ve been using Mailchimp for mass comms - but is there a better email marketing platform as far as cybersecurity/sensitive content? I’m moving over to proton mail and Signal for 1:1 comms. Thanks for any advice.
Thank you. In rural Northern California (CALIFORNIA!), we are organizing because we're down to one Catholic facility for hospital obstetrics, and they just got sued by the state attorney general for denying emergency abortions. To follow and support our work, please go to https://www.humboldtmutualaid.org/join-us.
Thank you for this. Just to let people know, abortion in Arkansas is completely illegal and women are having to travel to Chicago. Consider adding to your donation list.
Do you think we should be deleting our cycle tracking apps? I have one that I use and wondering if I should delete it. There is loads of misinformation that floats around, so curious to hear your thoughts about it!
I would think about if your app explicitly states that they encrypt your data. Now any company can sell to someone else and they may change their policy around your data. But end to end encryption is a good starting place.
My first thought Wednesday morning was, “I need to order abortion medication before January” to have on hand. I live in Ohio and I and the women in my life are thankfully safe for now, but we’ve all seen how quickly that changes. Thank you, Jessica, for this list and for everything else! AED has been such a comfort, especially the last couple of days.
Thank you for highlighting abortion funds, Jessica! I have the honor of working for the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City, IA. We have an in-house fund called the deProsse Access Fund. We hold the distinction of being the oldest, continuously operating, not-for-profit, feminist-identified abortion provider in the United States! Check us out, donations are always appreciated, especially with a cardiac activity ban now in place: www.emmagoldman.com 💜
Jessica, Yes, yes, yes. Young women’s best plan is to avoid having an unplanned pregnancy. They need to know how to track their ovulation cycle so they know when to stay home to wash their hair. :) This is a good test of whether he really, really loves her. If he doesn’t pass the boyfriend empathy test, dump him. Are there currently good books for girls starting their periods that emphasize points like this? If yes, this is also a good thing to stockpile for granddaughters or nieces. If no, Jessica, book two.
Women, especially young women who are newly experiencing their sexuality, need to understand more than ever that not getting pregnant is ultimately their responsibility. They are the ones whose lives will be most disrupted and who potentially might die or go to jail for a pregnancy gone wrong. This is not a call to chastity or purity. It is common sense. If access to contraception is going to be regulated or abolished and sex education classes are no longer available and Planned Parenthood offices are closed, then young women need to be able to chart their own safety.
Sounds like a chastity crusade to me. "Keep your legs closed." "Keep yours skirt down", etc.
Sexual excitement in women is an issue for women too. Better to talk about how to deal with that rather than placing all the blame on male sexual desire and posing it as something merely to be managed to some other purpose by women.
Re: ovulation tracking: this is not for young teens, or maybe even older teens, who need to learn about reliable birth control -- but as a source of information about the female body, there's Toni Weschler's book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility."
NOTE: The book is more concerned with using ovulation tracking, etc., to achieve pregnancy vs preventing pregnancy -- I first became aware of the book 25 years ago, when I was desperate to get pregnant -- but you do learn a whole lot about the female body and reproductive system -- the mechanics of the menstrual cycle (and spotting abnormalities), symptoms of ovulation, etc. I thought I was pretty well informed (no sex ed when I was growing up, but I read a lot!), but I learned SO much from this book.
Now, *theoretically* if you understand Weschler's fertility awareness method of trying to conceive, you can use some of the same information to help prevent pregnancy, by abstaining during your most fertile period -- or at the very least using some rudimentary birth control -- but obviously there are very real risks in doing this. You should NOT use this book's methods for birth control (it's basically the "rhythm method," and we all know how effective that is NOT). (There was an article in The Cut earlier this year about Weschler and the book, titled "The Woman Who Got Your Best Friend Pregnant.")
Nevertheless, I still think the book is a great resource if you want to learn more about your body and how it functions.
Jessica, suggest stockpiling pregnancy tests, along with your suggestion about morning after and abortion medication and others’ suggestions on deleting pregnancy tracker apps. Women should know they are pregnant before it shows in their medical records. Women often may have an early, problem-free miscarriage (what used to be called a spontaneous abortion) around the time when they would have had their next period, ten weeks or so. If it is trouble-free then it can be their own little secret.
Apparently all the big tech CEOs licked trump's boots prior to the election. No surprise there. In fact, relatedly and tangentially, Ali Velshi in his book describes how his grandfather, a businessman hesitated to get into the resistance movement that Gandhi was starting in Johannesburg -- 'we are business people, we don't get into social/civil protests'. It is fascinating that his grandfather had connections to Gandhi. Well, when apartheid came into full swing, the business he built from scratch was ruined to bankruptcy and they had to flee to Nairobi and then to Canada. The business got ruined because the apartheid government made a new rule that they had to get permission to distribute their bakery goods everyday and getting that in the morning took hours, destroying the customer base they had because they could not sell the goods early in the morning. There is a youtube if you are curious. Musk/Thiel are your apartheid boys here.
Thank you, Jessica, for this and for all the other work you do.
Two other things people who are or could get pregnant should think about doing:
1) research the emergency health care options in your area so that you can make a plan for an unexpected reproductive event. Even if you live in a state with few or no restrictions on reproductive health care, if the closest or only emergency hospital in your area is a Catholic hospital, you're out of luck if you need an abortion for any reason. Catholic hospitals are subject to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services https://www.usccb.org/resources/ethical-religious-directives-catholic-health-service-sixth-edition-2016-06_0.pdf Abortion, birth control, and medical aid in dying are all prohibited in the Catholic health care system. Catholic health care corporations also own not only hospitals, but also many - in some places all - of the individual providers. So find out if/how your provider and your local hospital would treat you if you need an abortion.
I hate that we live in a time when we even have to think about either of these things. But with the proliferation of laws restricting reproductive health care, we now know have data showing that maternal and infant mortality have jumped in the two years since Dobbs. And the US wasn't great in that area to start with, especially for people of color. We have to protect ourselves and each other. Sharing information is one way. So again, thank you Jessica.
Thank you. As I shared in a separate comment, and this will come as no surprise to you:
In rural Northern California (CALIFORNIA!), we are organizing because we're down to one Catholic facility for hospital obstetrics, and they just got sued by the state attorney general for denying emergency abortions. To follow and support our work, please go to https://www.humboldtmutualaid.org/join-us.
As a poc, this election result was disappointing but unsurprising. On one hand, I do empathize you being relegated to a second-class citizen, but guess what, this dread you’re feeling is how I feel as an poc every. Single. Day.
This election boiled down was a referendum between white supremacy vs bodily autonomy, and the white electorate including white women overwhelmingly chose unsurprisingly white supremacy.
Hate to break it to you, but you can have White supremacy or bodily autonomy, but not both. (Remember ‘Domestic supply of infants’?)
Please enlighten me why I should continue to fight this fight as a poc with this issue when 53% of white women (msnbc exit poll) prefer white power adjacency, ‘lower gas prices’, and a known r*pist in office?
We’ve also feel misogyny Every Single Day, Alan. Nothing new, except I really thought once people knew we were dying, it would make a difference. I guess they’re okay with that. Pretty sick.
I fight for POC and everyone else who deserves help. That’s why you should continue. And a heartfelt thanks.
'why I should continue to fight...' we are not fighting on behalf of the 53% of women who didn't care (they will pay their price in a different way) but we fight for us, our survival and self preservation, and hope some day, everybody sees light and are enlightened.
If you are curious about if multiracial (and I add secular) democracy is possible in America after this election... I see the black and white struggle in America as being similar to the Hindu/Muslim struggle in India where India strives for a secular multi-ethnic democracy (and made difficult with Modi's Hindu-centric agenda).
See tweet thread below from Ida Bae Wells:
(replies are 100% antagonistic - maybe Elmo's algo effect. But I guess they don't like being called white supremacists light even as they are voting for trump and the apartheid boys, Musk/Thiel and the rest of them)
I want to contribute to an abortion fund, but I can't decide which one! Planned Parenthood, or a local abortion fund, or a national abortion fund! Any advice on how to pick one?
Hi - here to ask for a resource/advice. I’ve started up an abortion access group in my area. I’ve been using Mailchimp for mass comms - but is there a better email marketing platform as far as cybersecurity/sensitive content? I’m moving over to proton mail and Signal for 1:1 comms. Thanks for any advice.
Protect Your Privacy: 16 Tips to Shield Yourself From Online Tracking & Abortion Bounty Hunters
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/11/11/protect-your-privacy-16-tips-to-shield-yourself-from-online-tracking-abortion-bounty-hunters/
Thank you. In rural Northern California (CALIFORNIA!), we are organizing because we're down to one Catholic facility for hospital obstetrics, and they just got sued by the state attorney general for denying emergency abortions. To follow and support our work, please go to https://www.humboldtmutualaid.org/join-us.
Thank you for this. Just to let people know, abortion in Arkansas is completely illegal and women are having to travel to Chicago. Consider adding to your donation list.
Is there a link you can share for who to donate too?
Thank you Jessica! And thank to all the additional ideas and questions, this thread is bookmarked!
Do you think we should be deleting our cycle tracking apps? I have one that I use and wondering if I should delete it. There is loads of misinformation that floats around, so curious to hear your thoughts about it!
I would think about if your app explicitly states that they encrypt your data. Now any company can sell to someone else and they may change their policy around your data. But end to end encryption is a good starting place.
My first thought Wednesday morning was, “I need to order abortion medication before January” to have on hand. I live in Ohio and I and the women in my life are thankfully safe for now, but we’ve all seen how quickly that changes. Thank you, Jessica, for this list and for everything else! AED has been such a comfort, especially the last couple of days.
Thank you for highlighting abortion funds, Jessica! I have the honor of working for the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City, IA. We have an in-house fund called the deProsse Access Fund. We hold the distinction of being the oldest, continuously operating, not-for-profit, feminist-identified abortion provider in the United States! Check us out, donations are always appreciated, especially with a cardiac activity ban now in place: www.emmagoldman.com 💜
Jessica, Yes, yes, yes. Young women’s best plan is to avoid having an unplanned pregnancy. They need to know how to track their ovulation cycle so they know when to stay home to wash their hair. :) This is a good test of whether he really, really loves her. If he doesn’t pass the boyfriend empathy test, dump him. Are there currently good books for girls starting their periods that emphasize points like this? If yes, this is also a good thing to stockpile for granddaughters or nieces. If no, Jessica, book two.
Women, especially young women who are newly experiencing their sexuality, need to understand more than ever that not getting pregnant is ultimately their responsibility. They are the ones whose lives will be most disrupted and who potentially might die or go to jail for a pregnancy gone wrong. This is not a call to chastity or purity. It is common sense. If access to contraception is going to be regulated or abolished and sex education classes are no longer available and Planned Parenthood offices are closed, then young women need to be able to chart their own safety.
Sounds like a chastity crusade to me. "Keep your legs closed." "Keep yours skirt down", etc.
Sexual excitement in women is an issue for women too. Better to talk about how to deal with that rather than placing all the blame on male sexual desire and posing it as something merely to be managed to some other purpose by women.
Re: ovulation tracking: this is not for young teens, or maybe even older teens, who need to learn about reliable birth control -- but as a source of information about the female body, there's Toni Weschler's book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility."
NOTE: The book is more concerned with using ovulation tracking, etc., to achieve pregnancy vs preventing pregnancy -- I first became aware of the book 25 years ago, when I was desperate to get pregnant -- but you do learn a whole lot about the female body and reproductive system -- the mechanics of the menstrual cycle (and spotting abnormalities), symptoms of ovulation, etc. I thought I was pretty well informed (no sex ed when I was growing up, but I read a lot!), but I learned SO much from this book.
Now, *theoretically* if you understand Weschler's fertility awareness method of trying to conceive, you can use some of the same information to help prevent pregnancy, by abstaining during your most fertile period -- or at the very least using some rudimentary birth control -- but obviously there are very real risks in doing this. You should NOT use this book's methods for birth control (it's basically the "rhythm method," and we all know how effective that is NOT). (There was an article in The Cut earlier this year about Weschler and the book, titled "The Woman Who Got Your Best Friend Pregnant.")
Nevertheless, I still think the book is a great resource if you want to learn more about your body and how it functions.
Jessica, suggest stockpiling pregnancy tests, along with your suggestion about morning after and abortion medication and others’ suggestions on deleting pregnancy tracker apps. Women should know they are pregnant before it shows in their medical records. Women often may have an early, problem-free miscarriage (what used to be called a spontaneous abortion) around the time when they would have had their next period, ten weeks or so. If it is trouble-free then it can be their own little secret.
Apparently all the big tech CEOs licked trump's boots prior to the election. No surprise there. In fact, relatedly and tangentially, Ali Velshi in his book describes how his grandfather, a businessman hesitated to get into the resistance movement that Gandhi was starting in Johannesburg -- 'we are business people, we don't get into social/civil protests'. It is fascinating that his grandfather had connections to Gandhi. Well, when apartheid came into full swing, the business he built from scratch was ruined to bankruptcy and they had to flee to Nairobi and then to Canada. The business got ruined because the apartheid government made a new rule that they had to get permission to distribute their bakery goods everyday and getting that in the morning took hours, destroying the customer base they had because they could not sell the goods early in the morning. There is a youtube if you are curious. Musk/Thiel are your apartheid boys here.
Thank you, Jessica, for this and for all the other work you do.
Two other things people who are or could get pregnant should think about doing:
1) research the emergency health care options in your area so that you can make a plan for an unexpected reproductive event. Even if you live in a state with few or no restrictions on reproductive health care, if the closest or only emergency hospital in your area is a Catholic hospital, you're out of luck if you need an abortion for any reason. Catholic hospitals are subject to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services https://www.usccb.org/resources/ethical-religious-directives-catholic-health-service-sixth-edition-2016-06_0.pdf Abortion, birth control, and medical aid in dying are all prohibited in the Catholic health care system. Catholic health care corporations also own not only hospitals, but also many - in some places all - of the individual providers. So find out if/how your provider and your local hospital would treat you if you need an abortion.
2) Following your state rules, make an Advance Health Care Directive appointing someone to make decisions for you if you can't make your own decisions. Even if you are married, this is a valuable tool. You can find your state's forms here: https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/free-printable-advance-directives/ Stanford Medical Center has an excellent guide to thinking about how to make those decisions; find it here: https://med.stanford.edu/palliative-care/patientsandfamilies/ACP.html
I hate that we live in a time when we even have to think about either of these things. But with the proliferation of laws restricting reproductive health care, we now know have data showing that maternal and infant mortality have jumped in the two years since Dobbs. And the US wasn't great in that area to start with, especially for people of color. We have to protect ourselves and each other. Sharing information is one way. So again, thank you Jessica.
Thank you. As I shared in a separate comment, and this will come as no surprise to you:
In rural Northern California (CALIFORNIA!), we are organizing because we're down to one Catholic facility for hospital obstetrics, and they just got sued by the state attorney general for denying emergency abortions. To follow and support our work, please go to https://www.humboldtmutualaid.org/join-us.
As a poc, this election result was disappointing but unsurprising. On one hand, I do empathize you being relegated to a second-class citizen, but guess what, this dread you’re feeling is how I feel as an poc every. Single. Day.
This election boiled down was a referendum between white supremacy vs bodily autonomy, and the white electorate including white women overwhelmingly chose unsurprisingly white supremacy.
Hate to break it to you, but you can have White supremacy or bodily autonomy, but not both. (Remember ‘Domestic supply of infants’?)
Please enlighten me why I should continue to fight this fight as a poc with this issue when 53% of white women (msnbc exit poll) prefer white power adjacency, ‘lower gas prices’, and a known r*pist in office?
We fight so this is the LAST generation of white women who vote this way.
We’ve also feel misogyny Every Single Day, Alan. Nothing new, except I really thought once people knew we were dying, it would make a difference. I guess they’re okay with that. Pretty sick.
I fight for POC and everyone else who deserves help. That’s why you should continue. And a heartfelt thanks.
'why I should continue to fight...' we are not fighting on behalf of the 53% of women who didn't care (they will pay their price in a different way) but we fight for us, our survival and self preservation, and hope some day, everybody sees light and are enlightened.
Thank you! I've been looking for abortion funds and other helpful places to reroute the money I'd been donating to political campaigns.
I am thinking donating to ACLU -- to bring cases against trump's excesses, if we still have a working judiciary.
The good thing about lifetime appointments is that we still have Clinton/Obama/Biden judges out there.
If you are curious about if multiracial (and I add secular) democracy is possible in America after this election... I see the black and white struggle in America as being similar to the Hindu/Muslim struggle in India where India strives for a secular multi-ethnic democracy (and made difficult with Modi's Hindu-centric agenda).
See tweet thread below from Ida Bae Wells:
(replies are 100% antagonistic - maybe Elmo's algo effect. But I guess they don't like being called white supremacists light even as they are voting for trump and the apartheid boys, Musk/Thiel and the rest of them)
https://x.com/nhannahjones/status/1854168143947596250