“About a third of our population is African American; African Americans have a higher incidence of maternal mortality. So, if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear. Now, I say that not to minimize the issue but to focus the issue as to where it would be. For whatever reason, people of color have a higher incidence of maternal mortality.”
There is no clearer way to say they they believe Black Lives Don’t Matter. Bill Cassidy wants you to know he only cares about the white population.
And then there’s the “for whatever reason” people of color die more in childbirth. Just sweep that right under the rug. - The reason is they don’t have access to the care they need because you defund things like planned parenthood and make access impossible.
There are things you can do, right now, to help protect yourselves and others from what the court is about to do. First and foremost - lay in a stash of Plan B. Not just for you, but for your uterus-having friends and relatives. It has a shelf life of about four years, which gets us through the midterms and the next presidential election. Some GOP-controlled state legislatures have already started trying to restrict it - they’re coming after Griswold vs. Connecticut next, for sure. (And by extension, Obergefell - they said as much in the draft decision.)
(Additional note: Please keep in mind that Plan B does not always work well for people who are over 165 lbs.)
I can’t help when it comes to RU-486 - you still have to be prescribed that, it’s two doses, and you have to be under medical supervision. But some states have already restricted it, so be aware that 486 and Plan B are going to get restricted next. Which leads to my next suggestion:
If you are able to, get an implant or an IUD - something that is not the pill. We might lose the pill to legal restrictions, but there are other ways to prevent pregnancy - and if the pill being legally restricted or banished happens, it won’t happen right away, as something huge would have to change in order for states to circumvent the FDA. But we are watching a huge change unfold in real time, so it’s far from impossible. If you can change, do it now. Something being legal is also not the same as something being *available* - which is to say, more pharmacists/independent pharmacies could start refusing to carry various forms of BC, or put things like condoms behind the counter.
I feel like I have said this countless times in the last couple of years: find your Janes. By which I mean, find the crew that is organizing to help people with uteruses obtain abortions. If you have a local PP, that might be the place to start. They might have a GoFundMe - or just a donation drive - to fund travel for folks who need to come from out of state for abortions. If you know how to find any of the older lesbians in your community, that might be a place to start, too.
If you are too young to know, Janes used to be networks of women, including many lesbians, who would ferry people with uteruses to underground doctors who did medically safe abortions. Scary as shit, but I think we’re going to need them again.
That’s it for now, except to say: stay angry. And loud. Express all of that outrage to every elected official you have, and for Goddess’ sake vote in the midterms, straight blue. Start marching.
Edit: I just reblogged another post in which some wonderful soul put together a whole bunch of helpful links to abortion access funds and information about how to access an abortion if you need one. Please see that if you are in need of information.
“About a third of our population is African American; African Americans have a higher incidence of maternal mortality. So, if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear. Now, I say that not to minimize the issue but to focus the issue as to where it would be. For whatever reason, people of color have a higher incidence of maternal mortality.”
There is no clearer way to say they they believe Black Lives Don’t Matter. Bill Cassidy wants you to know he only cares about the white population.
And then there’s the “for whatever reason” people of color die more in childbirth. Just sweep that right under the rug. - The reason is they don’t have access to the care they need because you defund things like planned parenthood and make access impossible.
