I wish like hell we had an actual organized feminist movement these days. We don’t.
Instead we have just as many feminists who loudly oppose a right to bodily autonomy as we do those who support it. We have feminists who openly collaborate with Republicans to support and pass laws limiting bodily autonomy and medical freedom.
I’m seeing just as many self-identified feminists right now who seem more outraged by the phrase “pregnant person” than they are by the rapidly approaching loss of abortion rights.
Instead of amplifying the conversation, they hope to shut down the voices of trans people who will also be impacted by the loss of access to safe abortion.
Can’t really say I’m surprised that we’ve ended up where we are now.
While you were busy being outraged by trans people playing sports, Republicans have this entire time been working towards the goal of eliminating the right to safe legal abortion.
While you’ve celebrated with Republicans as trans people feared losing the right to access gender affirming care and parents feared having their trans children taken away from them, those same Republicans have been plotting to strip your medical rights away from you and take away your right to decide when or if you have your own children.
While you raged about trans people pissing and shitting in public toilets, Republicans have been using the support for their party generated by anti-trans bigotry to get more Christian forced-birthers elected and appointed.
While you rant about trans people being part of the abortion rights conversation, I promise you that Republicans are already planning ways to prevent legal access to and healthcare coverage of birth control, plan b, and possibly even sterilization.
And while you’re angry about gender inclusive language, I promise you that Republicans are already celebrating the end of legal marriage equality.
Trans people are not responsible for the oppression of women, for the patriarchy, or for the loss of our reproductive rights. Christian Republicans, those who support them, and those who support their beliefs are.
The absolute tantrums I’ve seen conservatives have during the past two years over being ask to wear a damn mask and get a vaccine are absolutely wild. People held literal protests at local hospitals over it, carrying “my body my choice” signs no less. And now we’re going to see people actually lose the freedom to make their own medical decisions on a massive scale and those same conservatives are delighted.
The Venn diagram of people I know who are anti-abortion because “iTs A BAbY iTs A LiFE” and people I know who would refuse to wear a fucking mask for 15 minutes at the Walmart to potentially protect an actual breathing baby from a life-threatening illness is a fucking circle.
I’m kind of numb over the supreme court draft that got leaked. This is not a surprise. Like a lot of other folks, I’ve been expecting for months that we’d seen Roe overturned this June.
I’ve been angry and scared about it for some time, but I did expect this would happen during my life time. I grew up around the “pray to end abortion” crowd. In spite of my largely unchurched childhood, I was raised culturally Christian and educated in the bible belt. Damned near everyone I grew up around treated the end of legal abortion as a future goal and outcome. “God will win”, they said. “Our bodies belong to God and not ourselves”, they said.
I’ve questioned a lot of things, but I never was anti-choice. The idea of being pregnant always disgusted me, and the thought of having no choice in the matter always scared me. And how could I justify forcing on others what I reject for myself?
I don’t have any answers. But I am afraid that this is just the beginning of what we will see. I believe firmly that the gay marriage ruling will be the next target. I’m afraid of what will happen with trans health care rights. And religious freedom (real religious freedom, not Christian privilege). I’m worried for myself and for everyone else.
I’m not particularly active on this blog right now due to reasons, but I think it’s important to highlight this.
I need everyone to understand that this is and was always the goal. Banning access to trans healthcare for minors was always the first step towards banning access to trans healthcare entirely. The focus on trans minors has been purely to drum up outrage (“won’t someone think of the children”) and to popularize the bans.
The Overton window has been shifted, so to speak. Less conservative individuals might be uncomfortable with the idea of outright banning adults from choosing what happens to their own bodies and making their own medical decisions…but if it’s banned for 17 year olds, is it safe for 18 year olds? 19? 20? 25? 30? Anyone?
I need everyone to understand that trans healthcare rights are inherently an issue of bodily autonomy, and that Christian conservatism is deeply opposed to the concept of bodily autonomy. Banning trans youth from accessing gender affirming health care is to trans rights as the 20 or 15 or 6 week abortion ban is to abortion rights–the goal is to ultimately erase the legal right to bodily autonomy.
I need everyone to see the connection between transphobia and ableism. I definitely need everyone to stop perpetuating the concept of mental age. This includes repeating the incorrect and neuronormative line that “brains aren’t fully developed until age 25” or suggesting that autistic or otherwise neurodivergent people aren’t capable of understanding and making our own decisions. An adult is an adult regardless of neurotype, regardless of neurological development.
I especially need everyone to be worried about the implications of banning 18-25 year olds from having full control over their own medical decisions. How else might that eventually be weaponized? Especially in regards to reproductive rights?
I’ve believed for years that banning the ability to medically, legally, and socially transition entirely would become a popular Christian conservative goal, and possibly a reality. Not only to enforce their religious beliefs around assigned sex upon us legally–but because trans people who need and are able to transition have better mental health and are more likely to live happier longer lives. And they don’t want us to live.
anyway i said i would do this after the whole thing was said and done… when i was looking for advice i found like “paint your nails and listen to happy music” buzzfeed bullshit so
Planned Parenthood’s mission is to ensure all people have access to the care and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures. Founded in 1916, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, educator, and passionate advocate in the U.S. as well as a strong partner to health and rights organizations around the world. Each year, Planned Parenthood delivers vital sexual and reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people.
WHAT THEY DID:
On October 1, 2021, Planned Parenthood partnered with Tumblr to rally supporters for abortion justice and defend access to abortions at 539 rallies in every state.
On September 3, 2021, Tumblr and Planned Parenthood partnered up in response to a Texas law that came into effect September 1, S.B. 8., effectively banning abortion in the state and asking private citizens to act as bounty hunters who “enforce” the law.
We made the following calls to action along with the graphic below:
“If you’re feeling terrified and want to take action, the best thing you can do is donate to an abortion fund: an on-the-ground organization that helps arrange and pay for abortion care for patients who need it. In states where access has been whittled away almost entirely, these funds also help pay for transportation and lodging for patients who have to travel hours, sometimes crossing state lines, just to access health care.
The list of a funds below is roughly ordered by how dire the situation in their respective states is, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights’ “What If Roe Fell?” report. Statistics shown are provided by NARAL. Of these states, ten have so-called post-Roe “trigger laws,” which would automatically take effect, outlawing abortion entirely or almost entirely the second Roe is struck down. Nine states still have pre-Roe, unenforced bans on the books; nine have passed unconstitutional post-Roe restrictions, such as bans on abortion as early as six weeks. Although these are currently blocked by courts, they could be brought back into effect with a court order, and would take effect if Roe were overturned.
But even with Roe still standing, in every state listed below, access is already incredibly restricted.”
If you live in a state that is likely to repeal, are able to conceive, and especially if you are sexually active, you need to have a plan for avoiding pregnancy and a plan for if that plan fails, and the time to make it is now, not this summer when everyone around you is panicking.
Birth control access shouldn’t be affected by this decision, but look into longer acting and more effective methods, like IUDs (99.995% effectiveness typical and perfect use) and subdermal implants (99.995% typical and perfect) over things like the pill (99+% perfect, 91% typical) or condoms alone (98% perfect, 82% typical) that are less effective and easier to lose access to, and use both a barrier method like a condom and a hormonal method if you can. Planned Parenthood has a list of methods sorted by effectiveness here. Plan B lasts about a year, and is considered effective for 72 hours after sex but drops exponentially in effectiveness as time passes: if you don’t reliably have a spare $50 and access to a pharmacy that stocks Plan B or ellaOne, buy a back up Plan B when you’re able to to ensure you can take emergency contraceptives as soon as possible for the best results.
Start tracking your cycle now: medication abortions are the only ones that can be self managed and are only possible up to 11 weeks after the start of your last period. Not after conception, after the first day of your last period.The effectiveness of medication abortion drops after 8 weeks pregnant, and some sources will say it’s only effective up to week 10. If your next period is late and there’s even a miniscule possibility you could be pregnant, take a pregnancy test immediately (the dollar store ones are the same as the expensive pharmacy tests). Don’t wait to see if it shows up a couple weeks late or if next month’s comes: by the time you reach your first missed period, you’re already considered 4 weeks pregnant, and you need as much time as possible to coordinate an out of state abortion or a self managed abortion. Waiting for two missed periods puts you at 8 weeks pregnant, almost at the point where you need to start altering dosages for medication abortion to be effective. Don’t cut it that close: it’s better to waste a dollar on a test than have to seek out a second trimester abortion.
Have a plan for how you will get an abortion, both within the first 10 weeks and after. For early abortions, you will be able to self manage. Plan C,Aid Access,medicationabortion.com,Women on Web, and Women Help Women can all help you obtain the medications you need or information about how to use them, either by mailing them directly or by connecting you to resources: bookmark these.
For abortions past 10 or 11 weeks, things are more complicated, but they are not hopeless. You need to have a plan, though. Do you know where the nearest abortion clinic in a pro choice state is? Do you know how much that abortion will cost and how you will get that money, both for the clinic costs and the cost of travel, accommodations, and two to four days of lost wages? Do you know if they do in-clinic abortions (the only option after 10 weeks) or just medication abortions? What’s the latest they can go? Look into local abortion funds or access support organizations. More will emerge as need increases, but scoping them out now will save valuable time and give you peace of mind. Some of the resources linked in the last paragraph may be able to help connect you as well.
Again, I’m not trying to incite panic here, but things are not looking good when it comes to abortion access in the United States, and you need to be prepared. Time is of the essence when it comes to abortions, even without restrictive bans, and having information and a plan before you lose access and especially before you get pregnant buys you time.
we’re gonna have to do like in medieval times and be like “okay so this concoction will make your period come quicker. in case you wanna do that.”
In medieval Europe there were guidebooks with “fertility advice” that basically said: “So if you want to have lots of babies, here’s what you DON’T do. Listen carefully, it’s very important that you know NOT to do these things if you want to be pregnant. First of all, definitely DON’T take this dose of this herb prepared just like this…”
heads up that a lot of those remedies will straight up poison you or not induce an abortion but instead cause birth defects, so please don’t try them yourself if you don’t know anything about medicinal herbs
there are people out there who do know about this kind of thing and there are also people who claim to know about this kind of thing but are actually full of shit, so if you live in a state without abortion access and can get pregnant (or have loved ones who can) now is a good time to seek out people who know. I wish I had resources to provide but unfortunately I don’t, but if anyone reading this does, please add them.
Oh my fuck to the NO on the daily pennyroyal tea suggestion in the replies on this post. If it’s at a concentration strong enough to cause an abortion, it is strong enough to damage your liver and kidneys, and there is nothing you can take to stop the liver toxicity once it is in your system. And if you take Tylenol (acetaminophen) or drink alcoholic beverages while regularly dosing yourself with fucking pennyroyal, you are markedly increasing your risk of liver failure and/or uncontrollable GI bleeding which is an awful fucking way to die. Pennyroyal is worse than a goddamn coat hanger. Go for the alternatives that aren’t herbs, I am begging you. Natural =/= safe.
Seconding this. There is a reason we don’t use herbal solutions for fertility care anymore.
“just fucking dying” was also a thing that happened to a hell of a lot of women in ye olde tymes. birth control tea is a literary convention invented by women writing historical and fantasy pieces who wanted their leading ladies to have modern choices about when to have children. and that’s great for them!
but reliable, nonlethal birth control reshapes every society that gets access to it because there’s never been a substance that’s given women so much control, so safely and easily, over their own bodies before. most herbal treatments for abortion poison the shit out of you if you fuck up even a little, or even if they don’t.
don’t think that Weird Magic Herb is going to do for you just what a scientifically tested and approved medicine can. if it could, people would already have been using it everywhere, all the time, and we wouldn’t have developed chemical birth control just for shits and giggles.
yo one of my many hats is I’m a qualified herbalist and as a qualified herbalist I am telling everyone in these gayforsaken notes that pennyroyal is neither a safe nor effective means of terminating a pregnancy, no matter what you’ve heard. Neither is fucking parsley jesus fuck what the shit. As a qualified herbalist my advice concerning herbal abortion is get a fucking medical abortion. I grow and use fucking Atropa belladonna, a plant so potent that as few as two to three berries can be lethal, and I am telling you do not fuck around with this shit. One of the reasons I trained in herbalism in the first place was a special interest in the history and pharmacology of abortifacient herbs and I am telling you there is no safe, reliable way to do a herbal abortion. And aside from anything else there’s no fucking need. You can get mifepristone and misoprostol online, you may not even need a prescription, it’s safe, it’s reliable, it’s easy, it’s affordable, at time of writing it’s still legal in most US states, and you can DIY it. Here’s how:
I have worked in women’s health for the past 6 months as a nursing student in the labor and delivery and postpartum unit of my hospital. Any overturn or change to RvsW is a devastation to women’s health.
Abortion will continue but will be more dangerous
This affects women of lower socioeconomic status far more as women of privilege will receive special private care or travel for abortions
This will increase the maternal mother mortality rate AND the gap between woc, especially black women, and white women maternal mortality rates.
This gives r@pists increased rights and power over victims because many states allow paternal rights to them and they can threaten to report her if she gets an abortion.
Pregnancy is a risk and having cared for 2 women who lost their uteruses and one almost losing their life and went to the ICU for weeks, adoption is not a valid alternative. Every pregnancy increases risks for multiple conditions and complication so her subsequent pregnancies are more dangerous.
Many laws in red states ALSO attack and strip protection and welfare for pregnant women and children. Food stamps haven’t increased since 2009 meaning people are getting even less money due to inflation. The income level requires to receive healthcare for children has remained the same as well meaning less children qualify for it. Many times they’ve tried to disband free school lunch, public education programs, and public libraries. Children literally aren’t being cared for in these states. They also limit insurance coverage and affordability of birth control and plan B. They ban comprehensive sexual education.
The foster care system is full and adoption of a child placed there is unlikely. Abuse and trauma is common in the system unfortunately. They are regularly treated as subhuman and thrown out when they turn 18 with no support.
Late term abortion is and has always been a medical indication only. These are tragedies where wanted infants are very unlikely to survive or the mother’s life is at risk. Many anti abortion laws tried to ban the safer practices for late term abortion and they depend on people to be horrified by the idea of healthy late term abortion. That’s also why they attack and limit chemical abortion. They want death as a punishment.
Also the propaganda they put out about how abortions are done and abortion clinics selling parts or targeting certain ethnicities are lies. There are even states who require ‘abortion education’ for people getting abortions and they are often full of exaggerations and falsehoods.
if you’re anti choice stop pretending to give a shit about sexism.
you don’t give a fuck about sexism, you perpetrate misogyny. you aren’t angry that female fetuses are aborted for being female, you’re angry that those people are allowed to abort for any reason.
i really hate that abortion legality often boils down to “men shouldn’t make laws about women’s bodies” because while cisnormativity and misogyny stemmed from that is a role played in this, it ignores the fact that men are also affected by this and also there are female senators that would gladly vote to make abortion illegal. and it also ignores the other forms of oppression that also play into this like classism, racism, ableism… nobody should make it illegal for someone to make a choice about their own body period
Just me crying in the bathroom so I don’t wake my partners with this, fuck.
So to sum up: CT and DC have passed laws making it illegal to extradite someone to another state if they are being charged in that other state for crimes pertaining to abortion or trans health care, and makes it legal to sue and get your money back if you are targeted by a TX-style “bounty” law. DC also includes “crimes” of consensual adult sex, gay and interracial marriage and cohabitation and providing or using contraception.
This is, as the thread explains, basically legal interstate warfare. CT and DC’s laws bar compliance with such laws.
This is, on one hand, kind of terrifying, because this is where we are now. It’s going to get worse long before it gets better.
On the other hand… holy shit, someone fucking did something.
Someone fucking did something real.
Okay folx so… this kind of tags has been fairly common on this post.
I’m glad people are checking, but! If you didn’t know, this is what it looks like now if you post a link to Twitter on Tumblr. And!
Here are the screenshots of CT’s amendment. The important stuff in the 2nd screenshot is what’s underlined. There is too much text for alt text, it’s on the link above, but the tl;dr is “it covers abortion and gender-affirming health care.” It has been passed and signed by the Governor as detailed on the ct.gov link:
So yes, this is very very real, and Tumblr changed how they display Twitter links - the thread had all of this info in it except for the link to The Hill. :)
Please reblog this version before I lose my fucking mind over people reblogging the original post saying “I haven’t checked this and I don’t know if it’s real.”
Thank you to the brave SCOTUS clerk or staffer that probably committed career suicide to leak the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade when they knew the whole country would be glued to the internet looking for Met Gala looks.
As we watch elite rich people flaunt their wealth, remember that reproductive rights are being chipped away more and more everyday. While abortion remains legal nationwide for two more months, you are witnessing a direct attack on folks who can get pregnant, and specifically on Black, Latines, Asian and Indigenous folks.
And remember that it doesn’t stop here. The implications are extreme and next on the list are Lawrence v. Texas (case that legalized sodomy) and Obergefell v. Hodges (case that legalized same-sex marriage). The draft opinion refers to see as phony rights. People are going to die on a large scale because of this.
My crush on that one CA guy is dead. Might have something to do with the fact that he started dating another girl in the fellowship two months ago, knocked her up the first time they had sex, committed to the relationship and having the baby, then when her hormones got crazy and they started fighting every day, he agreed a bit too fast when she eventually suggested splitting up and terminating the pregnancy.
So yeah, that’s not good. And she’s my friend too, and I’ve tried being a neutral voice, but damn, I slipped up yesterday. She has to wait two weeks until her local hospital can perform the surgery, she’s a fucking mess, and his idea of helping her was planning to buy her some cigarettes as a present. So I told him plainly that it would be a race between her and I to see who could smack him first if he did that, which he didn’t in the end, but he got extremely angry with me for meddling, and now we’re on bad terms.
