Abortion Resources Thread

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When Injustice Becomes Law, Resistance Becomes Duty

Sharing a post from Jacalyn Wetzel:

If you are unsure where to donate or live in another country but want to help people in America, here is a list of places where your money will be well spent. This list is extensive but not exhaustive. Donating to organizations that help provide transportation will aid people who are currently living in poverty unable to afford childcare and transportation to other states.

The ACLU provides legal services to fight things at the highest level. I have no doubt they will challenge this.
Donate here: Donate to the ACLU | American Civil Liberties Union

Planned Parenthood helps with reproductive care including contraception, STD checks and treatment, and cancer screenings.
Donate here: Ways to Give and Donate to Planned Parenthood

Midwest Access does travel, accommodations, food, childcare, medicine, and emotional support for people traveling to, from, and within the Midwest.
Donate here: Donate | Midwest Access Coalition

Fund Texas Choice helps with a way to get to the clinic and/or a place to stay,
seeks to make it easier for Texans to access the reproductive care they need.
Donate here: Donate | Fund Texas Choice

Baltimore Fund helps with Practical Support and does rides to clinics, travel coordination for people traveling out of state, meals, childcare, translation, whatever people from Maryland need.
Donate here: Donate - Baltimore Abortion Fund

Brigid Alliance covers costs for people traveling later in pregnancy, with consideration of distance and local transportation, accommodations, meals, child care, and other associated travel costs like gas, tolls, parking, mobile phones, and more.
Donate here: Donation - The Brigid Alliance

Chicago Abortion Fund provides financial, logistical, and emotional support to people seeking abortion care that live in or are coming to Illinois for care and surrounding Midwestern states.
Donate here: https://chicagoabortionfund.salsalabs.org/makeadonation/index.html

ARC Southeast helps Southerners in AL, FL, GA, MS, SC, and TN for procedure funding as well as rides, lodging, and escorting.
Donate here: Donate – ARC Southeast

Kentucky Healthy Justice Network provides procedure funding, travel support, and interpretation services for Kentucky clients seeking care, no matter where they have to travel.
Donate here: Donate

Access Reproductive Justice provides information, abortion funding, and practical support on all aspects of reproductive health in California including direct services.
Donate here: https://give.accessrj.org/give/312683/#!/donation/checkout

JEN South Dakota helps South Dakota abortion patients access transportation, childcare, lodging, interpreters, birth control, and other practical support.
Donate here: Donate - JEN - Justice Empowerment Network

Clinic Access Support provides transportation, meal stipends, accommodations, childcare assistance, and compassionate care to people seeking abortion services from Houston.
Donate here: Donate — Clinic Access Support Network

New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights If you are having your abortion in New Mexico and you need help with lodging, transportation, or meals.
Donate here: Donate — NM Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

La Fontera Fund provides financial support and assists local Rio Grande Valley residents who need to travel to clinics across Texas and beyond for the reproductive care they require.
Donate here: Become a Friend of Frontera Fund – Frontera Fund

Colorado Doula Project provides free logistical and emotional support for people accessing abortion in Colorado.
Donate here:Donate — Colorado Doula Project

NWAA Fund has transportation & other logistic funds for folks in the Northwest serving Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.
Donate here: Donate - Northwest Abortion Access Fund

You can find the original list for places to donate on Twitter. Here’s the link:

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Read this, for an interesting description of historical home abortion kits. Inside the secret network providing home abortions across the US | Abortion | The Guardian

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An organization in Illinois, that’s expecting to struggle under the new level of requests for help. Inside the secret network providing home abortions across the US | Abortion | The Guardian

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A messaging app that does end-to-end encryption. Is the Signal app safe? The encrypted messaging platform and WhatsApp alternative, explained - Vox.

Nothing electronic will ever be sacred - I work for the Dept. that can, in fact, break bitcoin blockchains - but why make it easy for anyone?

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Your browser is leaky, and it would be a super idea to use Tor. Again, not sacred, but a lot harder than Google Chrome.

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Thanks for this, Sam.

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The power of how individuals can form a group, which forms an grassroots framework, which forms a coalition, which forms a movement. We’re on the ropes, but we’ve only lost if you give up.

The slow rise of the grassroots movement is how we got from the Moral Majority, to this. http://www.wiu.edu/cas/history/wihr/pdfs/Banwart-MoralMajorityVol5.pdf.

Falwell started in 1980. It will probably take 50 years to regain our ground. Make your peace with the fact that it will be a long, heartless grind. But it will never happen if you don’t try.

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Wow, Kenner, seriously? I think a lot of people are looking for a way to help, and will appreciate the list of resources. I do. And the thread is clearly labeled.

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Plan C provides up-to-date information on how people in the U.S. are accessing at-home abortion pill options online. After I selected a state and scrolled down to Mail Forwarding they have several example stories of how mail forwarding works, which I found to be very educational (and also, of course, horrifying in a Handmaid’s Tale way). I found their FAQ to be thorough and helpful. They also include this:

Have Legal Questions?

Once someone has decided to have an abortion, they should be able to do so safely, effectively, and with dignity. No one should be arrested or jailed for ending their own pregnancy. But, if someone who chooses to use abortion pills outside of the established medical system gets into trouble it is important for them to get legal help. Organizations that can help people get legal help are:

  • Repro Legal Helpline provides free, confidential legal support online or at 844-868-2812. They also defend people who are prosecuted or threatened with prosecution for self-managing their abortion. This fact sheet also has some great information about legal issues.
  • National Advocates for Pregnant Women: NAPW defends women who are pregnant and attempt to have abortion, actually have an abortion, or are mistaken as someone who has had an abortion.
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Thanks for this, @PAWG. This is a legit site helping folks find the resources:

National Network of Abortion funds:

I should note that a number of the abortion funds do in fact cover (or try to cover) travel expenses as well as the procedures themselves. Not all.

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So, I’ve mentioned this in my journal but not elsewhere. I’m taking some first steps - stocking early pregnancy tests to leave in restrooms at the college where I teach - people need to know before they can start to plan what to do, after all. No one is yet tracking who buys pregnancy tests, but that may come, and my state is one that would do it. In the meantime, it helps people who can’t get one safely because of their home environment or whatever, or who can’t afford one. I’m thinking a little basket with some pads, tampons, tests.

I’d like to stock something like Plan B (the “morning after pill”) also, but I’ve not resolved issues around the weight limits on that medication (doesn’t work well on people over ~150 pounds) or the cost - I can manage some but would quickly get overwhelmed if it’s very popular. I can’t afford to buy enough misoprostol to leave it out like that, and it would likely get trashed anyway.

The first edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves (which I read as a preteen) had a detailed explanation of how to construct and use a Del-Em. Think I’ll order a speculum or fifty. I bet you could sterilize a metal speculum in an Instantpot. Wonder if the pin would rust.

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Amazon cheap bulk pregnancy tests are good and cheap. A pack of Dixie cups would be unnecessary but kind.

I’m a huge fan of early herbs. Personally I prefer to do it before I know for sure, just speed up the cycle. But depending on what comes out, you might know.

The guardian article made me try to figure out what things I can get insurance for. Apparently not for being a witch?

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There is a zine called Hot Pantz that explains some DIY gynecology. I’ve used their advice to do what was basically a morning after pill, but from the grocery store.

I can’t attach the PDF here but I can send it to people upon request. It has been very helpful to me.

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Thanks for these resources, all. I’ll be reviewing the donation options this week.

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@ElleP, would you be willing to share which herbs? Or just links to more information?

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Depends on the day and what store o had time to get to. Which is an eminently more practical solution than only trying one thing. Emmanagogue is a delightful word to look for

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I asked for, and was granted 15 minutes to talk to the Admiralty, to discuss the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade.

I highlighted that anyone stationed in a trigger state is now facing unequal healthcare access under the law, might be refused access to birth control, or be tracked for buying pregnancy tests. And that anyone who actually needs an abortion in a banned or regulated state would need to travel, necessitating the need to request leave, meaning that person’s Command would suddenly be involved in their personal uterus. And that The Powers should be considering how to approach someone refusing an assignment due to feelings of personal safety, or refusal to be a second class citizen.

The admirals nodded, and took notes. I now have a follow-up discussion with a Commander in the US Public Health Service, and with General Council to discuss legal paths.

I don’t know how well this approach would translate to the private sector. The saving grace for service members is that we remain residents of our chosen state, and not our domiciled state.

Perhaps the approach could work for mega-corps, but for travel to trigger states. “I won’t travel, nor will I allow my subordinates to travel to a state in which I am not a full citizen?”

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Thank you for doing that.

At my company we get paid sick time and, if people qualify, FMLA … However FMLA paperwork takes time to fill out sand I believe there’s a reason for the leave section which my OBGYNs office knew how to fill out because they did it feel the time but they still requested several weeks turn around time due to volume of paperwork so that seems to be not very helpful.

I’ll ask if they’re willing to pay for employees to travel for abortions since health insurance is already post of our benefits (and breast milk service, and infertility coverage!). I’ll have to think about who to ask and when. I think summer companies have anonymous suggestion boxes, maybe mine does too.

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I know you don’t care for hugs, Sam, so I will give you a firm virtual handshake and a “Well Done, You!” for taking the initiative.

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Have I told you lately you’re my hero?

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