Hi john,

Rebecca Black said it best: Friday is about hanging out with friends, having fun, and exposing anti-abortion extremism! Okay, so we added that last one, but we still stand by it. This week’s batch of abortion news is sure to cause fresh eye rolls and involuntary rage screams. Make sure you’re sitting down and your windows are closed (let’s not scare your neighbors) as we dive right in!

Fake Clinic Operators Are Dragging Us Back To SCOTUS
The Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin in early December, after a fake clinic, First Choice, challenged an investigative subpoena from the New Jersey Attorney General’s office that sought, among other things, donor details and information about the advertising and “counseling” materials as part of an effort to determine if the clinic lied to its clients. Spoiler alert: THAT IS WHAT FAKE CLINICS DO. So now we wait to hear the justices decide whether states can hold shady-as-hell FAKE clinics accountable, or if “free speech” now includes deceiving people about their reproductive health. 

Susan “Strongly Worded Letter” Collins Is Shocked, Shocked, Shocked I Say!—to Find She Betrayed Abortion Rights
Maine Senator and pro-choice cosplayer Susan Collins has yet again confirmed an anti-abortion judge, Jennifer Mascott, to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Some of Mascott’s greatest hits include clerking for Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, working in the Trump administration, and filing an amicus brief in support of anti-abortion doctors. And by the way—the real banger is that Collins cast the deciding vote to change that court into a conservative majority! So. On. Brand.

Let’s finally just call it. Collins’ consistent betrayal of abortion rights cements the fact that she is only “pro-choice” in the sheets and will throw you under the bus in the streets. She and her ilk will sacrifice our rights literally anytime they’re given the chance. Like hypocritical clockwork.

How Many More Ways Can We Say “Abortion Bans Are Dangerous”?
This has been a year for post-Dobbs data showing real world harm, like life in a state with an abortion ban, and the rise in domestic violence that goes with it. Quick reminder: pregnancy is not health neutral, and a woman’s risk of being murdered in the US goes up twenty percent. In fact, they’re more likely to be murdered than die from pregnancy-related health issues! And in the few years since states implemented near-total abortion bans, domestic violence WENT UP ten percent. Abortion bans and restrictions are the rock in your windshield from which every other crack springs forth… and it is always vulnerable folks who bear the scars of the shattered glass.

The Feminist Buzzkills Are Off Working On AAF’s 10th Anniversary Celebration, And Plotting Some Good Trouble Ahead Of The Fake Clinic SCOTUS Case!

We’ll be back starting November 14th with amazing episodes you won't want to miss featuring E. Jean Carroll and John Fugelsang! In the meantime, you can catch up on those past pods you just didn’t get around to, and check out last week’s episode with comedian, author, and AAF OG baddie Sarah Hartshorne, who popped on the pod to talk abortion (duh), body shaming, and her new book, You Wanna Be On Top? which spills all the tea about her time on America’s Next Top Model.

Now for Some Ways You Can Fight Back
We hope the news didn’t ruin your weekend, but if it did (and if it didn’t), let’s use that energy to get out in the community and do some good! 

Sign Up for the AAF Volunteer Skill Share
You have the skills, we’ve got the clinics—let’s put them together! Do you do landscaping, are you great at taxes, can you edit video and create graphics? Tell us all about it, and we’ll do our best to connect you with clinics that need your skills! Trust us… everybody has skills to share.

We can all help out in our own ways—fill out the form now and help us build up our network to support abortion!!

Check Out Our Activist Calendar Below
Our Activist calendar is loaded with events and actions both nationally or in your community – pick your poison and get your boots on the ground!

Not feeling like you wanna dig around a calendar? We chose a highlight just for you!

FEATURED ACTIVIST EVENT THIS WEEK

Fake Clinics? AS IF!
With fake clinics taking us to SCOTUS, now is the time to learn about these “Crisis pregnancy centers”! They’re designed to trick patients seeking abortion care, and outnumber actual abortion clinics 4 to 1… and we all need to fight back. The Amplify Georgia Collaborative is holding their monthly ‘Fake Clinics Suck Community Chat’ to organize, strategize, and expand their campaign to stop fake clinics and ensure that pregnant people have access to the care and evidence-based healthcare they need on Wednesday, October 29th at 6pm ET—registration link here!

Could You Help Us Out With a Few Bucks?
Now more than ever Abortion Access Front could use your support. If we made you smarter or helped you engage with fellow do-gooders, please consider dropping a few dollars in the coffers to help us keep the work going!

There may be rough waters behind us and even more ahead, but this is the mother effing Abortion Yacht Club and we don’t back down from a challenge or say no to a pontoon boat—come on aboard!

Setting sail,
XO Team Abortion AF