Happy August, John!
Have you heard about the magic of abortion pills?
When used correctly, abortion pills are 95 percent effective, and serious complications occur in less than 0.4 percent of patients who use it. [1]
Good news! On July 13, a federal judge in Maryland suspended a rule that requires people seeking abortion care during the coronavirus pandemic to visit a provider in-person to obtain abortion pills. [2] This is common sense that should have always been there – pandemic or no.
Everyone should be able to obtain the safe, effective, and magic abortion pills they want. Agree? Take the next step and sign the petition.
Check out what’s going on this month:
Criminalizing Our Existence
Thursday, August 13, 2020
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET
Register in advance here.
The Missouri HIV Justice Coalition and Reproaction are teaming up for a panel discussion on the criminalization of gender & sexuality, HIV, abortion, and sex work. This discussion will examine how criminalizing disease, bodily autonomy, and our right to challenge these measures, not only makes many of us enemies of the state, but relieves the government of responsibility for all of its citizens. This panel will be co-moderated by Molly Pearson, Empower Missouri's Justice Organizer, and Evonnia Woods, Reproaction's Missouri Organizer. Panelists include: Ian Darnell, Curatorial Assistant at the Missouri Historical Society; Indigo Hann, Founder of St. Louis chapter of Sex Worker Outreach Project; Devin Hursey, Missouri HIV Justice Coalition Member; and Erin Matson, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Reproaction.
Register here.
#MaternalMondays on Twitter
Every Monday in August | All Day
Follow our content here.
Follow Reproaction on Twitter to retweet and like our #MaternalMondays content. Every week there is a different theme that helps promote our mission to increase abortion and advance reproductive justice. Feel free to create your own content in accordance with the themes listed below:
August 10 - Criminalization of Sexuality and Gender
August 17 - Aging & Reproductive Health
August 24 - Pregnancy Complications
August 31 - Uplifting Reproductive Justice Organizations
Take Action
- Have you ever wanted to cast a spell to stop the anti-abortion movement? In any case, sign our petition to demand more access to abortion pills!
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Self-managed abortion with pills is safe and effective. Watch our #SustainingCommunity video: https://youtu.be/_Bk0ATluDfE and learn more here.
- Anti-science lies on social media threaten us all. As abortion rights supporters, we know it’s been going on for too long at Facebook, and it’s time to end it. Sign our petition now.
- We will not stand by as #BigProLife mocks marginalized communities and pushes its regressive ideology. Watch what they said here. #StopProsecutingAbortion
- Act 292 is a law that allows the state of Wisconsin to strip pregnant people of their bodily autonomy and individual liberty, simply on the basis of being pregnant. Learn more here.
- If you haven’t completed the #2020Census, what are you waiting for? Take the 2020 census NOW!
Self-Care
In this moment of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or helpless. Reproaction’s strategic plan affirms the importance of self-care, especially in activism and resistance.
Here are our self-care tips for August:
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Take a (virtual) trip to the Smithsonian. This month the Smithsonian is hosting a number of events in celebration of Women’s Equality Day on August 26. Events include Respect Her Crank! The Politics of Go-Go, Women of Color: Power of Protest, and Love Letter, 2020: A Celebration of Black Women in Portraiture. Click here for the full calendar of free events. - Caitlin, Organizing Lead (Virginia)
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Try doing yoga. Start your day by doing yoga with Abiola Akanni on YouTube. There are video sessions for whatever you want to work on. Need something to unwind with? Watch The Old Guard on Netflix. It’s the best movie I’ve seen in months. - Eva, Organizer (Missouri)
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Make time to stretch regularly. If you're anything like me, you sit for most of the day. This can be hard on your whole body but your hip flexors in particular, because the hip flexors hold a lot of trauma and deep rooted stress. Some of my favorite stretches for hip flexors are: low lunge, figure four pose, and supine pigeon pose. I like to do these every night before bed - it helps relax my muscles, decompress from the day and improves my overall sleep. - Nataley, Organizer (Wisconsin)
Self-care is an act of resistance. Be good to yourself. For some tips on how you can reduce stress, check out this resource.
In Solidarity,
Caitlin, Evonnia, and Nataley
Reproaction Organizing Team
P.S. We’re organizing to win, donate to support our work.
- https://www.guttmacher.org/evidence-you-can-use/medication-abortion
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https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-abortion-pills-without-doctor-visits-judge-rules/65-8a197e0a-89de-439a-be3c-86fbccb6dec9