Hi John, I wanted to open with controversy. Ok, that’s done. This is a week of (mostly) good news! As you probably didn’t hear, because our media has one single focus—like a dog trying to get a treat out of a "kong"—Federal Judge Myron “Oh, Hell No!” Thompson struck down that house of horrors Alabama abortion law that was set to go into effect next month. You remember the one, it was worse than Ohio’s, Mississippi’s, Kentucky’s, Georgia’s and Missouri’s all rolled into one! The ban would have made it a felony-punishable-by-up-to-99-years-in-jail if a doctor performed an abortion. (More background on CNBC and in the NY Times). Quick reminder: All of the abortion bans that were passed in seven states earlier this year were struck down in the courts. (brief pause for a celebratory dance break) 
This week also had us on the move in the ATL and Washington, DC! Our new Programs Director Anna Bean was in Georgia for SisterSong's amazing Reproductive Justice gathering, the Let's Talk About Sex Conference. I can’t stress enough that “doing this work means doing the work”, and a major part of that work is learning from and following black and brown leaders of the Reproductive Justice movement. It is where we should all be getting our values. Anna summed up her conference experience and set some real goals for our staff and all of us fighting in this fight. From Anna: “As an organization founded and led by cis white women, it is critical that Abortion Access Front continually checks itself and takes time to shut our mouths and listen to those most impacted by our issues. It’s important that we do not further perpetuate the harm and oppression that white supremacy inflicts and continues to unleash on this movement. SisterSong is an incredible space where Black Reproductive Justice leaders and groups led by women, non-binary, and trans people of color from across the country share their experience, knowledge, and analysis not only about the larger landscape in the fight for reproductive freedom, but also of the intra- and inter-organizational dynamics that impact our Movement. This is a career-long, lifelong process that a conference that just scratched the surface on these issues, but I left Atlanta committed to deepening my conversations with my fellow white women about active anti-racism and about how to be an accomplice—not just a passive ally—to my colleagues of color and to the organizations and communities of color with whom we work.” Preach, Anna!  Finally, my right-hand-woman Kat and our online community manager, May led a team in DC to deliver the fruits of our labor to Congress, presenting more than 120,000 signatures from our, “DON’T AWARD THAT FAKE CLINIC OBRIA ANY TITLE X FUNDING! campaign. Joining us on our Congressional visit were partners from Abortion AF DC, Daily Kos and NARAL. You might remember this was the petition we asked you to sign, demanding that Congress stop awarding TItle X (family planning funds) to fake clinics. YOU DID GOOD! Support our work to keep you informed, keep us learning and growing, and FFS to keep deceptive fake clinics from getting taxpayer dollars. #FundActualHealthcare  Have a fab weekend...Don't forget to "fall back" (Oh, and f*ck candy corn! )   xox, Lizz | 
