New North Carolina Project Weekly Bulletin

In lieu of the decision leaked from the Supreme Court of the United States, this is not your normal weekly newsletter. 

Overturning Abortion Rights is Just the Beginning

Abortion advocates have been sounding the alarm on this time for years, even though safe abortions have been legal for 50 years. And now the time is finally here and many of us do not know what to do or where to go next.

First of all, everyone needs to understand that voting during every election, every time, down the ballot is VERY IMPORTANT. Voting for district attorneys that won't prosecute people who have received abortion care, people who helped other people receive care and doctors who gave patients care has never been more important. Voting for judges who will not take up cases on abortion access has never been more important. Voting for state legislators and congress representatives that will keep their religion and opinions out of our uteruses has never been more important. Voting for governors and mayors and city councilors that will help protect what they can to access abortion has never been more important. There are people on all sides of the aisles that do not want people to have access to abortion care.

Secondly, ABORTION IS HEALTH CARE. Pregnancies are incredibly dangerous for many bodies. Forcing someone to go through a pregnancy and a birth that could either give them long term side effects or even death in come cases, is not about the health of the mother or fetus. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. It is even higher for Black women. State legislatures and courts are already criminalizing having miscarriages, taking birth control and are attempting to outlaw IVF treatments for people who want to be pregnant.  We are also one of the last major countries to have access to universal healthcare and paid family leave. We also have public education that has been defunded across the country for decades and student debt that makes it nearly impossible for people out of college to sustainably survive. There is no universal access to child care for newborns to pre-K. There are no true financial benefits to help keep a human being alive once they have been born. Our foster care system across the country is in shambles, leaving foster kids with lifelong trauma. The people in our local governments are not advocating enough affordable housing so that everyone can afford a place to live. Our disabled community has been crying out for help for decades because the ADA did not actually solve their problems and they still do not have the right to marry and keep their disability payments. There's also the criminalizing of people seeking asylum from violent countries. And we live in a country that punishes people for being poor and Black or Brown and throwing them in a prison system that is hard to get out of. Our state legislatures and courts are trying to ban existing as an LGBTQ+ person. And we also have a climate crisis where our world and country are not making significant changes fast enough to make sure that we still have a habitable planet to live on. All of this is happening while our officials keep giving corporations bailouts instead of holding them accountable for exploiting workers paying them wages that do not match our cost of living, instead of allowing us to thrive.

This is not about being pro life. It is about control, to keep a white supremacist capitalist patriarchal state in power of anyone that is not a cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, rich Christian white man. What comes next is banning birth control, existing as a LGBTQ person, interracial marriage, the right to a sound and basic education, voting rights and more. This is a domino effect, and abortion rights is just the beginning.

I don't have any inspirational words or hope for you. But right now, abortion is still safe and legal in North Carolina. Our partners at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Pro Choice NC as well as abortion advocates in NC are asking you to do the following things- call your Senators. And fund abortion. Now is the time to have those tough conversations with relatives and friends and colleagues that believe that authoritarian control is the answer. Use your power at the voting booth in May and November and in every election after that, but know that voting is not enough. Our work mobilizes people of color to make their voices heard at the polls, but for those of us that have so much privilege, we need to get up and fight for those who do not have the same privileges as we do. I hope this week and the weeks thereafter will motivate you to take action.


Richard Burr: 202-224-3154
Thom Tillis: 202-224-6342

Calling Script to Support the Women's Health Protection Act>> [link removed]

Donate to Carolina Abortion Fund>> [link removed]

How to Talk to People About Abortion>>[link removed]


Do You Have a Plan to Vote?

The May 17 Primary will be here before we know it! Getting engaged in #EveryElectionEveryTime is important for us to have a democracy on every level. Make sure you and everyone you know has a voting plan! The following deadlines are important for the 3 ways you can vote- in-person early voting, in-person voting on Election Day or vote by mail!

In-Person Early Voting started on April 28 and ends on May 14. You can also same day register or update your voter registration during early voting.
The Absentee/Vote by Mail ballot request portal is open NOW! The NC State Board of Elections will start to send out absentee ballots on March 28. The last day to request an absentee ballot is on May 10, but we highly recommend requesting NOW and returning your ballot ASAP due to lengthy mail times. Vote by mail ballots have to be postmarked by May 17 in order to be counted.
The Primary is on May 17 and polling places will be open from 6:30am to 7:30pm.

Who can vote in the NC Primaries?

NC citizens who will be 18 years old by the November 2022 General Election can vote in this election- must be pre-registered to vote. Learn more about that HERE.
Unaffiliated/independent voters can still vote in the primary- you will need to choose a ballot when voting- either Democrat or Republican.

A photo ID is still not required to vote in NC.

Request Your Mail-In Ballot for the May 17 Primary>> [link removed]

Not Sure Who Is On Your Ballot?

One of our wonderful volunteers and now one of our organizers, Claire Stone, has completed a record of all candidates running on all ballots in all 100 COUNTIES IN NC! We hope this helps you find who is on your ballot so you can find out who aligns with your values and vision for NC.

You can view the table of deadlines, board of elections offices and all candidates, which you can filter through at the button below! Scroll down the bottom of the website page to see the table!

Find the Candidates on Your Ballot Here>> [link removed]

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