A Collective Exhale: No Mife Ban For Now

Here’s another edition of Hard to Believe It’s Only Tuesday, a weekly roundup of the top headlines, tweets (for now!), toks, takes, and more in abortion news. You can always email me ([email protected]) or DM me on instagram with action items, takes, and news clips.

The big takeaway: Today was the first day that anti-abortion Trump appointee Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk could issue a ruling in the Texas abortion case that could take mifepristone off the market, significantly impacting medication abortion provision in the U.S. Now that briefs are in, we’ll be watching Kacsmaryk and the U.S. Northern District of Texas for a ruling any day now.

The Top Headlines

• “Doctors recount ‘heart-wrenching’ stories in new study on medical care post-Roe” (News from the States)

• “Her baby has a deadly diagnosis. Her Florida doctors refused an abortion.” (Washington Post) — The story of a Florida family being forced to watch their baby die because of the state’s 15-week abortion ban is as heartbreaking as you might imagine. On Twitter, @RHAVote reminds us that “It’s a good opportunity to argue for the abolishing of abortion bans. Not to make the case that abortion bans should not apply to *her.*”

• “‘I cried with her’: the diary of a doctor navigating a total abortion ban” (The Guardian)

• “Americans are becoming more supportive of abortion. So why aren’t Republican politicians listening?” (The 19th)

• “How abortion foes are using an 1800s obscenity law to ban abortion pills by mail” (Reckon) — The ghost of Anthony Comstock continues to haunt us all.

• “How U.S. abortion organizers are learning from Honduran activists” (Al Jazeera)

• “Democratic governors form alliance on abortion rights” (AP)

• “Democratic state attorneys general sue Biden Administration over abortion pill rules” (NPR) — They’re arguing that the FDA “excessively” regulates mifepristone.

• “Janet Protasiewicz and Daniel Kelly will face off for crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court seat” (The 19th) — After a primary election, we now know which candidates will face off in the general election on April 4th, which will “decide the balance of the court and the future of abortion rights.”

• “Out-of-state patients fuel an increase in abortions in Florida” (WUSF)

• “EMILY’s List targeting 23 House Republicans over positions on abortion” (The Hill)

• What’s happening with abortion bans, restrictions, challenges, and laws at the state and local levels:

  • “Texas abortion funds likely safe from prosecution, federal judge rules” (Texas Tribune) — See the Tweets section for reax from an abortion provider.

  • “Activists submit proposal to have abortion protections placed on Ohio’s November ballot” (Ohio Capital Journal)

  • “Nevada abortion bill meets stiff opposition in initial hearing” (KTNV) — The bill “would codify abortion protections for patients seeking care from outside of the state initially protected in an executive order issued by then Governor Steve Sisolak in the days following the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe V. Wade.”

  • “Three anti-abortion bills backed by Republicans fail in Colorado legislative committee” (Colorado Newsline)

  • “Democratic lawmaker introduces bill to restore abortion access in Kentucky” (Kentucky Lantern)

  • “Kansas Senate votes to block abortion medication prescriptions via telemedicine” (Kansas Reflector)

  • “West Virginia asks judge to dismiss lawsuit seeking to overturn state restrictions on abortion pill” (CNBC)

  • “[Missouri] Senate Health and Welfare Committee hears testimony on abortion bills” (Columbia Missourian) — Politicians are aiming “to limit state funding for reproductive health care and enshrine anti-abortion language in the state constitution.”

  • “Abortion bills heard, including to require prior authorization for Medicaid patients” (Daily Montanan) — One bill would “establish a civil penalty for people who interfere with someone’s ability to access reproductive or endocrine (hormonal) healthcare,” and the other would “would require prior authorization for abortions covered by Medicaid.”

  • “Proposed South Carolina bill could make abortion a death penalty eligible offense” (WRAL)

  • “Abortion bill amendments don’t stop Tennessee Right To Life opposition” (Tennessee Lookout)

  • “Abortion rights advocates fear pre-Roe law could be used to prosecute Alabama women” (Alabama Reflector)

  • “Nebraska lawmakers advance bill banning abortions at about six weeks of pregnancy” (Omaha World-Herald)

  • Rewire’s Garnet Henderson tweets a rundown of what’s going on with attempts to ban medication abortion and establish fetal personhood in Wyoming. (@GarnetHenderson)

The Takes

• A new Guttmacher Report in Contraception looks at “how abortion patients in Michigan and New Mexico factor adoption into their pregnancy outcome decisions.” From the abstract: “Adoption was not an equally acceptable substitute for abortion among abortion patients. For them, adoption was a decision that represented taking on, and then abdicating, the role of parent. This made adoption a particularly unsuitable choice for their pregnancy. Rhetoric suggesting that adoption is an equal alternative to abortion does not reflect the experiences, preferences, or values of how abortion patients assess what options are appropriate for their pregnancy.”

• Avow Texas’ Yaneth Flores is in the Texas Signal rejecting “scarcity thinking” in progressive advocacy: “Session after session, we have fought back against attacks and at the same time have fought for intersectional solutions. Yet the harder we fight, the more often those in power change the rules on us. We’re not playing on a neutral field, we’re being forced to fight under a fascist framework that is meant to deplete us, push us to point fingers at each other, and isolate us. It has also created a culture where those who support us make compromises that rarely trickle down to benefit Texans.”

The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• Texas-based OBGYN and abortion provider Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi has something to celebrate:

• Hispanic and Latino/a/x communities are often written off as being fundamentally opposed to abortion rights. But guess what????

• Emory University public health scholar Hayley McMahon highlights some hair-raising tweets about IVF from an anti-abortion leader.

• Repro legal scholar David S. Cohen tweets a thread about how access to mifepristone could be maintained even if the anti-abortion, Trump-appointed judge hearing the case rules that it should be taken off the market.

The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• Texas: The Afiya Center’s #RJVoter advocacy week starts Tuesday, February 28th. Check out their Instagram for programming details, including a community forum, advocacy training, and an advocacy day.

• Anywhere: Plan C Pills has published a self-managed abortion field guide in super fun, accessible zine form.

• Anywhere: Exhale Pro-Voice is taking applications for volunteer peer textline counselors until Friday, March 3rd.

• Online: The Ad’iyah Collective’s monthly abortion support circle “for Muslims who have had abortions or want/need an abortion” is Sunday, March 5th.

• From your wallet: The Valley Abortion Group is a new all-trimester abortion facility fundraising to open in New Mexico — donate to the GoFundMe.

• Anywhere, for health care providers: UCSF’s Dobbs Impact Study is looking at instances of “poor-quality medical care since the Dobbs decision,” and they’re encouraging providers to submit de-identified stories.

• Anywhere: get swag!

  • “Hotties take mifepristone” shirts benefit the Texas Equal Access Fund.

  • Indigenous Women Rising’s “shmashmortion” shirts, 🤌.

• Texas:

  • Join the Texas Abortion Hype Squad.

  • Local teen-friendly businesses in in Bryan, College Station, Lubbock, or San Angelo can become pickup spots for repro kits assembled by Jane’s Due Process. Here’s the application form.

• Anywhere, best practices edition:

  • Physicians for Reproductive Health has updated guidance on discussing and reporting on later abortion care.

  • The Repro Legal Defense Fund and the Community Justice Exchange have an extensive, attractive, and fact-filled guide to abortion criminalization in both English and Spanish.

  • Check out the “Pro Choice, But” campaign to better understand how to talk with folks who are, well, pro-choice … but.

  • Read the National Immigration Law Center’s know-your-rights-guide to abortion access for immigrants and share widely.

  • Familiarize yourself with this Digital Defense Fund guide to keeping your abortion private and secure, or check out the If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline guide to internet safety.

  • Read this guide on using trans-inclusive language from ARC-Southeast and the Transgender Law Center.

  • REPRO Rising Virginia has a thorough guide to updating your protest signs to make sure you’re using the most forward-thinking, respectful, and impactful language around abortion.

  • Here’s a big list of action items and info created by @RHAVote, and another big list of action items and info created by Alison Turkos.

• California, Texas, or Georgia: SisterLove, Inc. is looking for English- or Spanish-speakers between the ages of 15 and 49 who “recently found out [they] were pregnant’” as part of a paid study through the University of Pittsburgh. Here’s the intake survey to find out if you qualify.

• Sign and share:

  • Texas: Avow Texas’ petition demands county district attorneys pledge not to prosecute people for providing abortions, or because of a pregnancy outcome.

  • Anywhere: All Above All*’s petition asks President Biden take immediate steps to ensure abortion justice for immigrants.

  • Georgia: Sign the Amplify Georgia Collaborative’s petition to support the Georgia Reproductive Freedom Act.

  • Anywhere: Use All Above All*’s online form to express your support for the EACH act in Congress.

• From your wallet: Buy something off the wishlist of an independent clinic, abortion fund, or clinic defense group, or donate to support abortion funds. This link distributes your donation to 90+ funds around the country. Or donate to support independent abortion providers!

That’s all for this week. I’m sure I’ve missed something you’d like to see featured in this roundup, for I am but one woman with a computer and an abortion-news-induced drinking problem. Holler at me — [email protected], or DM me on Instagram, and I’ll try to add follow-ups as I’m able.