Do you know what early abortion looks like?

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.

Programming note: I recently opened up paid subscriptions! 🍻 Big cheers to the folks who’ve signed up so far, I extremely appreciate y’all. 🍻

The big takeaway: Medication abortion access is a major post-Roe battleground, and two new lawsuits out of West Virginia and North Carolina aim to expand access by challenging states that regulate medications beyond the FDA’s standards. Generic mifepristone manufacturer GenBioPro filed in West Virginia, and Dr. Amy Bryant, an OB-GYN, filed in North Carolina.

The Top Headlines

• “A new wave of medication abortion lawsuits begins” (Reckon)

• “Early abortion looks nothing like what you’ve been told” (NYT) — Why the Times is putting facts in the opinion section, I don’t know (yes I do) but this is a very straightforward, illustrated explanation of early pregnancy.

• “House Democrats introduce bill targeting ban on federal funding for most abortions” (USA Today) — It’s the EACH Act, which had a big launch day in D.C. on Thursday.

• “Harris rallies against GOP push to roll back abortion rights” (AP)

• “2023’s biggest, most unusual race centers on abortion and democracy” (NYT) — (It’s a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.)

• “Suspect in arson at Planned Parenthood clinic cited ex-girlfriend’s abortion, U.S. says” (NYT)

• “Anti-abortion protesters break into Walgreens AGM meeting room” (Reuters)

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

  • “Justice Department to monitor new anti-abortion bills in state legislatures” (CNN) — It’s one of those things that sounds great until you wonder why it wasn’t already a thing.

  • “South Carolina lawmakers take up abortion bill for first time this session” (WBTW)

  • “15-week abortion ban set to go before Florida Supreme Court” (ABC News)

  • “Louisiana bill would make dads pay pregnancy costs in state where abortion is illegal” (Lafayette Daily Advertiser)

  • “Despite a ballot box loss, anti-abortion lawmakers in Kansas propose a complete ban” (KCUR)

  • “Hoosier U.S. Senate candidate backs reducing abortion options in other states” (The Times of Northwest Indiana) — To wit: banning people from crossing state lines to access clinical abortion care.

  • “Nebraska physicians speak out against proposed six-week abortion ban” (Omaha World-Herald)

  • “Virginia Democrats defeat bills limiting abortion access” (AP)

  • “New York passes bill to codify abortion rights in state constitution” (The Hill)

  • “California enacts new abortion laws, expecting copycats” (Politico)

• “Many Americans don’t know basic abortion facts. Test your knowledge.” (NPR)

The Takes

• Ohio organizer and strategist Mary Drummer is in The Nation making the case to go beyond “restoring” Roe: “We all deserve better than the return of a law that never worked for everyone. Abortion is a fundamental human right and access to it should not be dependent on “a right to privacy” but instead rooted in this nation’s promise of equality and justice for all, which includes the right to self-determination and bodily autonomy. We must not stop fighting until we get that.”

• Becca Rea-Tucker, the “Sweet Feminist,” asked her newsletter readers for abortion affirmations, and they’re just lovely. A sample: “Life is a garden of forking paths. You make choices every day that preclude other things from happening. Most of those choices are not right or wrong, they are only what you picked, and tomorrow, there will be more choices to make.”

• Plan C’s Amy Merrill is in Teen Vogue explaining why she keeps abortion pills on hand at home (which to be clear is legally risky for a lot of folks): “While voters, activists and policy-makers continue to challenge bad laws and push for constitutional protections, I’m interested in finding ways we can take well-being into our own hands rather than placing it in the hands of our elected officials. With direct and advance access to abortion pills, the majority of us can safely self-manage our own abortion, without visiting a doctor, and regardless of what the courts have to say about it. I purchased pills online two weeks ago and they’re on my shelf, just in case.”

The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• Repro legal scholar David S. Cohen tweets a short thread about preemption, the legal concept behind those new challenges to state restrictions on medication abortion. In part: “Here, it means that if the FDA has approved a drug as safe and effective, states can't put up barriers to nationwide access to the drug. Abortion bans do just that with respect to mifepristone, which has been approved for decades.” (For the wonky-wonks, Cohen and co-authors Greer Donley and Rachel Rebouché just published a new scholarly article on the legal issues around medication abortion.)

• What’s an okay reason to have an abortion? The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice explains:

The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• 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.

• New York City: The Meteor is hosting a comedy + music + storytelling show featuring some famousfolk in support of NYAAF on Wednesday, February 1st.

• Ireland: The Abortion Rights Campaign and Alliance for Choice Derry are hosting an abortion stigma and pills workshop in Dublin on Saturday, February 4th.

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

• Anywhere: Via @RHAVote, the Valley Abortion Group is new all-trimester abortion facility fundraising to open in New Mexico — donate to the GoFundMe here.

• Anywhere, for Latina/x folks who speak Spanish: Help the Vitala Global Foundation test and improve the Aya Contigo app, which “accompanies and supports people virtually in real-time with information in Spanish on self-managed abortion with pills.”

• 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.

• Texas:

  • Join the Texas Abortion Hype Squad.

  • Jane’s Due Process is looking for volunteers in Bryan, College Station, San Angelo, and Lubbock to distribute repro kits containing emergency contraception and other essentials. Sign up here — and they’re looking for local businesses to volunteer as pick-up sites, too.

• 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.

• Anywhere: Declare an Abortion Provider Appreciation Day in your community using this toolkit from the National Institute for Reproductive Health.

• 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.