New Abortion Bans in North Carolina, Nebraska

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: Anti-abortion lawmakers have passed new 12-week abortion bans in North Carolina, where Republicans overrode the governor’s veto, and Nebraska, where the irony of a hospitalized and pregnant anti-abortion lawmaker making an appearance to pass the ban was not lost on everyone.

The Top Headlines

• “I self-managed my abortion at home using mifepristone. Losing access to it would hurt women of color like me.” (Reckon) — A timely, moving, and honest story of self-managed care, as told to Reckon by “M.”

• “Doctors are still confused by abortion exceptions in Louisiana. It’s limiting essential care.” (TIME)

• “Indiana reprimands doctor who provided abortion to 10-year-old rape victim” (NYT) — The state medical board’s president called Dr. Caitlin Bernard a “good doctor,” and she will keep her license, but Bernard was issued a letter of reprimand and a $3,000 fine for discussing the case with a reporter. More on this in the tweets section below.

• “An abortion doula pivots after North Carolina’s new restrictions” (NPR) — Love this interview with NC doula Ash Williams on the importance of supporting people who have abortions and prioritizing gender-inclusive care.

• “What it’s like to have an abortion denied by Dobbs” (In These Times) — Stories like Lationna Halbert’s are only going to become more common in the coming months and years. I would love to see national news outlets invest in reporters living and working in states with abortion bans to ensure more of the robust and thoughtful coverage these stories deserve.

• “Federal judges seem open to restricting access to mifepristone abortion pill” (The 19th)

• “As abortion battle shifts, Planned Parenthood to boost regional affiliate funds, cut national staff” (AP) — Hoooooooboy. Lot going on here. IYKYK.

• “Hospitals in two states denied an abortion to a miscarrying patient. Investigators say they broke federal law.” (ProPublica)

• “More women sue Texas over abortion law they say put their lives at risk” (NBC DFW)

• “U.S. Marshals spied on abortion protesters using Dataminr” (The Intercept)

• “Transgender man shares how an abortion saved his life” (The American Independent) — Remember folks, women aren’t the only people who have abortions! Gender-inclusive language is now!

• “Nebraska teen pleads guilty to charges related to self-managed abortion” (Jezebel) — This whole deal is awful bullshit. Take it away, Susan Rinkunas: “Self-managed abortion is only explicitly illegal in two states (Nevada and South Carolina), but, as this story shows, prosecutors can and do charge people for other crimes related to abortion, miscarriage, or stillbirth.”

• “Women jailed under El Salvador’s abortion ban are now fighting to end it” (OpenDemocracy, via Feminist Giant)

• Here’s what are politicians and politicos on the national stage are doing and saying about abortion in advance of the ‘24 election:

  • “Left behind polling memo shows abortion hurting outlook for GOP” (RollCall)

  • “DeSantis keeps abortion comments brief at anti-abortion group’s gala” (WaPo)

  • “DeSantis says roles to play for federal and state governments on abortion” (TheHill)

  • “Haley says she’d sign abortion ban, but more Republicans are needed in Congress” (The Hill)

• What’s going on with abortion bans, legal challenges, and bills at the state and local levels:

  • 🟢 “Whitmer signs into [Michigan] law ban on discrimination against employees getting an abortion” (Michigan Advance)

  • 🟢 “Equality in Abortion Coverage Act becomes law in Rhode Island” (Rhode Island Current) 

  • 🟢 “[Arizona Gov.] Hobbs blocks fetal rights, health emergency, election conspiracy bills” (Arizona Mirror)

  • 🟢 “Illinois moves to protect abortion-seekers from out-of-state surveillance” (Bloomberg)

  • 🟢 “Nevada bill to protect abortion patients from prosecution elsewhere heads to governor’s desk” (Nevada Current)

  • 🟡 “[Montana] Court blocks four anti-abortion bills while lawsuits play out” (Montana Public Radio)

  • 🟡 “South Carolina judge blocks Legislature’s new six-week abortion ban while legal challenge plays out” (The Post and Courier)

  • 🔴 “North Carolina legislature overrides governor’s veto of abortion ban to make new restrictions law” (NC Newsline)

  • 🔴 “Nebraska governor signs 12-week abortion ban, limits on gender-affirming care for minors” (Herald-Standard)

  • 🔴 “Republicans’ walkout of Oregon Senate threatens to kill hundreds of bills” (The Oregonian) — State GOP lawmakers have walked out hoping to block bills supporting abortion access and gender-affirming care (among many others).

• Karen Attiah at the Washington Post writes that Texas’ abortion bans and pro-gun politics are a deadly combination tailor-made to enable domestic abusers.

• Mark Joseph Stern at Slate has a deep-dive into why it’s important to look at court decisions around abortion in the aggregate.

• Aubrey Hirsch’s new cartoon in The Audacity looks at the Comstock Act.

• Reckon’s Becca Andrews interviews abortion doula Hannah Matthews about her new book, You or Someone You Love. Says Matthews: “The reality is there are people in your communities who are having abortions, and there are ways in which you can make those abortion experiences a little safer, or you can help that person protects their own joy and their own autonomy.” 

The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• Robin Marty of the West Alabama Women’s Center tweets a thread following Dr. Caitlin Bernard’s case and her own clinic’s experience with punitive, politicized medical boards.

• As more states enact 12- and 15-week bans, repro justice tweeter @gracieminabox has a thread explaining why and how abortion bans based on gestational age are so harmful.

• We Testify marks the passing of icon Tina Turner, and praises her for “the courageous disclosure of her 1968 abortion.”

• LIZZO!!!! Via Erin Reed:

Know someone who needs a little pro-abortion activism in their life, as a treat?

The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• 👕 SWAG OF THE WEEK! 👕

  • These gorgeous and gardeny “Abortion, any time, any reason, anywhere” shirts benefit We Testify!

• 🎤 The ACCESS Podcast’s Garnet Henderson is looking for post-Dobbs reflections from people who’ve had abortions, sought abortions, and/or worked in abortion care in the last year — here’s how to leave a voice memo by Wednesday, May 31.

• 📱 North Texas: The Texas Equal Access Fund is looking for bilingual Spanish-speaking volunteers for their text line. Here’s where to sign up.

• 🖥️ Anywhere, for people who’ve had abortions: Join We Testify for an online Abortion Storytelling 101 workshop on Thursday, June 1.

• 🎉 Iowa City: Party with the Emma Goldman Clinic on Friday, June 2!

• 🏳️‍🌈 Denton, TX: Pridenton and the Texas Equal Access Fund’s annual Pride Path chalking event is Saturday, June 3.

• 🖥️ Anywhere, for lawyers and health care providers: Join If/When/How for a webinar on self-managed abortion and criminalization on Thursday, June 22.

• 📞 Anywhere: Apply to be an All-Options talkline volunteer!

• 📥 Anywhere: Looking for a job in repro? ReproJobs can help you spruce up your resume!

• 🧑🏾‍⚕️ Anywhere, for medical residents training in abortion care: Obstetricians for Reproductive Justice and others will fund residents who need to travel out of state for abortion care training through December 2023 (or retroactively since July 1, 2022). Here’s how to apply.

• 🧑🏾‍⚕️ 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: 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.

• 💸 From your wallet:

  • Contribute to the Repro Worker Aid Fund.

  • Donate $$ and pads to Just the Pill’s mobile clinic.

  • Donate to the Online Abortion Resource Squad, which supports the R/Abortion subreddit 24/7/365.

  • Donate to Elevated Access, which transports folks for abortion and gender-affirming care.

  • Find your local abortion fund and donate!

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

  • 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!

• ✍️ Sign and share:

  • Anywhere, but especially for Alabamans: Sign the Yellowhammer Fund’s petition against a bill that would allow the prosecution abortion and even some forms of pregnancy loss as homicide.

  • Anywhere: Sign this multi-org-backed petition demanding Google stop “collecting and retaining location data and aiding abortion prosecutors.”

  • Anywhere: sign the Fight for the Future petition to demand better digital safety and security on Slack!

  • Anywhere: Sign the RJ Response to Stop Cop City.

  • Anywhere: All Above All*’s petition to lift outdated restrictions on medication abortion.

  • Anywhere: UltraViolet’s petition calling on pharmacies to provide medication abortion access where it’s legal to do so.

• 📖 Anywhere, resources edition:

  • Read this solidarity + organizing brief from Interrupting Criminalization and a coalition of repro and anti-criminalization orgs.

  • I Need An A’s new “stories” section provides resources, support, and information for folks seeking abortion care.

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

  • 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.

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.