Republicans Working on Cute Rebrand for Fascist Misogyny

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. This post is probably too long for email, so click on the links up there ^ above the headline to open in your browser or the Substack app. You don’t want to miss this week’s Good Night and Good Dunk!

The big takeaway: Three things! Mexico has decriminalized abortion (though legality and access are still complicated at a state level), while new research from Guttmacher shows that the number of abortions in states where the procedure is legal — and which border ban states — has, unsurprisingly, gone up. And Republicans are trying to find a ~ cute ~ way to rebrand the fascist misogyny behind abortion bans.

The Top Headlines

• “Latin American abortion rights activists just notched another win in Mexico” (Vox)

• “New state abortion numbers show increases in some surprising places” (NPR)

• “Republicans are trying to find a new term for ‘pro-life’ to stave off more electoral losses” (NBC News)

• “The 113-Year-Old Law Behind Anti-Abortion Activists’ Latest Scheme” (The New Republic)

• “Kansas awards $2 million unplanned-pregnancy contract to group moored in anti-abortion politics” (Kansas Reflector) — Funneling taxpayer dollars to anti-abortion groups is a growing M.O. among anti-abortion lawmakers who refuse to shore up social safety nets and provide other protections and assistance to U.S. families. (I wrote about this a little for MSNBC last week.)

• “Texas’ 2021 abortion restrictions disproportionately harm immigrant women, experts find” (Reckon)

• “Arkansas Secretary of State seeks design submissions for anti-abortion monument at Capitol” (Arkansas Advocate) — 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

• 👩🏽‍⚕️ What’s happening with abortion clinics, providers, medication, and care writ large:

  • “Crowdfunding saves Florida abortion clinic with $193,000 in fines” (WaPo)

  • “Supreme Court asked to take up abortion pill dispute” (The Hill)

  • “As Abortion Laws Drive Obstetricians From Red States, Maternity Care Suffers” (NYT)

  • “How a conservative, gun-toting doctor defended abortion access in Appalachia” (StatNews)

  • “Indiana’s near-total abortion ban leads doctors out-of-state for training” (IPR)

• 🇺🇸 What politicians and politicos on the national stage are doing and saying about abortion in advance of the ‘24 election:

  • “In Post-Roe America, Nikki Haley Seeks a New Path on Abortion for G.O.P.” (NYT) — Read this not because it is a thoughtful take on Nikki Haley’s relationship to the anti-abortion movement (which does not give a fuck about her and knows she will be the one eventually coming around to their POV, not vice-versa) is the kind of gotta-hear-both-sides, politically puffy access journalism that serves to legitimize and normalize the authoritarian, fascist politics of the American right. How do I know? Because the Federalist Society, which is presently driving American legal thought on the anti-abortion side, has every intention of demanding any serious candidate back any one of many paths toward a federal abortion ban — which they just laid out in this blog post.

  • “Biden campaign ad targets Trump, DeSantis, Scott over abortion” (The Hill)

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

  • 🟢 “After nearly 30 years, Pennsylvania will end state funding for anti-abortion counseling centers” (ABC News)

  • 🟡 "Abortion rights groups ask Ohio Supreme Court to order full amendment text for November ballots” (Ohio Capital Journal)

  • 🟡 “New challenge to Montana abortion clinic licensing law” (KTVH)

  • 🔴 “DeSantis-packed court skeptical of Florida’s long-standing abortion protections” (Politico) and “All roads converge on FL Supreme Court as justices decide future of abortion rights” (Florida Phoenix) and “Judge Deciding the Fate of Abortion in Florida Is Married to State Rep. Who Sponsored 6-Week Ban” (Jezebel)

  • 🔴 “Oregon Right to Life sues state over birth control, abortion insurance mandate” (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

The Takes

• The WaPo’s Ruth Marcus looks at some of the more terrifying (which is saying something) arguments and efforts from Alabama’s anti-abortion AG Steve Marshall.

The Tweets/Toks/Grams

• *loud coughing* via Hayley McMahon:

• From the “with friends like these” desk — please, please cut it out with the racist, xenophobic takes about how ~ weird ~ it is that ~ sad, backwards ~ Mexico has legalized abortion. Anyone who lives in South Texas can tell you that traveling to Mexico for health care is S.O.P.

The Fuck Are We Supposed to Do About It?

• 👕 SWAG OF THE WEEK! 👕

  • Medication abortions 2024! These presidential campaign-esque shirts benefit the Palmetto State Abortion Fund.

• 🗣️ Austin: The University of Texas’ Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice is hosting a conversation with repro legal expert Rachel Rebouché on Monday, September 11.

• 💻 Online: Harvard’s “Abortion Politics Worldwide and the Future of Gender Equality” panel discussion is on Thursday, September 14.

• 📓 Missouri: Abortion Action Missouri is looking for policy and research interns (there’s a stipend!). Apply by Friday, September 15th.

• 🎤 Austin: The Puro Pinche Aborto fundraiser for South Texas repro justice advocates is at Neon Grotto on Saturday, September 16th.

• 🎨 Dallas: Join the TEA Fund and Planned Parenthood for a vision board-making party at Opening Bell Coffee on Saturday, September 16th.

• 💻 Online: The Reproductive Justice Storytelling Showcase is Monday, September 18th.

• 💻 Online: The Midwest Access Project’s free, virtual event on supporting repro access for folks who are detained or incarcerated is Wednesday, September 20th.

• 🥂 St. Louis: Abortion Access Missouri’s annual gala is Friday, September 29.

• 🤠 Dallas: The Afiya Center’s 15th anniversary gala — formal rodeo-inspired wear is “encouraged” — is Thursday, October 26th.

• 🦺 St. Louis area: Illinois’ Hope Clinic is looking for clinic escorts. Here’s how to learn more.

• 🚗 Kentucky: The Kentucky Health Justice Network is looking for volunteer drivers and case managers.

• ⛰️ Southwestern Virginia and Appalachia: The New River Abortion Access Fund is looking for volunteers!

• 📱 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: 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.

• 🤠 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:

  • Here’s the verified crowdfunding page for the family of Samara, a 17-year-old in San Antonio and Buckle Bunnies Fund patient who died from repro health complications.

  • Here’s the verified crowdfunding page for “Ashley,” the 13-year-old mother who was denied abortion care in Mississippi and profiled earlier this week TIME magazine.

  • Donate to support the Austin Women’s Health Center and their essential repro health services, including miscarriage management and abortion referrals!

  • Donate to ensure Desert Star Family Planning in Phoenix can keep providing essential abortion care to folks in the Southwest!

  • Contribute to the Repro Worker Aid Fund (or apply to be a recipient!)

  • 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: Use All Above All*’s form to tell your congressperson to support the Abortion Justice Act.

  • 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:

  • Abortion rights, access, and support:

    • Looking for a clinical abortion provider? AbortionFinder and INeedAnA are trustworthy and updated regularly.

    • Here’s the National Immigration Law Center’s know-your-rights-guide to abortion access for immigrants.

    • Abortions Welcome is a “pro-choice spiritual companion for use before, during, and after abortion.”

    • Want to become a practical support volunteer helping folks access abortion? Read this essential FAQ from Apiary first.

  • Research:

    • Here’s new research on abortion access for incarcerated folks.

    • Here’s new research from Gynuity on the safety and effectiveness of misoprostol-only medication abortion.

    • Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer’s report “Towards an Indigenous Reproductive Justice: Examining Attitudes on Abortion among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.”

  • Communicating about abortion:

    • Physicians for Reproductive Health’s wide-ranging messaging guide covers all kinds of topics in repro and abortion care.

    • Who Not When’s guide to reporting on later abortion is just great.

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

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

    • REPRO Rising Virginia has a thorough guide-via-Twitter-thread to keeping your protest signs fresh.

  • Abortion and pregnancy criminalization:

    • 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.

    • Listen to the No Body Criminalized podcast

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

  • Self-managed abortion:

    • This gorgeous slideshow from South Texans for Reproductive Justice!

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

    • The Digital Defense Fund has a useful guide to keeping your abortion private and secure.

    • If/When/How’s Repro Legal Helpline guide to internet safety.

    • Check out the SMAZine from Urge and LiberalJane.

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.