Jun 26, 2022·edited Jun 26, 2022Liked by Anne Helen Petersen
On Twitter, I saw advice from an activist with many years of helping people obtain abortions. Do NOT be a hero. Do not publicly advertise your personal willingness to offer rides and shelter to people looking for help. If you are looking for help, do not take it from a random person you find on social media (apparently, there are all kinds of offers on Tik Tok). The activists are afraid the anti-abortion groups are tracking those making individual offers, and will report them to police or dox or harass them. They also worry that some of the individuals offering help are actually anti-abortion advocates - in other words, they are deliberately tricking people. Work through an established organization or network. They know the tactics to use.
And for my fellow red-state sufferers — unless you need to leave for your safety and security, which I wholly respect and support — please stay here and fight. We red staters need all the help we can get. We need people willing to live here and vote and organize and speak and run for office. Leaving will enhance the polarization, and that is one piece of this shit puzzle.
Thank you for this post. Im donating to my state’s abortion fund, I’m having conversations with my nearing puberty daughter, I’ve reached out to a state leader who is active in protecting abortion rights. But here’s where I’m struggling. I live in an extremely small, extremely conservative rural town that is at least an hour away from any sort of progressive community. When my spouse and I have expressed even milquetoast liberal views, our jobs have been threatened and we have been harassed online. The local librarian is someone who would *support* book bans, and the school district has cut as much college prep curriculum as is humanly possible. So we should leave right? Welp, my spouse is a community leader enmeshed in local projects that are deeply meaningful to him and would improve the community. I am employed by an arts and culture non-profit that offers the only opportunity to share the joys of art, reading, and welcoming visitors in our community. My child deeply loves it here with her friends and I guess I’m just feeling really discouraged and unable to be the activist I want to be, to help the way I want to help. The thing about being an agent for change in an extremely small rural place is that if you betray too much difference, too much opposition to prevailing values, too much progressivism, you will be shunned from participating in the very activities that allow you to make change, if that makes sense. I guess I am writing this as a way to seek community and encouragement from this group because I feel safe here. Thank you for listening, and let’s all keep going.
Whatever you do support your local candidates at all levels of the ballot, and VOTE. You may not be happy with Joe Biden, your senator or the Democratic Party, but suck it up and vote for them anyway. They do this, and that's how we got here. The perfect is so often the enemy of the good. Send money to Tim Ryan, Maggie Hassan, John Fetterman, and other US Senate candidates, we can't afford to lose this time. And find out who your local legislative candidates are and support them.
I live in Arkansas, have a 14 year old daughter, a 14 year old son, and a 12 year old son. I am now a recurring donor to Arkansas Abortion Support Network, and am having extensive conversations with my kids about how
they will need to maneuver in this new world. Also offered PR work and fundraising help to AASN.
This post is perfect - it is exhausting to keep hearing people say vote and donate. And yet, our local elections are far more critical than ever.
There is a really great organization called the States Project that’s flipping state congresses blue and it’s got the best chance of stopping all this in its tracks right now. State congresses will choose who to send as electors for the presidential election and whether to certify election results. They control abortion rights now. They control voting rights and drawing the districts, education policy, healthcare, policing, and climate policy. And the incredible part is we are REALLY CLOSE to winning there. The margins are often in the hundreds of votes in the strategic districts that will flip the whole state. Arizona only needs ONE seat in their senate and ONE seat in their house to flip. If you want a way to focus your efforts where they will really make a change, this is a great choice.
In Montana, only TWO state legislative seats stand between us and a Republican supermajority that will destroy the Montana Constitution, a very progressive document that protects our right to privacy (among many other things). The Montana Constitution is why Montana is an island in our region, and why abortion is still legal here. Every state around us has trigger laws about to go into effect. (https://twitter.com/jmpalmieri/status/1540691951934226433) Here's how YOU can help:
1. Find you local Democratic county committee. (https://montanademocrats.org/party/county/) I live in Gallatin County and can get you connected with the very organized, very amazing county committee here. (https://gallatindemocrats.com/). This is YOUR LOCAL PARTY. It's not the national party. It's your neighbors and you are needed!
2. Volunteer and donate to the Democratic candidates running for the Montana Legislature. Not all the seats up for election this fall have a Democratic candidate. There are areas in Montana where more infrastructure (i.e. local county party) is needed. If you live in one of those places - I can help you get started on building that infrastructure. Here are the candidates running in Gallatin County: https://gallatindemocrats.com/2022-candidates/. I can give you ideas on which races need the most help and connect you to the campaigns.
3. Montana is going through a redistricting process that won't impact this election, but has major implications for 2024. You need to be involved in this process to ensure that the new legislative maps are equitable and fair. Here's where you can learn more: https://leg.mt.gov/districting/2020-commission/
I cannot stress enough the importance for all Kansans to VOTE NO, August 2nd! This is a monumental vote in our state. This is the first electoral vote since Roe was overturned. To learn more and donate here is one link - https://www.jocodems.org/vote/.
The other fund here in Kansas is the Peggy Bowman Fund. The second chance fund assists women who financially cannot obtain abortion services. There are a few ways to donate, but one of my favorites is smile.amazon.com - www.secondchancefund.net. For more information on the Kansas Abortion Fund and Peggy you can check out their website - https://kansasabortionfund.org/
I just set up a recurring donation to Reproductive Equity Now, an org based in MA where I live, that has many legislative wins under its belt and a plan to strengthen the commonwealth’s position as a safe haven for abortion in a post Roe world. https://reproequitynow.org/
Would love to hear any other New England orgs people are donating/volunteering with.
My goal right now is to bring people together in as many ways as I can. Abortion restrictions are going to result in a lot more people entering the criminal punishment system, and I'm leading a small discussion group over Zoom on the history and present reality of policing and prisons through an abolitionist lens.
I'm also hosting events to bring the queer community together to share joy - three potluck picnics so far and a free swim night at a local pool, and a festival of workshops, art, and music this fall celebrating mutual aid and what we can do for ourselves and for one another. It might not seem directly related to the fight for abortion, but it feels like it is to me. We can't organize together if we don't know and trust one another, and have the space to dream of new possibilities together.
With respect to everyone posting about solutions based in electoral politics and established funds/orgs, I’d urge everyone to dig deeper and find more local, community-based efforts, and especially seek out queer, BIPOC and disabled led groups. Your funds and time are most needed there. Voting does not provide immediate, material support to people need it WHILE we are defending our rights. The fight is also about much more than abortion, so I urge folks to expand their thinking and find groups doing reproductive justice work.
Anne shared a bunch of great efforts in her post already. Here’s a few more things I’ve found in my searching this weekend:
I’m really scared that we don’t have the infra in place to do this… (Prove me wrong please!) What’s our equivalent of Focus on the Family and the decades long March for Life? The abortion networks are phenomenal but it seems they’re priority is (understandably) direct aid over political pressure. What’s the 2022 version of NOW? (Or is it still NOW?)
I just donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds - which is the larger umbrella organization connecting the group AHP linked to with other groups across the country.
I would love to do more. I can offer spreadsheet skills, data analysis, too. I can contribute to grant writing too. I have written grants but only got funded for few or small amounts, all below $50k amounts.
I live in NY, not sure how much work there is to do locally, but I know that NY wants to open doors to people needing the services here.
On Twitter, I saw advice from an activist with many years of helping people obtain abortions. Do NOT be a hero. Do not publicly advertise your personal willingness to offer rides and shelter to people looking for help. If you are looking for help, do not take it from a random person you find on social media (apparently, there are all kinds of offers on Tik Tok). The activists are afraid the anti-abortion groups are tracking those making individual offers, and will report them to police or dox or harass them. They also worry that some of the individuals offering help are actually anti-abortion advocates - in other words, they are deliberately tricking people. Work through an established organization or network. They know the tactics to use.
And for my fellow red-state sufferers — unless you need to leave for your safety and security, which I wholly respect and support — please stay here and fight. We red staters need all the help we can get. We need people willing to live here and vote and organize and speak and run for office. Leaving will enhance the polarization, and that is one piece of this shit puzzle.
Thank you for this post. Im donating to my state’s abortion fund, I’m having conversations with my nearing puberty daughter, I’ve reached out to a state leader who is active in protecting abortion rights. But here’s where I’m struggling. I live in an extremely small, extremely conservative rural town that is at least an hour away from any sort of progressive community. When my spouse and I have expressed even milquetoast liberal views, our jobs have been threatened and we have been harassed online. The local librarian is someone who would *support* book bans, and the school district has cut as much college prep curriculum as is humanly possible. So we should leave right? Welp, my spouse is a community leader enmeshed in local projects that are deeply meaningful to him and would improve the community. I am employed by an arts and culture non-profit that offers the only opportunity to share the joys of art, reading, and welcoming visitors in our community. My child deeply loves it here with her friends and I guess I’m just feeling really discouraged and unable to be the activist I want to be, to help the way I want to help. The thing about being an agent for change in an extremely small rural place is that if you betray too much difference, too much opposition to prevailing values, too much progressivism, you will be shunned from participating in the very activities that allow you to make change, if that makes sense. I guess I am writing this as a way to seek community and encouragement from this group because I feel safe here. Thank you for listening, and let’s all keep going.
In the Culture Study Discord, a bunch of people are planning on attending the mass online training; join us: https://www.aafront.org/operation-save-abortion/
Whatever you do support your local candidates at all levels of the ballot, and VOTE. You may not be happy with Joe Biden, your senator or the Democratic Party, but suck it up and vote for them anyway. They do this, and that's how we got here. The perfect is so often the enemy of the good. Send money to Tim Ryan, Maggie Hassan, John Fetterman, and other US Senate candidates, we can't afford to lose this time. And find out who your local legislative candidates are and support them.
I live in Arkansas, have a 14 year old daughter, a 14 year old son, and a 12 year old son. I am now a recurring donor to Arkansas Abortion Support Network, and am having extensive conversations with my kids about how
they will need to maneuver in this new world. Also offered PR work and fundraising help to AASN.
This post is perfect - it is exhausting to keep hearing people say vote and donate. And yet, our local elections are far more critical than ever.
There is a really great organization called the States Project that’s flipping state congresses blue and it’s got the best chance of stopping all this in its tracks right now. State congresses will choose who to send as electors for the presidential election and whether to certify election results. They control abortion rights now. They control voting rights and drawing the districts, education policy, healthcare, policing, and climate policy. And the incredible part is we are REALLY CLOSE to winning there. The margins are often in the hundreds of votes in the strategic districts that will flip the whole state. Arizona only needs ONE seat in their senate and ONE seat in their house to flip. If you want a way to focus your efforts where they will really make a change, this is a great choice.
Here’s a link to their site: https://statesproject.org/why-states-matter/ with a great video about why states are the big battleground, and here’s a great interview with their founders on what they do and why: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fight-back-with-63967557.
In Montana, only TWO state legislative seats stand between us and a Republican supermajority that will destroy the Montana Constitution, a very progressive document that protects our right to privacy (among many other things). The Montana Constitution is why Montana is an island in our region, and why abortion is still legal here. Every state around us has trigger laws about to go into effect. (https://twitter.com/jmpalmieri/status/1540691951934226433) Here's how YOU can help:
1. Find you local Democratic county committee. (https://montanademocrats.org/party/county/) I live in Gallatin County and can get you connected with the very organized, very amazing county committee here. (https://gallatindemocrats.com/). This is YOUR LOCAL PARTY. It's not the national party. It's your neighbors and you are needed!
2. Volunteer and donate to the Democratic candidates running for the Montana Legislature. Not all the seats up for election this fall have a Democratic candidate. There are areas in Montana where more infrastructure (i.e. local county party) is needed. If you live in one of those places - I can help you get started on building that infrastructure. Here are the candidates running in Gallatin County: https://gallatindemocrats.com/2022-candidates/. I can give you ideas on which races need the most help and connect you to the campaigns.
3. Montana is going through a redistricting process that won't impact this election, but has major implications for 2024. You need to be involved in this process to ensure that the new legislative maps are equitable and fair. Here's where you can learn more: https://leg.mt.gov/districting/2020-commission/
4. Don't forget to support Montana's only abortion fund: https://www.susanwicklundfund.org/
I cannot stress enough the importance for all Kansans to VOTE NO, August 2nd! This is a monumental vote in our state. This is the first electoral vote since Roe was overturned. To learn more and donate here is one link - https://www.jocodems.org/vote/.
The other fund here in Kansas is the Peggy Bowman Fund. The second chance fund assists women who financially cannot obtain abortion services. There are a few ways to donate, but one of my favorites is smile.amazon.com - www.secondchancefund.net. For more information on the Kansas Abortion Fund and Peggy you can check out their website - https://kansasabortionfund.org/
I just set up a recurring donation to Reproductive Equity Now, an org based in MA where I live, that has many legislative wins under its belt and a plan to strengthen the commonwealth’s position as a safe haven for abortion in a post Roe world. https://reproequitynow.org/
Would love to hear any other New England orgs people are donating/volunteering with.
My goal right now is to bring people together in as many ways as I can. Abortion restrictions are going to result in a lot more people entering the criminal punishment system, and I'm leading a small discussion group over Zoom on the history and present reality of policing and prisons through an abolitionist lens.
I'm also hosting events to bring the queer community together to share joy - three potluck picnics so far and a free swim night at a local pool, and a festival of workshops, art, and music this fall celebrating mutual aid and what we can do for ourselves and for one another. It might not seem directly related to the fight for abortion, but it feels like it is to me. We can't organize together if we don't know and trust one another, and have the space to dream of new possibilities together.
With respect to everyone posting about solutions based in electoral politics and established funds/orgs, I’d urge everyone to dig deeper and find more local, community-based efforts, and especially seek out queer, BIPOC and disabled led groups. Your funds and time are most needed there. Voting does not provide immediate, material support to people need it WHILE we are defending our rights. The fight is also about much more than abortion, so I urge folks to expand their thinking and find groups doing reproductive justice work.
Anne shared a bunch of great efforts in her post already. Here’s a few more things I’ve found in my searching this weekend:
Access fund for survivors, started by Freeform, an org that focuses on gender based violence: https://www.gofundme.com/f/abortion-access-fund-for-survivors
Maryland is one of the southernmost states where abortion will be protected. Independent clinic raising funds to open there near major public transit:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/expand-abortion-access-in-maryland
Apiary helps folks find and connect with Practical Support orgs that help with logistical needs (includes of list of orgs by state):
https://apiaryps.org
Fund that provides legal support for anyone prosecuted for seeking or self managing abortion:
https://reprolegaldefensefund.org/
Org that advocates for sustainable, safe jobs in the reproductive health field: https://www.reprojobs.org/
This is a GREAT, short doc with more groups, strategies and facts:
bit.ly/roewycd
A lot of local efforts are happening via Twitter and IG. Look at who your local clinic or fund follows and keep digging.
I’m really scared that we don’t have the infra in place to do this… (Prove me wrong please!) What’s our equivalent of Focus on the Family and the decades long March for Life? The abortion networks are phenomenal but it seems they’re priority is (understandably) direct aid over political pressure. What’s the 2022 version of NOW? (Or is it still NOW?)
I’m in Montana and would love to volunteer.
I just donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds - which is the larger umbrella organization connecting the group AHP linked to with other groups across the country.
https://abortionfunds.org
I have a recurring donation to this fund splitting across multiple smaller funds: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/abortionfund
I would love to do more. I can offer spreadsheet skills, data analysis, too. I can contribute to grant writing too. I have written grants but only got funded for few or small amounts, all below $50k amounts.
I live in NY, not sure how much work there is to do locally, but I know that NY wants to open doors to people needing the services here.