Tides’ Post

As fighters for abortion rights, we feel it's important to share resources for those who've had abortions. Our friends over at Chicago Abortion Fund are hosting free "Post-Abortion Community Circles." Please share with your friends and family: ***** Chicago Abortion Fund A Home Here Post-Abortion Community Circles December: Talking About Abortion (While Protecting Your Peace!) December 12th at 7:30 PM CST Circles are intentionally curated to be inclusive, supportive, and open, without any judgment. This space is only for people who have had abortions – whether they had an abortion recently or decades ago. All gender identities are welcome. Each month, we collectively check in, engage in mindfulness/meditation practices, and participate in a facilitated discussion to share our experiences (or just listen!) as we build connections and widen abortion narratives. Circles welcome all who have had abortions, not just CAF grantees.

Today marks what would have been the 51st anniversary of the landmark case Roe v. Wade since its overturn in the summer of 2022. While we can’t travel back in time, what can be done in 2024? Here’s a few things: - Showing up to your voting polls is more important than ever before. - Arizona for Abortion Access is a coalition of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations working to ensure Arizonans can make the decisions that are best for them. This ballot initiative must collect a minimum of 383,923 valid signatures from registered Arizona voters.  To learn more about this initiative, head to bit.ly/3u2wt0E and bit.ly/3Hs2XVe.

𝗪𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 1849 was an era of black slavery, white supremacy, unregulated corporate corruption, the 100 hour work week, and yes criminalized abortion. It’s 2024, and the state has upheld its 1800’s era ban on abortion. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ BREAKING: Women should have a right to their own ovaries, bodies, and choices.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Maybe if we give every bum legislator in Madison a Peony for their Mom, they’d think again??? Long shot. But we do have Peonies for your Moms. We might take them to the capital but we’ll probably just a deliver a ton to you and like Mays prior, give 1/4 of the profits to safe abortion access and reproductive care clinics.

Controlling a woman’s sexual and reproductive life, or reproductive coercion, is a form of domestic violence. Abusers use intimidation, threats or physical violence to control their partner’s reproductive choices. Long before the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion, researchers noticed a link between women having abortion access and a reduced risk of violence from men. According to a recent PBS NewsHour report, abortion restrictions have led to a significant increase in intimate partner violence with the National Domestic Violence Hotline seeing a nearly 100 percent increase in calls. #StandWithSurvivors #EndDV #EndIPV

A trio of stories over the past week have provided a glimpse into how devastating a second Trump term would be for reproductive freedom. Not just abortion — everything from contraception to fertility treatments are under threat. When we talk about stuff this dystopian, some try to write it off as alarmism or a symptom of “Trump derangement syndrome.” But these stories are notable because two come from inside Trump’s circle — their plans in their words. And a third demonstrates that in Republican-controlled states, some of the most alarming plans are already underway. You may have seen these stories, but a lot of voters haven’t — and it’s up to all of us to raise the volume on this news and do everything within our power to defeat Trump this November. Trump would 100% sign an abortion ban First, after an election cycle filled with maddening stories casting Trump’s positions on abortion as somehow mysterious and unknown, The New York Times reported last week that Trump backs a national abortion ban. The Trump campaign is pretending to be angry about this ‘leak,’ but let’s be real here — this is obviously the campaign soft launching a ban at an arbitrary amount of weeks (it’s reported he likes sixteen because it’s is a nice round number) to see how extreme he can take his position without dooming his reelection prospects. This is the guy who stacked the Court with anti-abortion justices. Who bragged about getting rid of Roe. Who said women who get abortions need to be punished. And having seen the devastating fallout of the fall of Roe, where 14 states have banned abortion, maternity wards are shutting down, and women are going septic because doctors are afraid to treat ectopic pregnancies, has decided it’s not enough. Anyone paying attention knows he’d sign whatever ban Congress puts on his desk. But for those who haven’t been paying attention, this reporting is valuable. So please be sure to share it widely (here are some posts on Insta / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky to get you started). Abortion bans are just the start Folks need to understand that Trump will sign an abortion ban if he gets the chance. And they also need to understand — as the next important story this week illustrates — that a second Trump presidency will restrict our intimate, private family decisions in ways that go far beyond abortion rights. An under-the-radar report from Politico this week revealed that one of Trump’s close advisors — a strong contender for chief-of-staff in a second Trump administration — is spearheading plans to infuse Christian Nationalist policies into a second term. Like abortion bans, other policies associated with Christian Nationalism force the religious beliefs of a fervent minority on the entire population.

https://lnkd.in/gJJ2EFgE As you may already be aware, a lot of energy among anti-abortion activists is being put toward crafting legal arguments that may allow courts to recognize full personhood for a fetus, effectively outlawing abortion everywhere. According to a recent article in the Ohio Capital Journal, the rhetoric being used by members of these groups includes claims that “allowing abortion violates a woman’s right to parent” and that ”abortion should not be allowed at any stage, because embryos’ unique DNA make them fully separate humans from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg.” These traditionalist thinkers are often motivated by their religious views and/or outdated, prejudiced views toward women - that they should be confined to the home and to housework, should be chaste and pure, and should devote their lives and purpose to their male counterparts. Misogyny like this is being spread in small, ultra-conservative and ultra-religious / bible-literalist communities where it has been allowed to thrive - and the only way to ensure that it remains a tiny, ugly fraction of our democracy is to support the work of people who devote their lives to lifting up women, to empowering them, and to giving them full autonomy to do with their lives as they choose. We need to meet this challenge head-on.

I had the honor of being interviewed by CBC's The National, this week, discussing a topic of utmost significance: reproductive freedom. As we witness the unfolding events in the US, particularly the Supreme Court's hearing of yet another case poised to not only restrict but blatantly assail abortion access for millions of American women and individuals capable of carrying a pregnancy, I delved into the implications for Canadians. The anti-choice rhetoric emanating from the US is permeating into Canada, as evidenced by the near passage of Bill-C311 in our own legislature. As a board member of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC), I witnessed our organization springing into immediate action, vocally denouncing this underhanded attempt to infringe upon the reproductive freedom of millions of Canadians. The fall of Roe v. Wade serves as a stark reminder that reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, particularly for women and those capable of pregnancy, are not guaranteed rights. We must remain vigilant and poised to take action, ready to defend and protect one another from such relentless attacks. If you're wondering how you can contribute, here are some steps you can take: Firstly, please consider donating to reproductive justice NGOs or charities like ARCC, which relies entirely on donations to carry out its vital work. Additionally, attending local rallies in support of women's rights and reproductive justice can make a significant impact. Even speaking up, whether it's at your dinner table or in private conversations, is crucial. Let those around you know that treating all human beings with dignity is non-negotiable for you. Every action, big or small, matters in the fight for reproductive freedom and justice. #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice #feminism #abortionrights #womensrights #sexualhealth CBC

Shocking findings out of Planned Parenthood of Montana, reported by Grace Wade, in New Scientist: in the 14 states that have outlawed nearly all abortions, there have been some 65,000 estimated "pregnancies as a result of rape." Just imagine the agony, the recriminations, the panic about finances, stigma, the future, the recurring trauma experienced by survivors. Indeed, reports journalist Wade: "Previous research shows that people denied abortion are more likely to stay with abusive partners, ive in poerty and have poorer mental and physical health. These consequences may be especially pronounced for survivors of sexual assault." And there are people who still consider it "pro-LIFE," to deny the right to health and human dignity to those who've already endured such harm, and for whom that exposure to abuse is now more than likely to continue? #SHAME #reproductiverights #reproductivejustice #accesstohealthcare #womensrightsarehumanrights https://lnkd.in/ewmGNSyr.

Today marks the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which established federal protection of the right to abortion in the United States. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision in June 2022, at least 14 U.S. states have adopted abortion bans imposing severe civil and criminal penalties on clinicians for providing abortion except in very narrow circumstances. At PHR, we’ve documented the profoundly harmful impact of these bans on the rights of patients and clinicians. In Oklahoma, our groundbreaking April 2023 report illustrated the human rights violations caused by criminalizing abortions in the state, while calling for urgent reform. https://bit.ly/3Lt85LO

Helping or Hurting? In the latest edition of our Health Law and Innovation blog, Lincoln Alexander Law student Sophia King Gillis explores the utility of the Charter for Reproductive Justice and Abortion Access in Canada. READ: https://lnkd.in/gDgXFQn7. #HealthLaw #HealthInnovation #HumanRights #ReproductiveHealth #ReproductiveJustice