Turning Rage Into Action
Dear Leading Ladies,
As we try to reckon with the reality of life after Roe v. Wade, we feel obligated to become well-informed about the options that remain available to our sisters living in states where surgical abortions will no longer be legal.
Why? For two major reasons. We want to spread the word about options that may not be well-known, and we want to do what we can to support access to these options.
The morning-after pill is now the first-trimester pill
Plan C is one major alternative to surgical abortions. Unlike Plan B, commonly known as the morning after pill, Plan C can be used to terminate a pregnancy at least through the first trimester. Developed by Rebecca Gomperts, a doctor in The Netherlands, Plan C consists of two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol.
This type of pregnancy termination is considered safe, with only one percent of women experiencing serious complications. The mifepristone works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which keeps an early pregnancy from progressing. Then the misoprostol, a prostaglandin medication, induces uterine contractions to expel the pregnancy.
Medication abortion is actually available through Planned Parenthood in some states but, unsurprisingly, not where women are denied access to surgical abortions. Women can now receive mifepristone and misoprostol for “self-managed abortions” in Illinois, Pennsyvania, Virgina, Washington DC, Maryland, Montana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington.
Women in states where surgical abortions are now illegal may still be able to obtain Plan C through Aid Access in Austria for $110 or less through the website aidaccess.org. However, since the pills must be ordered and sent from abroad, possibly facing postal and customs delays, there is a risk that women will not receive them in time. Consequently, Aid Access is allowing orders from those who may not yet be pregnant but want to be prepared, since the medications have a two-year shelf life. In addition, according to legal sources, having obtained the pills before being pregnant may protect a woman from any legal culpability under some of the new state laws against abortion. On the other hand, with the recent assault on citizen privacy, will U.S. Customs and the U.S. Post Office soon be empowered to regulate the delivery of Plan C to women in anti-abortion states?
As a go-around to this problem, the question comes to mind: Could an organization in a state like Massachusetts arrange to purchase a large amount of mifepristone and misoprostol to have on hand, already processed through customs and available for sale to women in states that have made abortion illegal? Or could individuals in Massachusetts and other pro-choice states order Plan C and donate to organizations that could make it available to out-of-state women?
We would welcome a couple of Leading Ladies lawyers willing to pursue this question for us.
Supporting those who come to MA
Massachusetts is bound to see a large influx of girls and women from states that have taken their reproductive rights away and seek abortions here. These women will incur many expenses and inconveniences – lost pay, as well as transportation, hotel, food, and child care bills. In California, state lawmakers are working to establish a state Abortion Practical Support Fund to help cover these needs. Non-profit groups there are also recruiting and training volunteers to give rides to clinics, as well as offer safe places to stay. "I am amazed at people coming together and supporting and showing up for people that they don't even know, in droves," Tricia Gray, the volunteer engagement coordinator at Access Reproductive Justice, a California-based nonprofit abortion fund, told NPR.
Is similar action being taken in Massachusetts?
In terms of legislation, Governor Baker signed an executive order, and then the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved a bill to protect abortion providers and people seeking abortions from actions taken by other states. The bill, according to WBUR, says that “access to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming health care services is recognized and declared to be a right secured by the constitution or laws of the Commonwealth,” and that interference with this right is “against the public policy of the Commonwealth.”
That said, we could not find any grassroots groups here similar to the Access Reproductive Justice Fund in California. A recent article in masslive.com indicated that local reproductive health activists encourage people to support the national and state groups that are already in place. They recommended:
The Brigid Alliance, a referral-based service that provides travel, food, lodging, child care and other logistical support to people who are more than 15 weeks pregnant and seeking abortions.
The National Network of Abortion Funds works to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access and organizes at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.
Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP), the largest national, independent, non-profit abortion fund, provides urgently needed financial assistance nationwide to individuals seeking abortion services or emergency contraception.
Indigenous Women Rising, started as a campaign to help indigenous women who were being denied emergency contraception by Indian Health Services, helps fund and educate Native women about their reproductive rights.
National Abortion Federation provides information about where to find an abortion provider, operates a free hotline to answer any questions about abortion, and publishes Clinical Policy Guidelines for Abortion Care.
Of the organizations in Massachusetts – Abortion Rights Fund of Western Mass, Jane Fund of Central Mass, and Eastern Mass Abortion Fund – only the Eastern Mass Abortion Fund explicitly states, “We help people living in or traveling to Eastern Massachusetts access abortion.” The Jane Fund states it has “limited resources for other out-of-state patients.” And Abortion Rights of Western Mass says, “We provide financial assistance to people in Western Massachusetts seeking abortions.”
We wrote to Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts to ask if their organization is thinking of doing anything similar to the efforts in California. No answer yet. We will keep searching for local efforts to help individuals coming to our state to obtain abortions.
In the meantime, the national organizations will certainly need our financial support as they aim to meet the increased demand for funds. As always, tell others who are looking for a way to help.
The broken record
Roe v. Wade may be gone, but a pro-choice Congress could pass legislation that would ensure a woman’s right to control her body. It’s possible, but it requires money for campaigns and strong voter turnout. Give until it hurts, because we know how much more the consequences hurt.
We are still holding on to some hope. Are you?
Therese (she, her)Judy (she, her)Mary (she, her)Leading Ladies Executive TeamLeadingladiesvote.orgladies@leadingladiesvote.org