The Fight to Provide:
A presentation by Carolyn JiaYing Chen, Josie Laur,
Lara O’Brien, and Remy Burch
Navigating a Post-Roe world
Table of contents
The Background
Abortion Providers
Organized Resistance
Discuss
03
01
02
04
The path to now
Plight & Obstacles
How to take action
Time for a conversation!
The Background:
01
Roe, Dobbs, and the eternal nightmare
—2019 Reproductive Health Act
“...comprehensive reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, is a fundamental component of a woman’s health, privacy, and equality.”
An Extremely Condensed Timeline
1827
Abortion criminalized in NY
The next 50-100 years are spent refining what this means. Also, Anthony Comstock has his moment in the sun
Abortion decriminalized in NY (mostly)
Rockefeller passes this law in NYS 3 years pre-Roe
Roe v. Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court recognizes the right to abortion
Planned Parenthood v. Casey
SCOTUS upholds Roe, restrictions on abortions are unconstitutional if they place an “undue burden” on a pregnant person
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
1970
Takes away the constitutional right to an abortion
1973
2022
1992
What’s going on right now?
Texas
Texas cont. but it’s just the Republicans
SCOTUS
Colorado
FDA
Florida
An anti-abortion group asks U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to order the FDA to pull mifepristone off the market
Sen. Bill Cassidy calls concerns about the Texas ruling upending FDA authority “alarmist”
Supreme Court temporarily halted the FDA-centered lower court decision twice, ultimately sending the case back to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Dem. Governor Jared Polis signed a trio of bills that further protect the rights to abortion and gender-affirming services in the state April 14, 2023
Has approved of mifepristone for two decades; Texas judge is trying to invalidate it
DeSantis signs Florida’s six-week abortion ban into law April 13, 2023, the “Heartbeat Protection Act”
Abortion Providers
02
The fight to provide
Abortion Providers
Current Providers
Future Providers
- medical students
- nursing students
- surgical abortion
- medical abortion
- clinic workers
Factors to consider
Access to Training
Legality
Stigma
Stress
Lack of resources, limited access, unclear curriculum
Unclear future, constantly changing environment
Incorrect information (textbooks, media), top-down system
Burn-outs, expensive tuition, heavy academic and field work
Shield Laws
Passed by a state’s senate, shield laws prohibit in-state medical malpractice carriers from taking action against a provider’s policy based on providing abortion care in a shielding state. In other words, they protect those administering the healthcare to out of state patients from legal repercussions.
In the state of New York:
The S1066A Bill provides protection to healthcare providers who perform legally protected healthcare, even to those out of state.
Shield Laws are attempts to keep laws individual to each state, after the overturn of Dobbs, which returned the power to individual states to regulate any aspects of abortion that are not protected by federal law.
Methods of Abortive Healthcare
Surgical
Telehealth Consultations
Self-Managed
An in-clinic medical procedure, the focus on time - related bans.
Online appointments and consultations made to get the pill.
The ways in which patients can receive medical abortions have changed immensely, an increase in non-surgical approaches after the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Or “Self-Medicated” - a way for patients to take the abortion medication themselves .
About The Pill
In comparison to in-clinic abortions, medicated abortions have an aspect of being self-managed. This goes into account in states where you cannot walk into a clinic for an abortion. The pill or self-managed abortion with pills is a more modern option for safely and effectively ending a pregnancy.
The pill can be obtained both with and without a prescription - from telemedicine services, abortion clinics, and even some medical offices. Without a prescription, many are able to find safe and effective medication online; but there is a significant lack of knowledge on how to obtain an abortion, and fear that online pills are not valid.
Telehealth and Medicinal Abortion
The rate of mailing the abortion pill grew to over 50%
Before the overturn:
50%
Although shipping the pills work around bans, there is a major issue in the lack of information or common knowledge amongst those who may need to get an abortion.
To use Teleheath consultations as a “loophole” around TRAP Laws
Widespread goal
How To Get Involved
After the overturn of Roe v. Wade:
An increase in resources for patients and potential patients
The Plan C Organization -
With the goal to educate, inform, and provide, Plan C’s mission is to spread information about abortion pills - how they’re used, and where to get them online to safely self-manage an abortion. They additionally provide resources to find medical, peer, and legal support if needed.
Miscarriage and Abortion Helplines -
The MNA Hotline - Providing financial funding, legal representation, emotion and peer support; as well as taking any kinds of questions about, and medical care for any aspect of the medical process.
Organized Resistance:
03
Joining the fight with Planned Parenthood’s guidance
Planned Parenthood
PP Action Fund
here is what they want you to know
serves over 2,100,000 clients at their health centers across the nation.
is the primary c4 organization who is taking action to protect healthcare.
Advocacy Infrastructure
Advocacy is… creating the space for those most affected by decisions from legislation and suppression.
… playing an active role in advancing the mission forward.
… the key to all other parts of an organization: education, health care, community, etc.
… having face to face conversations with potential supporters, which could include your family, friends, loved ones, classmates, or even yourself.
Everyone contributes to advocacy in one way or another as long as they try.
The Principles of Grassroots Organizing
Your issue should
1.
3.
2.
win real victories that improve people’s lives
make people aware of their own power
alter the relations of power by building strong organizations
Leaves = Problems that are manifested in our experiences, circumstances, and everyday lives
Trunk = Institutions that hold up the problem
& Issues that need to be solved
Roots = Societal causes and institutions that uphold the problems
ableism
sexism
racism
classism
politics; disproportionate access to healthcare; community stigma; religious stigma; lack of education; lack of comprehensive sex-ed; lack of mobility; widespread misinformation; etc.
inaccessibility to abortions
Breaking It All Down
Types of Power:
Strategy vs. Tactic:
Power and Targets:
Electoral/Legislative; Consumer; Legal; Disruptive.
Your primary target is the person that has the power to give you what you want. Your secondary target is a person you may have some power over, who individually holds some power over the primary target.
Your strategy is the overall campaign plan involving a power relationship between your group and the person who can give you what you want. A tactic is just a step in carrying out that plan.
Forms of Organizing
Direct Service
Education
Mutual Aid
Grassroots Mobilization
Advocacy
provide direct service to people
community members fulfill each others needs
issues and information they need to know to have enriching lives
community members speaking out against injustice
organize people to act on their own behalf
Goal | People, Allies, Opponents | Organizational Considerations | Target | Tactics |
Long Term: All young people have increased and equitable access to reproductive health care in our campus communities Intermediate: Accessible Emergency Contraception in Vending Machines on campus Short Term:
| Constituents: Campus Community Allies:
Opponents: | What do we have: Funding, Brand recognition, Active membership/People power What do we want:
Obstacles: | Primary: Health Center Director Secondary:
| Educational Tactics:
Powerbuilding Tactics:
|
Timing Matters
Show of public support to get attention and build a movement
Educational tactic to build your base
Low/medium/high pressure tactics
Increasing pressure in size and type to move forward
ways to get involved
op-eds or letters to the editor; phone banking; storytelling; crowd canvassing; blogs; social media; rallies; interviews with reporters; lobbying; town halls; protest art; digital ads; rally posters; collecting signatures; teach-ins; letter to your senator or other elected officials; craftivism; etc.
Reproductive Rights
the freedom of individuals to control decisions regarding contraception, abortion, sterilization, and childbirth.
POC Organizations
Discussion Questions
Why do you think that abortion is still so stigmatized today? Do you think that it’s something that can be fixed, and if so, how?
How do you think we can educate people about reproductive rights on a day-to-day basis? Feel free to share your own ideas!
Abortion is such a personal topic for a lot of people, especially as it relates to matters of religion, ethics, and/or morality — do you think it’s possible to have an objective, productive conversation about it with people who have differing opinions from you?
How does your field of study and personal experience shape how you approach this conversation? How do they contribute to how you participate in the future of reproductive justice?
Or anything else that you want to talk about!
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