Em-URGE-ing Voices

Posts Tagged: abortion

Why the Fight for Abortion Rights Still Matters in California

The day Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24th, I felt what many people felt: angry, sad, lost, disillusioned. And I did what many people did: checked in on friends, donated to abortion funds, reposted articles I didn’t fully read, and looked to politicians and activists for guidance on how we go from here. One that particularly stuck with me was Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s remark that everyone needs to be completely “strapped in” to this fight, advocating that we shouldn’t take big historical moments like these for granted – we need collective power for the long haul now more than ever. When I heard this, I was nodding alongside the clapping emojis on her IG live, feeling invigorated to put myself into action and show up differently. After hearing… Read more »

Here’s who we erase when Roe v. Wade is just about women’s rights

“Patriarchy and misogyny is absolutely holding women back and actively holding back trans and non-binary folks at the same time. Our patriarchal system is about keeping cis men in power,” said Alexis Cole, policy director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, who focuses on reproductive health care in the South and advocates for queering reproductive justice spaces. “In light of Kennedy’s retirement, that also shows us the importance, given that Kennedy was an important vote on abortion and LGBTQ rights. We know our fates are sealed together here,” she added.

Abortion Shouldn’t Be Rare and It Isn’t

From the most recent data available from the Guttmacher Institute and the American Journal of Public Health, approximately 1 in 4 women will have had at least one abortion by the age of 45. While this statistic does not include research around trans men and non-binary people that obtain abortions, it still goes to show that this is a very common procedure; but people do not choose to talk about it that way. I’ve seen protesters outside of clinics with signs that say “women regret abortion” and “men regret lost fatherhood”, and other anti-abortion phrases. In my early exposure to organizing around and for abortion rights, I found that many people I worked with, and even myself, would say things like, “No one wants to get an abortion…it is such… Read more »

Abortion In-Access

The Roe V. Wade decision recently had its 46th anniversary January 22. Though reproductive rights have constantly been the point of contention between old, white men and other old, white men, I am grateful this decision still stands today. Old white men, especially those in Texas, have tried their hardest to shut down as many clinics as possible through TRAP laws requiring obscene equipment and “regulations”. In 2014, the only abortion clinic available to my community of the Rio Grande Valley was in San Antonio-a four hour drive away. Having a clinic so far and passed a check-point can be terrifying for some people from the Rio Grande Valley. In a community where over 68% of the population lives below the poverty line and ⅓ of people and ½ of… Read more »

Reproductive Justice-Themed Holiday Gifts for Your Favorite Folks

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and, for students, the semester is nearly over, gift-buying and gift-giving season is upon us. During the holidays, I like to give gifts that are useful, meaningful, and unique to the people I am giving them to. Here are some gift ideas for all of your feminist and reproductive justice-loving friends this holiday season. 1. Birth Control Pill Pin This colorful and simple birth control pill pin from Dissent Pins is a great option for people who like to make a subtle statement. It’s perfect for fashion-conscious folks and friends who might be going into the medical or pharmaceudical fields. 2. “No Politics in My Uterus” Mug Why not get that avid coffee or tea drinker something that’s bold but also practical? This mug is… Read more »

A Reflection On The Midterm Elections

The midterm elections were a tough time for anyone invested in seeing progress for reproductive rights. While most were focused on candidates, wins in the House of Representatives and the Senate, many narrowly missed reproductive rights amendments that passed that set states back years in regards to protecting the safety of those seeking effective reproductive rights legislation. Alabama and West Virginia both rolled back the rights of so many on November 6th. West Virginia’s Amendment 1, which blatantly states that “Nothing in this constitution secures or protects a right to an abortion or requires the funding of an abortion,” will roll back any and all state funding to abortion providers in the state in the future. Alabama’s Amendment 2 goes one step further by saying explicitly to “declare and otherwise… Read more »

It Was Never A Secret

Victoria’s Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek has come under fire after an interview with Vogue where he insinuated that trans and plus-size models are not attractive enough to be a part of the “fantasy” of their brand. The brand has been met with criticism since his comments, and #boycottvictoriassecret was a trending topic on Twitter. But let’s be honest: even if you haven’t seen what the models look like in the annual fashion show, anyone with a passing familiarity with Victoria’s Secret knows the brand always has been a blatant catering to the white male gaze. Look back at the “Perfect Body” campaign from 2014 that showcased only one type of body. Or the many extreme uses of PhotoShop. Not to mention the many instances of cultural appropriation over… Read more »

The Science Behind Telemedicine Abortion: Filling in Health Care Gaps

For people seeking abortion care in rural areas and/or states with few abortion clinics, telemedicine abortion is a way to increase access to this particular form of health care. Telemedicine abortion involves the prescription of the two medications that induce an abortion before 10 weeks gestation when the provider and the patient are in different locations. How does this procedure work? First, we must know how medication abortion works. Medication abortion is a non-surgical means of terminating a pregnancy. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, medication abortion, also known as the abortion pill, can safely be used to terminate a pregnancy up to 10 weeks. The method was approved by the FDA in 2000. The “abortion pill” actually consists of two different medications taken at two separate times…. Read more »

Anti-choice lies will continue to fly at “crisis pregnancy centers”

On July fourth, as my family draws to the dining room table, our conversation turns to politics. My mother mentions blocking hate speech on Twitter, resulting in users getting kicked off, my uncle feels attacked and argues, “if we say freedom of speech, that means all speech.” Why should we censor some speech and not others? Why is it permissible that “oppositional” speech be omitted? On June 26th, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a 5-4 ruling involving this matter in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra, Attorney General of California. The NIFLA v. Becerra case grappled with the regulation of speech at so-called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” (CPCs) in California. The State, via the California Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act… Read more »