MERJ Newsletter 10/26/22
Come join MERJ leaders this Monday, 7:00-8:00pm ET, for a casual drop-in conversation. Arrive when you can, leave when you must. Use this link to sign directly into the Zoom. You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram at @merj_org!
Inspiring Quote, from the “Hanging On to a Future” episode of the Ordinary Equality podcast:
When I look forward to the coming months and years, in a post-Roe America, I think about people like [the longtime activists of the KHJN], on the ground, who have been doing this work, who have been preparing, who are defiant and are going to help people get the help they need no matter what—no matter where it becomes banned, no matter where we go as a country, we are here for us. …
You may be new to this crisis, but this crisis is not new. So, everyone who wants to jump in and get involved has to get involved. Everyone who believes in freedom is now an abortion activist, period. [And] the way you can get involved is plug into these existing networks and these people who have been working on the ground for years, if not decades.
Amazing Organization to Support — by moving money, we can make an immediate difference!
National Network of Abortion Funds
“The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.
“We envision a world where every reproductive decision, including abortion, takes place in thriving communities that are safe, peaceful, and affordable. We envision a world where all people have the power and resources to care for and affirm their bodies, identities, and health for themselves and their families—in all areas of their lives. As we shift the conversation about abortion, it will become a real option, accessible without shame or judgment.” (All text from the organization’s website)
Book/Film/Music Recommendation:
Review from Bookshop.org page:
Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think about Abortion (2022) — In Ejaculate Responsibly, Gabrielle Blair offers a provocative reframing of the abortion issue in post-Roe America. In a series of 28 brief arguments, she deftly makes the case for moving the abortion debate away from controlling and legislating women's bodies and instead directs the focus on men's lack of accountability in preventing unwanted pregnancies.
Highly readable, accessible, funny, and unflinching, Blair builds her argument by walking readers through the basics of fertility (men are 50 times more fertile than women), the unfair burden placed on women when it comes to preventing pregnancy (90% of the birth control market is for women), the wrongheaded stigmas around birth control for men (condoms make sex less pleasurable, vasectomies are scary and emasculating), and the counterintuitive reality that men, who are fertile 100% of the time, take little to no responsibility for preventing pregnancy.
The result is a compelling and convincing case for placing the responsibility--and burden--of preventing unwanted pregnancies away from women and onto men.
Five-Minute Read:
Interview with Gabrielle Blair, the author of Ejaculate Responsibly
Ms. Magazine online, posted October 21, 2022, written by Steph Black
Inspiring Photo:
Original source — “With abortion rights in jeopardy, fears of less freedom for women spur protest,” published on AZMirror.com on May 4, 2022
Help and Resources to Share with Anyone Needing an Abortion: (from ifwhenhow.org)
If you have questions about your legal rights and self-managed abortion, the Repro Legal Helpline is a free, confidential source for legal advice and information. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812.
If you are under 18 and need information about your rights to an abortion, you can message or call our Repro Legal Helpline at 844-868-2812. You can also read more about your rights on our Judicial Bypass Wiki.
If you have been arrested, contacted by the police, or fear you may be arrested for a self-managed abortion, our Repro Legal Helpline can provide immediate legal advice and support, and our Repro Legal Defense Fund can help with bail and legal fees. You can call our Repro Legal Helpline at 844-868-2812, and for help with bail and other fees, visit ReproLegalDefenseFund.org.
