Thread by @NatAbortionFed

Today is the 32nd Anniversary of the release of #DirtyDancing-- many people's 1st exposure to #reprojustice. Come, let's talk about it.

For many, #DirtyDancing is their first exposure to reproductive justice. What is #reprojustice? @SisterSong_WOC explains sistersong.net/reproductive-j…

@SisterSong_WOC In case you didn't know, the entire plot of #DirtyDancing is based on what happens when Penny can't access safe, legal abortion care and what it was like pre #RoeVWade.

@SisterSong_WOC NAF-member Renee Chelian of @NFPCenters recently shared the story of her pre #RoeVWade abortion and how she’s fighting to ensure others don’t have to do the same: freep.com/in-depth/news/… #DirtyDancing

@SisterSong_WOC @NFPCenters Unfortunately, anti-abortion politicians are passing laws to try to force people into the same situation as Penny: unable to access safe, legal abortion care. cnn.com/2019/05/16/pol… via @cnn #DirtyDancing

@SisterSong_WOC @NFPCenters @CNN Let's take a look at the barriers Penny faced when trying to obtain an abortion in #DirtyDancing that are very recognizable for many seeking abortion care today...

Because abortion was illegal, Penny wasn't able to easily find a safe, trained provider. She also appears to not have had access to the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion: a network of clergy helped people find safe abortion providers: time.com/4758285/clergy… #DirtyDancing

The Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion (CCS) connected people like Penny to safe abortion providers like NAF members Dr. Boyd & Dr. Grimes who provided safe abortion care before #RoeVWade: cosmopolitan.com/politics/a6964… #DirtyDancing

Many seeking legal abortion care today face the same inability to seek care that Penny experienced pre #RoeVWade. One reason people can't get to a safe, legal abortion provider is TRAP laws: guttmacher.org/evidence-you-c…

Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers (TRAP laws) are medically-unnecessary laws passed to shut safe clinics down, making abortion inaccessible. More and more people seeking abortion care are being forced to travel out-of-state for care: self.com/story/abortion… #DirtyDancing

Because of TRAP laws & other factors, six states only have 1 abortion clinic left and anti-choice politicians are fighting to make Missouri and Kentucky the first states without any clinic: cnn.com/2019/05/29/hea… #DirtyDancing

Another reason people, like Penny, are unable to access safe, legal abortion care in their own states is because of anti-choice abortion bans. NAF member @PretermMAML announced yesterday their challenge to Ohio's 6-week abortion ban: cleveland.com/court-justice/… #DirtyDancing

@PretermMAML Because of the lack of providers and medically-unnecessary restrictions and bans on abortion, 64% of the patients our Hotline helps obtain abortion care have to travel up to 50 miles roundtrip for a single appointment. #DirtyDancing

Some of our Hotline's callers miss appointments because they don’t have enough gas to make it to the clinic. So we've launched a program to provide pre-paid gas cards to patients at clinics who need help getting to or from their appointments: prochoice.org/naf-launches-p… #DirtyDancing

Every penny we raise for the Dr. Tiller Patient Assistance Fund will go directly to patients who need help traveling or affording travel-related expenses in order to obtain their abortion care. Donate & help a patient get a pre-paid gas card: bit.ly/GiveGasCards #DirtyDancing

This bring us to another barrier: paid sick leave. Penny risked her job by taking a day off to, but Baby stepped in & covered, ensuring Penny still had a job to come back to. #DirtyDancing (cc @JenniferGrey)

@JenniferGrey In addition to the increasing time it takes to just travel to the clinic, medically-unnecessary, state-mandated waiting periods & multiple clinic visits force women to take even more time off in 14 states. guttmacher.org/state-policy/e… #DirtyDancing

Nearly 1 in 3 private sector workers—and 7-in-10 low-wage workers like Penny-- do not have paid sick days. paidsickdays.org/research-resou… via @NPWF #DirtyDancing

This lack of paid sick days means people seeking abortion care find themselves in Penny's shoes too often, putting their jobs at risk. Like Gloria prochoice.org/who-has-an-abo… #DirtyDancing #ShoutYourAbortion

The loss of even a day's wages can push accessing abortion care out of reach. Why? A couple of reasons... #DirtyDancing

About 60% of people seeking abortion care already have children at home, but paying for child care during their appointment can be too much and family/friends aren't able to take the day off to provide free child care. #DirtyDancing

Check out our friends, @nwlc's work to make child care less of a barrier in all things: nwlc.org/child-care-now/ #DirtyDancing

@nwlc Another way abortion care becomes inaccessible for people like Penny is because health insurance doesn't always cover abortion care. Which is absurd since 1-in-4 women will need to obtain abortion care by the time they're 45 years old. #DirtyDancing

@nwlc The Hyde Amendment is a national ban on insurance for servicemembers, Medicaid, Medicare, Indian Health Services, and more from providing coverage of abortion care: allaboveall.org/resource/hyde-… #DirtyDancing #BeBoldEndHyde

Many states have their own laws that ban state employees' insurance and even private health insurance (yes, like the one you get from your employer) from covering abortion care: guttmacher.org/state-policy/e… #DirtyDancing

Baby helped Penny out by asking Jerry Orbach for money, but not everyone has that option. Sometimes people can't ask their family or friends for help out of fear of being disowned, kicked out of the house, or shamed. Or because they're struggling financially, too. #DirtyDancing

We're here to help, though. Our Hotline Fund operates the largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual Hotline for abortion referrals and financial assistance in the U.S. and Canada. We help nearly 100,000 people a year. prochoice.org/think-youre-pr… #DirtyDancing

100% of donations to our Patient Assistance Funds go directly toward covering a patient's cost to obtain abortion care-- whether it's covering the cost of the procedure itself or travel and travel-related costs. You can donate to help here: bit.ly/GiveGasCards #DirtyDancing

We provide callers with accurate information, confidential consultation, options counseling, and referrals to providers of quality abortion care. We also provide case management services for women who need extra support trying to access the abortion care they need. #DirtyDancing

Now, we can talk all day about how #DirtyDancing helped introduce many to what happens when laws don't respect a person's bodily autonomy, but we'll end this thread with these thoughts...

Here's what we do/don't want back from the move:

Do:
The dancing
The clothes
Patrick Swayze
Jerry Orbach
The Lift

Don't:
Unsafe, illegal abortion

Now, whenever you're watching #DirtyDancing with others, share some facts and make sure they know what they're watching.

Thanks for following along! We've had the time of our lives. (See what we did there?) We also put all of this information in a handy post you can print out for #DirtyDancing viewings here: prochoice.org/dirty-dancing-…

You can also sign up for our Action Alerts to keep up-to-date on how to help fight medically-unnecessary, anti-choice laws here: prochoice.org/sign-up/ (We promise not to bombard your inbox.) #DirtyDancing