Thread by @the_sar_bear88

Are you again horrified at the imminent demise of Roe vs Wade and wanting to get involved with abortion access? Welcome to the club. Does it seem like a good idea to connect w/"auntie networks" & "girls' camping trips" at this time? If so, pls read on abt why you shouldn't. 🧵

To begin, welcome to the repro world. I've been an abortion fund volunteer for six years and can confidently say that we've seen this coming. We have prepared for this moment for years and are grounded in reality but nimble enough to evolve with these devastating changes. /1

Abortion funds often partner w/practical support networks. Practical support networks help abortion seekers arrange & pay for travel-related expenses surrounding ppl's abortions. Many of these orgs are run by volunteers and/or rely on volunteers. You could be one of them! /2

Practical support (PS) orgs train vetted volunteers in reproductive justice, cultural humility & anti-racist principles. Once you are trained, you'll have an answer for the questions below which are crucial to providing successful practical support. /3

1) Are there TRAP laws in my state (targeted restrictions on abortion providers)? These laws have no basis in medicine, & require ppl to undergo things like 24 hour wait period before their appts, anti-abortion counseling, etc. They also subject clinics to nonsense regulations /4

that have nothing to do with abortion care. In states that are already hostile to abortion care, these laws already make it difficult to access abortions for existing residents, so of course it would be more cumbersome for a person coming from another state to access care. /5

2) How many clinics are in my state? Where is my nearest clinic, & do they have a legal limit at which point they cannot perform abortions? Are there clinics other than Planned Parenthoods? Not to say ppl shouldn't go to PP, but many don't realize there could be other options /6

3) Do I live in a state that already sees a lot of ppl coming from out of state? Ex: many in Kansas want to do good & offer support. But Kansas has four clinics, and was already receiving an influx of patients from Texas when the six-week ban passed. Now that Oklahoma /7

has a six-week ban, KS has four clinics serving KS residents AND an influx of patients from OK & TX. How easy do you think it is to get an appt there right now? This applies to many other states, KS is just an easy example. It's even an issue in some abortion-friendly states. /8

3a) That's right, even states with friendly abortion laws are having to schedule ppl further out, as more people from abortion-hostile states come to the friendlier states to seek care. These later appts mean more expensive appts. Some in the DC-MD area are dealing w/this /9

4) Do you know what language is stigmatizing & what isn't? Are you willing to do the anti-racism work necessarily to be truly supportive? Many abortion seekers are low-income Black, Brown and Indigenous folks, after all. They are also often non-binary folks or trans men! /10

5) How do you know this person is truly seeking abortion care rather than a hostile anti-abortion person? And if you are seeking abortion care- how do you know the person who offered to host me is truly supportive of yr decision? We know how fake social media can be, esp FB /11

If this feels like a lot to consider and coordinate, it is! But it is very learnable, too! It just takes more planning than a quick Facebook/Reddit exchange could ever offer. We're not here to discourage you from helping, we're here to make sure ppl do it safely! /12

If you think I knew all this stuff before I got involved with abortion access, I 100% did not. All of this is learnable, but if you are going to make a true difference you need to take the time to learn it and partner with others who are doing the same. /13

Auntie networks have been shoddily replicating the work of abortion funds and practical support groups since their inception, while abortion funds & PS groups are out here making access a reality. Pls come join us, we need you to keep moving forward <3 /Fin

An anti QT’d my tweet abt auntie networks saying “it says they’ve been preparing for this for a long time. If you don’t think they’re coming for us you’re crazy” and I’m amazed at how she misses the point.

Update: since this thread went viral, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include updated information abt how abortion pills can be safely used beyond 12 wks. This thread explains it well & has great resources for further info:

https://twitter.com/ReproHealthDoc/status/1529141057484627970