Louisiana Abortion Archives
and the fight for the abortion pill
some quick nah brah business:
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A quick note on the master class: I have had SO MUCH FUN planning and building out this master class. I’ve learned a ton and really can’t wait to share it with you. Also, I’ve secured us a top-tier guest speaker—this class is legit going to be fire. And remember! If you can’t make it on Wednesday at 10, you can still register and you’ll have access to the zoom recording.
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The following post is a two-parter: an update on the legal fight for the abortion bill, and a story from the Louisiana Abortion Archives.
the fight for the abortion pill
As we all know, the United States Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade last year ended the constitutional right to abortion. The only silver (and very, very faint) lining in that ruling was that it only targeted in-clinic abortions, which meant the abortion pill—a combination of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol that can be taken at home—was still legal to obtain and take.
To nobody’s surprise, anti-abortion activists filed a lawsuit in November to try and take the abortion pill away as well. They targeted the FDA, claiming that it “exceeded its regulatory authority” in approving the drugs to end pregnancy, demanding that the FDA be forced to pull the drug.
The Judge is Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk. He’s a Trump appointee whose nomination was opposed by Susan Collins, who said that he has an “alarming bias against LGBTQ Americans and disregard for Supreme Court precedents.” And that he has also “dismissed proponents of reproductive choice as ‘sexual revolutionaries,’ and disdainfully criticized the legal foundations of Roe v. Wade.”
The dude who is scared of “sexual revolutionaries” now has the power to issue an immediate injunction—meaning the abortion pill would be pulled effective immediately—or he could (via the Louisiana Illuminator):
issue a court order to eliminate the mail-order option
reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement
re-apply in-person dispensing solely to doctors instead of prescribing healthcare providers like physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners
wipe out the 2016 FDA changes to when and how the medication could be used
All of which are shitty options.
The decision could come as early as next week. Until then, stay sexual, my sweet revolutionaries.
Read a much more detailed article about the lawsuit here.
Louisiana Abortion Archives | Elizabeth, East Baton Rouge
I left an abusive husband at 8 weeks pregnant. I was granted a protective order and sought counseling to assist me through the healing and recovery process. One of the things my therapist encouraged me to do was explore ALL my options…meaning explore keeping the baby, adoption and abortion.
I wanted to be a mother. I always have. But having and keeping this child tied me to my abuser for many years to come and I was afraid of what that would look like for me and my baby. I heeded her advice and met with everyone I could think of, including an abortion provider. Doing this made the decision my choice. It helped me feel like I had finally escaped the control of my estranged husband and was steering my own future.
In the end, I decided to have and keep my child. It hasn't been easy, and my life would be easier had I terminated. But it is a choice I am glad I made. Knowing I didn’t have to continue with the pregnancy aided my healing in a way I cannot describe. However, the biggest reason I made the choice to become a mother was solely due to the resources I have available to me. I have health insurance, a well-paying job, access to childcare, and an incredible support system of friends and family. I am a lucky woman here. Had these resources been unavailable, my choice may have been different.
I share this to say that, while some woman may decide to follow through with a pregnancy, the choice to terminate is an important option to regain a sense of self in life when things don’t go as we’d hoped or planned. My love to all woman who face these difficult decisions. And should you need me, I’ll help you in any way to have the life you want…and I will skip and smile into prison for doing so if I have to.
—Elizabeth, East Baton Rouge
The Louisiana Abortion Archives is a space where people can share their abortion stories within the safety of the larger nah brah community. The goal is to humanize our stories and our bodies to create empathy and affect change.
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