| It’s always so strange when an abortion court-ruling anniversary comes around and media outlets that don’t typically have much deep reporting or coverage of the issue get in on the action because… clicks. On the one hand, it is important to elevate the issue on as many platforms as possible. On the other, it continues to trouble me that news media outlets choose not to mention, even in a list or line at the end of an article, resources that could help people stay safe in this environment of heightened criminalization and misinformation. And violence. We are seeing the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker by a shooter who had a list of other targets, including abortion providers and advocates, become a distant memory due to the nonstop news cycle under Trump, despite the fact that the Minnesota shootings are part of a long history of terrorist attacks against lawmakers, providers, and activists who believe in human rights and social justice. If ever there was a time for more service journalism about abortion, it’s now. Check out the links below for more information about how people are keeping one another safe as people continue to access the care they need. And, if you’d like to hear more about how to put patient privacy first—data brokers are truly terrifying—join me and the Rights x Tech community on Wednesday at 1 pm Eastern via Zoom for my talk on this subject.
Meanwhile, still shooting arrows at our human rights, the Supreme Court issued its awful ruling in Skrmetti, allowing Tennessee to deny young patients access to gender-affirming care, with flawed reasoning. (I am NOT a lawyer, so please read Nation justice correspondent Elie Mystal for the specifics of the legal justification for the ruling, linked below. Spoiler: It makes no sense.) It’s important to remember that gender-affirming care is a reproductive justice issue, and that trans rights are human rights. We need all of us in this together, and much like abortion, it’s important to show up as a good ally if you’re not a member of the community.
What comes next, before the next decision or protest or abortion court-ruling anniversary? Continue to educate your loved ones about these issues to end stigma and raise awareness of the resources that are here forever—because activists working on these issues are not going anywhere. You can support their work by donating to groups like the Trans Justice Funding Project and the Trans Youth Emergency Project—no matter what the courts or government say. And a big shoutout to Elevated Access, which has been flying abortion patients and gender-affirming care patients to states where they can receive the healthcare they deserve. Lifting up the groups doing the work is an important part of achieving liberation. Lives are at risk. Hop to it.
In solidarity,
Regina Mahone
Senior Editor |
