Repro Roundup 10.25
There are Ten. Days. Until. The. Election. Are you prepared?
We are all feeling the election anxiety. There is so much at stake on November 5th. We don’t have to remind you that Donald Trump and his anti-abortion allies pose an existential threat to access to abortion, birth control and contraception, IVF, gender-affirming care, and more. But with ten days left, all we can do is turn that anxiety into action.
Here are five things you can do in the next 10 days to quell your election anxiety:
1️⃣ Make a plan to vote. The best way to be prepared on Election Day is to make sure you have a plan to make your voice heard.
🗳 In Connecticut, you can vote early until November 3rd! You can also register in person at your at your Early Voting Location during the Early Voting Period and on E-Day at your Election Day Registration Site.
🗳 In Massachusetts, early voting is now ongoing through November 1st. The deadline to register to vote in Massachusetts is October 26th (tomorrow!!!).
🗳 In New Hampshire, you can request an absentee ballot at your town clerk’s office and turn it in early before Election Day, or vote in person on Election Day. You can register at your polling place on Election Day. Make sure to bring proof of residency and identification!
2️⃣ Text three friends and ask them what their plan to vote is. Now that you’re prepared to vote, make sure your friends and family are ready to vote alongside you! Pick three contacts in your phone and send them something like the following:
💬 Hey! Election day is coming up soon, and I wanted to make sure you have a plan to vote. Do you need any help finding your polling location or registering? Happy to help :) my plan to vote is [your plan to vote]
3️⃣ Bring yourself and three friends to canvass with Reproductive Equity Now and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NH in Rochester, New Hampshire. Part of creating a regional movement for reproductive equity means joining forces with our friends across New England to organize in all corners of the Northeast. Reproductive freedom is on the ballot in New Hampshire, and we need all hands on deck to flip the State Legislature and put a reproductive equity champion behind the Governor’s desk! Thanks to Planned Parenthood of NH for organizing this day of action. Sign up here.
4️⃣ Share our voter education materials. Reproductive Equity Now has voter education materials in all three New England states that we work in!
5️⃣ Make calls for repro equity into other states. Now that you’ve helped organize locally, you can make an even bigger impact by sharing your efforts and energy with our friends organizing for repro equity on the national stage. Abortion is directly on the ballot in ten states this election season. Make calls in support of the ballot initiatives in Missouri and Florida to end their states’ extreme abortion bans!
On to this week’s headlines –
News from New England
→ New Filings in Mifepristone Case Target Massachusetts Providers and Shield States
Here we go again: three anti-abortion Attorneys Generals have quietly filed yet another challenge to the availability of mifepristone – only this time, anti-abortion extremists are specifically targeting shield laws in states like Massachusetts, which protect clinicians who mail mifepristone to banned or restricted states. To do so, these anti-abortion politicians are invoking the Comstock Act—a zombie federal law passed in 1873 that has not been enforced in over a century—to ban mailing and transporting medications, devices, or equipment necessary to perform abortion. When the Supreme Court dismissed a case challenging mifepristone access on procedural grounds earlier this year, we knew our fight was not over. As we told NBC Boston this week, the goal — the end game for anti-abortion activists — is to ban abortion in all 50 states. This new filing comes just three weeks ahead of the 2024 election, making it crystal clear what’s at stake this November.
→ Westport Preconceived Double Feature!
We were so thrilled to bring a double feature of Preconceived, a documentary about the harms anti-abortion centers pose to our communities, to Westport, CT! Following our morning showing, Connecticut State Director Liz Gustafson guided attendees through how to use our guidebook on anti-abortion centers, CAUTION: This Clinic Does Not Provide Abortion Care. After our evening screening, we were honored to be joined by Dr. Cara Delaney and State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, who shared their expertise on anti-abortion centers from both the perspective of abortion providers and the perspective of legislative leaders fighting against these centers in Connecticut.
→ Celebrating the Equality Health Center in New Hampshire
We had so much fun joining the Equality Health Center for their 50th anniversary gala! Since 1974, Equality Health Center has served the greater Concord community as an independent abortion and sexual health care provider, saving countless lives and providing life-affirming care to many who would not be able to afford or access care without them. Since we’ve started organizing in New Hampshire, a core focus of our efforts has been defending and amplifying the work of independent reproductive health care clinics, and we’re extremely grateful for Equality’s partnership in this work.
→ Politicians Make Brunch!
We had a fabulous time in Connecticut hosting Politicians Make Brunch, a house party to support Reproductive Equity Now’s work in Connecticut (and the culinary talents of the Nutmeg State’s reproductive equity champions)! From fruit tarts to frittatas, Connecticut’s leaders in reproductive equity brought mouth-watering bites and a deep appetite to protect and expand abortion access and maternal health care in Connecticut.
→ Repro Freedom is on the Ballot in New Hampshire – and Voters Support It!
A series of gubernatorial forums and debates between candidates Joyce Craig and Kelly Ayotte have made it clear: abortion and reproductive equity are on the ballot in the Granite State. Mayor Craig has a long history of defending and promoting access to abortion and reproductive health care, and Kelly Ayotte’s record shows she cannot be trusted to defend Granite Staters’ rights and reproductive freedom. Relatedly, new polling in New Hampshire shows that two-thirds of Granite Staters support a law establishing a nationwide right to abortion, including nearly half of Republican voters. Even more jaw-dropping: 78% of Granite Staters believe every American should have the right to get an abortion. It’s important that Granite Staters know who on their ballot aligns with their values, which is why we need you to send our New Hampshire Voter Guide to your friends in the Granite State so that we can send pro-choice majorities to the State Legislature.
National Notice
→ Trump Bizarrely Claims to be the Father of IVF, While Also Being the Reason It Is Under Attack
Last week, Donald Trump bizarrely claimed himself as the “father of IVF.” We have absolutely no idea what he is even talking about when he says that – unless he actually meant that he is the father of IVF’s chief attackers, which is an odd way of claiming credit for appointing the judges and justices who are trying to ban IVF. With ten days left until the election, it’s clear that Donald Trump and his allies are getting desperate to cover up their awful records on abortion access and reproductive freedom. We can’t let them get away with pulling the wool over voters’ eyes. We must remember: Donald Trump, in his own words, proudly set the stage for the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the loss of abortion access for millions of Americans, and the continued attacks on IVF and the full spectrum of reproductive health care.
→ New #WeCount Report Shows Increased Importance of MA Shield Law
The latest #WeCount report shows that half of all telemedicine abortions are provided by practitioners in the six states with telemedicine shield laws – including Massachusetts. A monthly average of nearly 10,000 abortions were being provided under shield laws between April and June of 2024. Despite abortion bans, shield laws are empowering patients to access health care, and while the danger and devastation of abortion bans cannot be overstated and should not be brushed off, creative laws such as shield laws continue to save lives in the post-Dobbs era. All patients deserve autonomy over their reproductive health care experiences and deserve access to the full array of abortion care methods, but telemedicine provides a lifeline where otherwise patients would have zero options.
→ Terrifying Reports on Abortion Pill-Sniffing Dogs and Location Tracking Technologies
New reporting from the Intercept and 404 Media reveals that though the Comstock Act is not currently being enforced, state agencies and private actors are already using surveillance technologies through the internet and mail to track abortion patients and intervene in telemedicine abortion care. 404 Media’s report takes a deep dive into location tracking technologies that private contractors and law enforcement can use to track patients who travel out-of-state for abortion care. The Intercept’s report revealed that in some states, drug-sniffing K9s are being used to investigate instances of important unapproved pharmaceuticals – which may include abortion medication sent by mail from international sources. These two reports reveal how critical it is that we both pass the Location Shield Act in Massachusetts to protect the location data of patients traveling to the Bay State for care, and that we repeal the Comstock Act to protect patients accessing abortion care via the mail.
Get Involved!
📍NEW HAMPSHIRE (AND BEYOND)! Join us to Canvass in Rochester, NH
The Reproductive Equity Team will be canvassing in Rochester, NH on November 2nd in solidarity with our colleagues and friends at Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NH! Come up to New Hampshire, knock a few doors, and then join our team at Back Hill Brewery in Rochester for snacks, drinks, and community. Sign up HERE.
📍NEW ENGLAND! Save the Date for Repro Equity Now’s 2025 Gala!
Reproductive Equity Now will be hosting our 2025 Gala on May 15th at the InterContinental in Boston, and we would be thrilled to have you join us! Please save the date and keep an eye out for information on tickets and sponsorship opportunities in the coming weeks.
Our Resources
Need to understand your legal rights to provide or access abortion care? Reproductive Equity Now’s Abortion Legal Hotline will help connect Massachusetts-based health care providers and helpers, as well as patients obtaining care in Massachusetts, with free legal advice and resources about abortion access.
Looking for an abortion provider in your area? Our New England Abortion Care Guide allows you to search by zip code for legitimate abortion clinics near you. It even flags dangerous and deceptive anti-abortion centers to avoid at all costs.
Do you want to help advance reproductive equity in your community? Our Win & Deliver Toolkit offers policy proposals and supporting materials to serve as a starting point for municipal leaders looking to move the needle forward on reproductive equity.
Thank you so much for powering this fight. We’re grateful to have you in the movement with us.
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