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Um, hey! It feels like every time I get on here there’s an emergent crisis I’m responding to. Sorry about that! I unfortunately have a personal and intellectual stake in, like, everything happening right now. Here’s another to read about, with a (very cute, IMO) tee fundraiser at the end. Please support your local abortion fund today!
Table of Contents:
So… what happened with abortion pills?
On May 1, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled that Mifepristone—one of the two pills commonly used in a medication abortion—can no longer be mailed or dispensed at pharmacies. But by the following Monday, the Supreme Court temporarily restored access to Mifepristone without an in-person clinic visit through May 11, until the court more thoroughly reviews the case.
This may seem like a technicality, or a bit of legal whiplash. But actually, this is a pretty big deal in the world of abortion rights.
Let me explain how medication abortion (or abortion pills) actually works:
The abortion pill protocol is: 1 Mifepristone and 4 Misoprostol. The protocol works in sequence:
(1) Mifepristone is a cervix softener, which is used to induce labor, used in abortions, and can be used for IUD insertions to manage pain. Mife alone does not induce abortion—it simply makes the experience more comfortable for the abortion-seeker. This is the medication the federal appeals court ruled against.
(4) Misoprostol causes cervical contractions, and actually induces an abortion. Miso is also used in labor, postpartum, and even to treat gastric ulcers. Miso alone can and does induce abortion. Especially in light of the current threats to Mife, activists from around the world have compiled resources for Miso-only abortion protocols.
Abortion pills are safe and effective for ending a pregnancy before 12 weeks,1 and have been approved by the FDA since 2000.
Abortion pills have been available by mail since 2021, and at pharmacies since 2023. These orders expanded abortion access to folks in rural areas, in states without abortion clinics, and anyone with disabilities—especially during lockdown and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, being able to access abortion pills in your community—and have your abortion at home, whether it’s with the support of a Telehealth provider or an abortion doula—opened up the possibilities for abortion-seekers everywhere.
Basically, abortion pills are a wonder in the world of reproductive medicine. Abortion pills are how organizers have been able to get folks around the U.S.—and around the world—the abortion access they need, on their terms. Abortion pills are also why we will never go back to the pre-Roe world of traumatic abortion experiences, like the oft-referenced “coat-hanger” or “back-alley abortions.” (More here on why I don’t use that terminology, ever, except when I’m doing abortion destigmatization work… like right now!) Thanks to science, abortion access is (literally) placed in our hands.
FUN FACT: Did you know that miscarriages and abortions are considered the same thing in medical settings? Some providers use the terminology of “natural vs. medical” miscarriages, or “natural vs. medical” abortions. This is not to say that anyone who had a miscarriage should label their experience an abortion, or vice versa. This is simply a reminder that abortion has always been a part of human beings’ reproductive experiences, and is a natural part of human life.
So… what next?
On May 11, the Supreme Court’s block on the federal appeals court’s order will expire. They may reinstate a block, and they may also not. In the case that Mifepristone is banned for pharmacy and mail dispensing after May 11, here is what abortion access will look like in the United States:
Abortion (including abortion pills) will still be legal. There is no change to the legality of Mifepristone or Misoprostol—both will be available at in-person clinics for medication abortions.
Misoprostol (the medication that actually induces abortion) will still be available by-mail or in pharmacies. While Miso-only abortion experiences are likely to be less comfortable,2 they are still effective.
Abortion-seekers everywhere will be confused by this legal chaos—this is the point. Especially in states with bans and restrictions, abortion-seekers will feel as though they are taking a legal risk when ordering abortion pills from trusted sites like Plan C. The fear of criminalization may result in people forgoing care entirely, forcing folks to be pregnant when they do not want to be.
TL;DR, the federal appeals court did not actually make medication abortion inaccessible. They restricted access to the medication which makes passing your pregnancy more comfortable. They also know that the legal whiplash will confuse abortion-seekers, leading to needless delays or forgone care.
Restricting Mife is a sick, twisted, sadistic punishment against people exercising their bodily autonomy, but it does not stop us from having abortions. Just like last week, last month, last year, last decade… abortion funds and practical support organizations are here to help you get the abortions you need.
In the United States, there is an abortion fund in every single state—sometimes multiple! Abortion funds pay for your abortion care, and can help you with coordinating and paying for travel, lodging, child care, meals, and more as you get your abortion.
You can find your local abortion fund at abortionfunds.org.
I’ve worked at and with abortion funds since 2022. In my time writing, communicating, designing, and fundraising on behalf of abortion funds in DC, New York, Nevada, and Illinois, I have developed a deep sense of trust in this movement. I also have developed this trust in myself: thanks to the interconnected reproductive justice movement, I know I will always be able to get an abortion when I need it, anywhere in the world. So will my friends, my community members, the random person on Instagram or Substack who knows I “do something pro-abortion” and may have some resources for them. That’s because the organizers, thought leaders, abortion providers, and abortion-havers beside me are prepared, resourced, networked, and the expert’s expert at creating abortion access. If you need it, we’ve got you.
What abortion funds do need from you right now is one thing: Sustenance. Our mutual aid work is radical, and often ignored or opposed by philanthropy and government. Many of us also come to this work from other marginalized communities, offering the movement expertise from every direction. (Fun fact: So many shirzanan in this movement!)
If there’s one thing you can do to defend medication abortion under these current attacks, it’s donating to your local abortion fund. We’ll be the ones (not Planned Parenthood, not the Democratic Party, not even big legal orgs like Center for Reproductive Rights and National Women’s Law Center) paying for, transporting folks to, and supporting them after their abortions. A donation of even $5 can go a long way for abortion funds, and for abortion-seekers in your direct community. (Maybe even yourself, someday!)
So… how do I support abortion funds?
WELL, I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. I have a hard time with fundraising—I’m a writer, not a development professional. I also have a hard time asking anyone for money—generally, but especially in the current moment of endless wars, escalating gas and food prices, and the ever-rising cost of living. Honestly, as the war on Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine reaches its 69th day, and their people fight to survive foreign bombs paid by U.S. tax dollars, it sometimes feels trite to fundraise based off legal whiplash.
But that’s a siloed, easy way of looking at things. I believe in abortion access because I believe in Third World Liberation, community across borders, and the right to self-determination. I also believe in the liberation of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Kurdistan, Kashmir, Hawai’i, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Turtle Island, and many more because I believe in reproductive justice, autonomy, and the dignity of risk. These politics and epistemologies are inseparable for me, because abortion access is not a U.S. issue, or a white women’s issue, or even just a women’s issue. Abortion has existed since the beginning of time, and abortion is a natural part of every culture—including and especially in Southwest Asia.
Avicenna (Ibn Sina) was a 10th century, Persian Muslim polymath—he is considered “the father of early modern medicine.” In The Canon of Medicine, Avicenna documented the abortion methods used by local communities in Southwest Asia. He suggested herbal abortion methods, including saffron, juniper, pennyroyal, and rue. He also advised that medical care-givers prescribe abortion and birth control as-needed. Read more here and here.
So, given all this, here’s my offer: Instead of you, dear reader, shelling out your precious cash to abortion funds in an act of charity, I can provide you an opportunity for solidarity instead. (And, you get something out of it.) I’m selling a fundraiser tee, designed by me!
I designed the t-shirt based on items in my own home. I assembled a little tablescape of tea (or chayi), my pothos plant, and a beautiful, Turkish bowl. In the bowl, I put real-life abortion pills—1 Mife, 4 Miso—because I believe in advance provision, and having abortion pills on-hand in my medicine cabinet. (In this case, they were used for art.) I created this scene to demonstrate the ordinariness of abortion access, and how abortion pills can fit into any scene, any lifestyle, and any culture. After all, the whole point of abortion pills is having your abortion wherever you’re most comfortable!
Furthermore, I chose to include the Kurdish feminist phrase, “Woman, Life, Freedom," alongside each item, with abortion pills representing Freedom. Woman Life Freedom (Jin Jiyan Azadi in Kurdish, Zan Zendegi Azadi in Persian) speaks to actual, feminist strategy: liberate women first, and all will fall into place. Access to abortion is part of that liberation, just like freedom from occupation, war, and imperialism.
We can’t think about abortion, war, gender, religion, race… really anything as separate fights. Liberation can’t and won’t be piecemeal. We can’t focus on just one—it has to be everything. We have to connect the issues and create conversations across borders. That’s how we learn!
This spirit is why this tee fundraises for FIVE different abortion funds, across the U.S.! If you’re interested in supporting with a purchase or donation, please consider choosing the abortion fund closest to your home community. (Links here!)
New York: New York Abortion Access Fund. New York is an abortion access haven, and regularly serves folks from the Southeast, as well as neighboring states.
Don’t love my design? They also have an official merch campaign, which dropped today! If you <3 your local abortion fund, consider snagging one at nyaaf.org/love.
Illinois: Chicago Abortion Fund. Chicago is an abortion access haven, and this fund is the largest in the United States. This listing is in collaboration with Chicago For Abortion Rights!
Midwest (multi-state): Midwest Access Coalition. MAC is a is a practical support abortion fund that helps people traveling to, from, and within the Midwest to access a safe, legal abortion. They serve Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. (They also have spoken out repeatedly for a Free Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Haiti, Iran, Cuba, and more!)
Nevada: Wild West Access Fund. This fund started in 2021, and serves anyone in or traveling to Nevada for their abortion. Because abortion is illegal after 24 weeks—and requires parental notification for minors—WWAF also helps Nevadans travel out-of-state for care. They’re the biggest little abortion fund in the Wild West. (They have also spoken out for a Free Palestine.)
Southeast (multi-state): ARC-Southeast. ARC is one of the most vital funds in the U.S., funding abortion and practical support for abortion-seekers in the region with most need. ARC serves Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, and regularly does the most radical work of any fund in the country. (They have not only repeatedly spoken out, but have led the charge for abortion funds across the country to speak out for a Free Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Haiti, Iran, Cuba, and more!)
FUN FACT: Lots of folks think the most effective thing to do is donate to abortion funds in the states most hostile to abortion access. There’s nothing wrong with that, but what most don’t understand is that abortion funds across the country work together.
For example: If there’s an abortion-seeker from Florida (where abortion is illegal after 10 weeks), they may need to get care in a different state. When people from banned states travel, funding is cobbled together across state lines—perhaps the Florida fund pays for their plane ticket, the Midwest fund pays for their hotel and transportation for their appointment, and the Illinois fund pays for their actual abortion procedure once in-state.
In this way, there’s no wrong fund to turn to when you want to support abortion access. My best suggestion is to support the abortion fund closest to your home community, or a place that means a lot to you. But if all else fails, support ARC-Southeast.
And that’s all, folks! Order abortion pills in advance before May 11 here, tap into the abortion movement here and here, and find your local abortion fund here. BUY MY SHIRT BEFORE MAY 31 TO FUND ABORTION! LOVE YOU!
While the FDA approves of the use of pills only up to 10 weeks, “off label” prescriptions are a common and permitted practice for self-managed abortion up to 12 weeks, as well as sourcing online and in community. I Need An A indicates that an abortion-seeker can self-manage their abortion with pills after 12 weeks.
Just like they say with miscarriages, the result of a medication abortion is like a big period: You’re passing the pregnancy. Just like a big period, this can come with cramping! This reality doesn’t make it unsafe: if that were the case, they would have outlawed the speculum a long time ago. If you’re having a Miso-only abortion, check in with the M+A Hotline if you need support or have questions.
god i love you
dude this is exactly the piece substack needed rn and the t-shirt hello!!!