May 16, 2019:

Dear PWN community,

We’re furious and ready to fight. Are you with us?

Yesterday, the governor of Alabama signed into law the most restrictive abortion ban in U.S. history, making abortion a crime at any stage of pregnancy. The law will go into effect January 1, 2020, unless it is stopped by the courts. Right now, abortion is still legal in Alabama and everywhere in the U.S.

This is just the latest in a rapid onslaught of terrible state legislation targeting women and reproductive autonomy:

  • Last week, the governor of Georgia signed into law a bill that will criminalize abortion after six weeks–when most people don’t even know they are pregnant yet.
  • Seven states have already passed abortion restrictions in 2019, and bills seeking 6-week bans are currently being considered in Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, and South Carolina state legislatures.
  • The head of an anti-choice group recently boasted that they are having the “most active legislative year in recent memory.”  

Sign up here to mobilize with PWN on reproductive rights and other issues affecting people living with HIV.

These assaults on women’s rights and bodily autonomy for people who can get pregnant are nothing new. But they are increasingly invasive and dangerous, and they are setting up a Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade. Last fall, we fought the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for exactly this reason. We believe that if the current Supreme Court considers Roe v. Wade, women will lose our right to choose what happens to our bodies and our lives.

We are not confused about who these laws will harm most: Black and brown women and low-income folks. It’s not accidental. The far right has been designing their strategy to get here for decades. Model legislation and political will don’t appear out of nowhere. The HIV community must be engaged and mobilized to protect reproductive rights year round, not just when women of color are in crisis. Sign up to join PWN’s rapid response mobilization list here.   

Abortion and contraception are not something “extra;” they are essential components of health care and bodily autonomy for people who can get pregnant. These assaults are blatant attempts to deny women of color and low-income folks the right to control our reproductive, educational, and economic futures.

You can stand up and fight back with us by financially supporting and working to advance the priorities of women of color-led organizations that have been working to protect reproductive freedom over the long term. Below is a list of organizations to follow, support, and donate to.

We’ll continue to mobilize to protect reproductive freedom for all people. Are you with us? Sign up here so we can let you know about opportunities to mobilize where you live.