Abortion Care Network and the fight for abortion liberation

Note from the CREDO team: This August, Abortion Care Network is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help ACN support the network of independent community clinics who provide the majority of abortion care in the U.S. They’re doing the work, and they need your support.

Read this important blog post from Nikki Madsen, she/her, ACN’s Executive Director, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this August.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court released a decision overturning Roe v. Wade, decimating the right to abortion in the United States, fundamentally changing the definition of liberty and privacy in this country, and opening the door for states to ban or further restrict abortion. More than a month out from the decision, we still don’t yet know what it means for each state, for each independent abortion clinic, or for each person in need of abortion care now or in the future. However, we do know that more than half the states in the US are poised to completely ban or severely restrict abortion. In fact, since the decision, six states are currently enforcing trigger bans that either nearly or completely ban abortion. 

It is clear that the Supreme Court’s decision is a violation of our human rights and undoubtedly signals an escalating public health crisis.

We deeply understand that this will be a confusing and chaotic time. In lockstep with independent clinics, abortion funds, practical support networks, and our partners at ineedanA.com, ACN will do everything we can to share what we know about where you can still get abortion care. You can still get an abortion in the US. Find a clinic and help accessing care at ineedanA.com, or text 202–883–4620 to find a clinic near you

Many of us have never known a world without the protections of Roe — and yet because of abortion bans, restrictions, and the continued onslaught of political and physical violence against providers, we have also never known a world in which the full promise of Roe was actually available to all of us. Some of us are here because we were able to have abortions (or our mothers, elders, partners or other loved ones were). All of us do this work because we know that liberation means that every person has sovereignty over their own bodies.

We all deserve so much better. While no one should have to travel farther, wait longer than they want, or navigate politically-imposed barriers to get abortion care, a compassionate, brave, resolute network of abortion experts exists. We are ready to help you get the care you need. You can find a clinic here, find an abortion fund here, and donate to help clinics stay open here.

The decision is both heartbreakingly painful and not shocking. The United States was built on reproductive control, and the movement to ban abortion has its roots firmly planted in racism, sexism, and so many other systems of interlocking oppression. While we are honored to be among those working towards a different, liberated future, we are not ignorant to the daily continued harm done by our country’s legacy of white supremacy, colonization, slavery, and misogyny. Today’s decision comes in the midst of continued violence and devastation to communities across the country: police violence against Black people, gun violence committed by white supremacists, continued attacks on queer and trans youth and so much more.

Abortion Care Network is committed to building a future where every person can get abortion care when and where they need it. We envision a world where decisions about pregnancy, sex, and parenting are met with trust, love, and support. The fight for bodily autonomy under a government that proclaims that we do not have the right to privacy, the liberty to govern our own bodies or our own lives is a generational one. It must also be an intersectional one, and we need you to be a part of it. That means working together not only to ensure that every person who needs an abortion can get the care they need, but also to undo racism and white supremacy, to protect queer and trans kids, to combat and call out violence at the hands of the state against our most marginalized communities, and to work towards a world in which everyone has what they need to thrive. That means we don’t leave anyone behind; we are stronger together and we are only liberated when each of us is free.

Our hearts are still broken, but we will continue to come to this work with love and determination, and we will move forward the same way:

If you have had an abortion, you are loved.

To those who provide abortion care — counselors, clinicians, call center staff, admins, midwives, and more — you are the most courageous, compassionate, ethical people we know. You are the underdogs but to us, you are the greatest champions. 

To the people funding abortions, providing practical support, escorting patients, fighting for our rights in courts and statehouses, conducting one rigorous research study after another: thank you for working relentlessly and with such love.

To the activists, advocates, and artists who help us laugh, cry, rage, act, and find each other: thank you for holding us and moving us.

If you aren’t already in the fight for abortion liberation: join us. You can sit with us. Learn more at AbortionCareNetwork.org.