- Allison Hare
Upset by Roe v Wade? 10 creative ways to get involved
Pro Roe? If you prefer to listen to this content, I recorded it here for you.
With the historic Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, the right for women to have access to abortions has now been taken away throughout most of the nation.
I imagine if you are reading this, you are angry. Very angry. And maybe feeling a little helpless. And with so much hanging in the balance, you’re wondering how can you help? Can it be effective?
I am going to do my best to be articulate here. But the truth is, I am so furious, all I see is red. I’ve spent the day pooling resources, researching, and trying to compile some ways that can really move the needle.
I specifically wanted to empower those who have never really gotten involved before. Not because you didn’t want to - but because you didn’t know how. Or it felt too risky.
I’ve got some good news for you and some possibilities to consider.
Because the truth is, your voice and your actions are needed. Shaun King who is a very famous activist has broken down the 4 components needed to make an impact. To create the change we want to see. To win elections and overturn rulings. To change laws.
Energized people. Uh, yeah, we energized all right. Check check checkity check check ✅ ✅ ✅
Deeply organized
A complex plan as complex as the problem itself
Resources. You need money, materials, resources.
Do you want the good news? 3 of these are already done ✅ . You aren’t out here waving your flag by yourself shouting out into the ether.
Let me explain.
This ruling is not a surprise. There are organizations like Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, and NARAL have been planning for this for decades. They are deeply organized. They have a complex plan. Here is a comprehensive resource guide on how to help, how to get educated, ideas, etc.
The easiest and quickest way to help is to contribute whatever you can to any or all of these organizations.
Okay, that’s the easy part. Let me talk about some other ways that you may or may not have considered before.
I am in a new position. I have recently left my corporate job and I personally think I would filter soooo much of what I would publicly talk about. I would think deeply and be very calculated with my communications. If I said what I really think, I might offend my mother (who is no longer alive, may she rest in peace) and even more-so, I was very afraid to put anything remotely political on socials for fear that it would jeopardize my employment options. I know this is a very real fear for many of you.
I wanted to address this right up front. I know for myself, I feel way more emboldened that I no longer have any oversight on what I post. Being more free with sharing how I feel - has felt really empowering. And for those of you who aren't in a position where you feel safe to "go public," I invite you to DM me and perhaps I can help get the word out on your behalf.
But, crawling under a rock, or sharing memes on social media, or just complaining on a private text string - can feel good for self-preservation, but is no longer enough.
I remember when the Brett Kavanaugh hearings with Christine Blasey Ford were happening and the #metoo movement was at a fevered pitch. That was 2018. It never felt so personal. So many of my friends were vulnerable and sharing their stories publicly for the first time about their abusers. I have my own story very similar to Christine Blasey Ford that I had also shared. I generally don’t cry very easily but found myself crying myself to sleep every night watching my friends recount their stories of terror and feeling their pain so viscerally.
The pain was so palpable, I just wanted to help. I had never gotten involved in elections before. But I was also annoyed at lip service and outrage that I experienced, not only myself, but with many others - lip service and outrage arguing with each other but no solutions.
At the time, Stacey Abrams was running against the Sec of State who oversaw elections, Brian Kemp for the governor seat of Georgia. It was a tough race. I felt like my outrage for Trump winning the election in 2016 and the devolving of all relationships in America as a result was too much to bear. I wanted to help with Stacey’s campaign to win Georgia. I have zero background in politics. I just couldn’t sit idly by anymore. I am capable so why not me? I contributed every dollar I could to her campaign and worked the phone banks to help get others to volunteer for her campaign. It felt good to help. It felt good that me sitting around bitching to my friends wasn’t where my anger ended. I could use my anger for good.
I will say that Stacey losing this election by a very narrow margin was a big blow for Georgia. It sent me back scared to get involved again in causes I believe in. Because it might not work. But that’s the completely wrong attitude. I convinced myself that I would just let the pros do it. People who were tougher than me. But that’s not okay anymore.
Your rage and your relentlessness is what wins elections.
So I’m inviting you to turn your rage into action. The only way we win our rights back is when we come together and fight. And in my opinion, the Democratic party isn’t doing enough because we are so afraid to offend anyone - that we are trying to find some middle ground and include everyone. But it’s hurting us. And the Republican party is on the offense all the time - take no prisoners - and that is what we need to do. That doesn’t mean to be an a-hole. Not at all. It does mean to rise up higher. Be more bold. You can still be respectful, but it’s time to use our voices in a more powerful and collective way.
YOU ARE CAPABLE. WHY NOT YOU?
Well-respected and well-known organizational psychologist Adam Grant just wrote about this topic. He said:
Outrage is not an irrational emotion. It’s a reasonable response to watching one of your core values violated. Without righteous indignation, there is no motivation to fight for freedom and fairness. Through history, progress has been fueled by fury at the status quo.
But in the meantime, I did want to share of some other important ways that you may not have thought of that can help, beyond donating money:
First and foremost, apathy is no longer an option. We can not ignore this moment and wait for it to calm down and let others who are more committed get involved and we are on to the next thing. We need to activate now and stay engaged. Some of these practices need for it to be incorporated into our daily lives. Solidarity and commitment is needed.
What talents do you have to offer? Can you write? Do you have digital capabilities? Maybe a background in marketing? Are you a good listener? Are you a graphic designer? Lawyer? Accountant? Photographer? You can connect with reproductive justice organizations and offer them whatever talents or resources you can give and let them help you get involved. When you can engage in whatever way - big or small, every single one of us making what seems like a small choice makes a huge difference. Do not let apathy or a cynical viewpoint get in the way of you helping.
Are you willing to open your home? Do you have an extra room or a spare couch? Can you offer someone shelter to help save someone from hotel costs? Do you have a car where you could offer assistance?
Have you had an abortion? Normalize talking about it. I know that is huge for some of you and there can be so much shame in talking about it. But sharing those stories humanizes us. But the more we talk about it, the more you empower someone else to share their stories.
Pill or medical abortions - you can be creative here and buy up pills through the mail to offer to those that can’t get it. If you are a medical professional, you can become a Plan C ambassador and again, connect with a reproductive justice organization to make sure that people seeking an abortion can get it and get the medical information they need.
Elections - yes, of course, vote. But WHO you vote for counts. Local, Federal, Primaries, all of it. Here's some quick important races to note:
MI- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
AZ - Candidate Katie Hobbs
WI- Gov. Tony Evers
GA - Candidate Stacey Abrams
PA- Candidate Josh Shapiro
KS - Gov. Laura Kelly
OH - Tim Ryan; GA - re-elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff for Senator races, IA - House and Senate counts, adopt a neighboring swing race if you live in a blue state and devote some attention to it. Vote in primaries. Not every Democrat is pro-choice so make sure you look through the ballots and make sure you are mindful that not just voting down the Democrat ticket but look through to make sure that the candidates you are choosing support a woman’s right to have an abortion. Focus on your local elections and your primaries. If you’re area is safe, look somewhere nearby that needs help for the next 5 months.
MEN - Are you a fan of Howard stern? Believe it or not, he’s done more for feminism than most. As you can imagine, his fan base has historically been male dominated. White males. Blue collar white males way back when. While he wasn’t always this way, he started passionately advocating for women. For gays. For trans people. His listeners were called to rethink their position from a powerful and influential man with a huge passionately loyal following. Today, Howard is beyond respectful to his wife and daughters and his long-time work partner, Robin Quivers. He no longer speaks about women in degrading terms (as was popularized by the culture many years ago). His speaking up had way more effect than let’s say Lena Dunham posting something to her predominately liberal female fan base as that is more preaching to the choir than bucking the status quo. This is why I praise men for being an ally in any form. Because it’s where the culture starts to change. So if you have men in your life, please encourage them to speak up in support. Be an ally!
Host a roundtable briefing - in your community or in your industry. You can quickly throw something together on Zoom - but once you get some heads together, magic happens, ideas are fired, and people are mobilized to act! There is power in numbers!
Your company - ask your company what their position is on reproductive freedom and ask how the company plans to address this? Pressure from employees can make a huge impact. There are resources about this in the document I linked to help you with this. It can be tricky with work - but that pressure to make a statement or make your views known, can make a huge impact with how they address it publicly.
Spending your money - I actually think the best way to protest is with your wallets. Which companies are supporting their employees and communities in support of abortion rights? Dick’s Sporting Goods made a public statement announcing they will cover abortion costs for any employee that needs it. Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, Apple, Disney, Google, Bungie, Microsoft, Paramount, Comcast, Box are all in support of reproductive freedom and supporting their employees. Spend your money there. Do a quick Google search and see if there are places you are spending your money that are staying silent. The truth with all of this is that money is what always influences change. Be mindful of where you spend your money and where you withhold it. Personally, I’d love to see a large-scale organized walkout for companies that are staying silent. That’s a real protest and those are the protests that work.
There are so many other ways to help. Please bookmark this Resource guide maintained by LA Women's Collective and continually updated. It does a great job offering insight into the ruling, books on the topic, scripts, voting cheat sheets, and ideas is being continuously updated.
But most of all, do not stay silent. Be creative. Create some time. Make it a priority. Call your local and state representatives. I used to hear the saying that the loudest personality wins. That is true in Trump’s world. And now we have a chance to have our voices heard. But we need to do this together, each person. You included. You can not sit on the sidelines if this means something to you. You must act.
For more, go to allisonhare.com.