It's Abortion Provider Appreciation Day!
This month's newsletter is out a little later than usual in celebration of Abortion Provider Appreciation Day, created to honor the legacy of Dr. David Gunn, murdered by extremists in 1993. This day is led by our friends and partners at the Abortion Care Network - more about them below.
The attacks just do not stop coming, do they?
This week, Walgreens announced it would stop filling prescriptions for mifepristone (the first of two medications typically prescribed to terminate pregnancy) in 20 states, caving to anti-abortion extremists who have already banned the use of medication abortion through telemedicine in 18 states. And any day now, we will hear the decision from a Trump-appointed Judge in Texas that has the potential to end telehealth for mifepristone—if not fully halt its distribution altogether—in all 50 states.
Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the U.S., and while we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen until the decision is announced, we do know that there are enormous implications for people who have to travel for abortion care—and the practical support organizations that help them get there.
Here at Apiary we’re doing everything we can to help PSOs anticipate and plan for the rippling effects that any new restrictions will have on patients and providers across the country: A decision that restricts mifepristone to in-clinic-only distribution will mean that far more people will have to travel to states with clinics that can give them the medication in person. And a full mife ban will result in not only more people traveling longer distances but also misoprostol-only regimens, which despite being just as effective have much different timing and recovery protocols. Patients that would have otherwise opted for an immediate round trip, for example, now may need to stay overnight, managing the more intense cramping and bleeding from a hotel room instead of at home.
Combined with the end of covid-era SNAP benefits, restrictions of this kind are particularly cruel, hitting poor people and communities of color the hardest. PSOs helping patients navigate changing clinic protocols and covering new and increased costs of transportation, housing, meals, and other critical supports are going to need their communities to step up more than ever before.
Three things you can do right now:
Donate — The work of practical support organizations is about to get a lot more expensive and complicated. Give what you can to your local PSO or find one on our list.
Add your name — Join in the direct calls to action and advocacy efforts from Ultraviolet, All* Above All, and more.
Stay informed — As Jessica Mason Pieklo from Rewire says, “The chaos is the point.” Make sure the people in your life and throughout your community know about all of the resources that are out there and where to get reliable information.
Thank you for standing strong with us.
In solidarity,
Marisa Falcon
Executive Director
Apiary for Practical Support
Partner Spotlight - Abortion Care Network
Despite a persistent feeling of impending doom, I am energized, inspired, and oh so grateful to this movement. Why? Well, I just got home from the Abortion Care Network conference, a three-day celebration of providers and their allies. We got to hear about their goals and growth, sit in on panels about telemedicine, the legal landscape, and going beyond do no harm - plus a plenary featuring our co-founder Diana Parker-Kafka leading a conversation with leaders from the Brigid Alliance, ARC Southeast, Partners in Abortion Care, and the new New Mexico clinic being built, Valley Abortion Group (VAG) (that link is to their GoFundMe!). They had an incredible panel about all-trimester clinics, abortion funds and practical support organizations and how all of these groups work together.
We’ve been eager to feature ACN in our Partner Spotlight for some time, and today's Abortion Provider Appreciation Day gives us the perfect excuse.
For 15 years, Abortion Care Network has been working to ensure the rights of all people to access respectful, dignified abortion care. As the national association for independent community-based abortion care providers (and their allies), ACN supports the indie clinics that care for the majority of people seeking abortion in the U.S., often serving individuals and families with the fewest resources and in the most rural parts of the country.
ACN is truly the glue that holds our movement together, creating ways for clinics providers to share resources, foster community, and build power in partnership with Reproductive Justice organizations, advocacy groups, funds, and practical support groups, and more. As a proud ally member, Apiary has had the opportunity to partner with ACN in our Technical Assistance coalition and provider directory project with ineedana, and they will continue to be an invaluable resource as more clinics are forced to adjust their services to new restrictions.
Please join us in showing your appreciation and support by making a donation to ACN’s Keep Our Clinics campaign, which goes directly to independent clinics.
And you can click here for ACN’s full menu of ways to celebrate independent abortion care providers today and every day.