Post Roe: What to do now, if you need an abortion or want to help others who do or might need one in the future

Welcome to Gilead. I’m Jane, and it’s May Day.

Episode 1: Hide your trail and cover your ass

So I just bought ten doses of Plan B (or rather this cheaper generic version). I’m actually menopausal, and my spouse got a vasectomy ages ago, so these are for people in my life who might need them at some point. If you can afford to buy some, do and keep them on hand.

Over the counter and generic versions range from $10-$20

So here we are, in a country built on the bodies of Black enslaved people, by Black enslaved women’s forced reproductive labor, a country founded on the genocide and forced relocation of Native Americans whose children were stolen from them — and where my teaching of any of these things, in the current manufactured outrage and fear of supposed “critical race theory,” may very well put my safety in jeopardy.

And we’re a nation where, two days ago, a radicalized and utterly unqualified Supreme Court decided that we are to be a regressive Christian Nationalist nation of white supremacists that want to force women to be reproductive slaves, where guns have more rights than women, where rapists have more rights than the women that they rape, and where it’s going to get so. much. worse.

Here’s a picture of lifeguard dogs in Italy.

No reason. Just dogs who are lifeguards.

So I’m doing a daily summary of various stories I’ve read about what to do now and how to help. Buckle up.

1. Hide your digital trail. This article is in the Washington Post, so it might be behind a paywall. To sum up:

a. Limit who you tell — even in terms of medical professionals. If you’re in a state where abortion is now illegal, disclosure of pregnancy and consultation for termination options could actually cause even medical staff to report you for criminal activity. True — and utterly horrific — story.

b. Use encrypted emails (like Protonmail), text interfaces (like Signal), and browse privately (use DuckDuckGo instead of Google, for example). From the article: Keep in mind that someone with access to your physical device could view your messages, whether or not they’re encrypted. Don’t turn your phone or laptop over to law enforcement without a warrant, privacy experts advise, and turn off biometric authentication such as Face or Touch ID if you’re worried about someone pressuring or forcing you to unlock them. Make sure your phone, tablet and computers all require a passcode or password to use them. Avoid wearing any health-tracking wearables while managing your health.

c. Turn off location sharing on your phone (or leave it at home). Maximize your privacy. Here’s a link to a guide on how to do that. Avoid period tracking apps — and if you’ve used one, consider submitting a data-deletion request as well. And avoid filling out forms that ask if you’re pregnant (at the dentist or the gym, for example).

There’s more in the full article, but these are the main points.

Here’s a soothing picture. I did a search for “soothing pictures,” and this one popped up. Stay calm.

Soothing, no?

And burn it all the fuck down. Next time, how to get an abortion.