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I came to show up and back the people who have been fighting for decades.
But, overturningRoeis just one of many recent blows to abortion access in the United States.
Below, read five peoples stories.
Interviews have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Then when Trump got elected in 2016, I was like, What can I do?
I started working with an abortion fund in Houston.
Ive been here since, working as both an abortion doula and patient counselor.
Thenwhen SB 8 startedin 2021, I did another three-week stint in New Mexico.
Thats when I basically confirmed Id be moving out there this month.
The reality is that turning abortion care on and off, as Texas often does, doesnt work.
Clinics are mostly small businesses.
Some people, like the doctors, can travel.
But the support staff, like me, live in the community.
It feels like Im giving up on Texas, which makes me really mad.
It feels like Im being pushed out by fascism, and that also makes me really mad.
I write code, work on grants, make phone calls to doulas, meet with lawyers, etc.
Its general operations work.
I left my previous job seven months ago so I can do this full-time.
I spent the past six years as a health equity advocate.
Ultimately, Im just some guy who can use a computer pretty well.
I have no desire to lead anyone anywhere in this space.
I came to show up and back the people who have been fighting for decades.
I ran sex toy shops, did sex toy blogging, and ran a sex blog through the mid-2010s.
I ended up fainting and throwing up all over myself.
The doctor and staff were absolutely amazing.
I wasnt worried about the procedure.
But the sheer, visceral terror of the protesters is what made the experience really terrifying.
I had started going to school but had no real direction and thought, What can I do?
What are my skills?
My dream job is to get in with any of the Southernabortion funds.
I was working in music promotion, screen printing, and events at the time.
So thats exactly what I did.
I went back to bartending at night and working multiple jobs so you can pay for nursing school.
I trained to be an abortion doula, and started weaseling my way into abortion care.
In 2016, I decided I had to get out of Texas and moved up to New York.
So I grew up at the height of purity culture, and anti-abortion messaging was huge.
I was pretty indoctrinated into the pro-life world.
They had a program that trained postgrads to be clinical sexologists and have sexual bias training.
The professor needed someone to help with social media and marketing, but also help out with in-person trainings.
I jumped on it, and left the startup.
From 2019 to 2021, I sat through hundreds of trainings, many of which were about reproductive rights.
Some of those trainings include information on abortion and specifically on how to manage at-home abortion with medication.
I also work with clients who speak publicly about their abortion experiences in conservative states.
The stigma that has pushed a lot of people into being anti-abortion has a lot to do with misinformation.
Erin Beattie
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
