In solidarity: bodily autonomy is economic justice and a civil right

Northwest Harvest works in solidarity with all communities who will be impacted by the potential repeal of Roe v. Wade and the cascade of legal and social repercussions of the recently leaked decision draft. We acknowledge that safe and accessible reproductive healthcare is lifesaving and life changing. We acknowledge that people of all genders need safe and accessible reproductive healthcare. We acknowledge that communities of color are likely to be disproportionately affected by this repeal. We acknowledge that safe and accessible reproductive healthcare directly challenges the systems of power built around white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy.

At Northwest Harvest, we believe in addressing the root causes of food insecurity. We envision a world free from hunger, in which all families have attained economic stability and are able to thrive. Cutting off access to essential health care, including reproductive care, ensures that marginalized communities will continue to be trapped in cycles of poverty, dependent on a social safety net and the charity of others, to meet needs for food, housing, and other essentials.

We strongly believe hunger is the result of systems and policies that disproportionately impact the communities we strive to support and empower. Single female-headed households are three times more likely to experience food insecurity, compared to all households experiencing food insecurity. This same population is more likely to be impacted by forced birth policies.

This issue is heavily politicized, even though 70% of Americans do not support the rollback of protections that would result in this change to legal precedent. 63% of Republicans also oppose the overturning of Roe v Wade.

It is not just the right to abortions that is at risk with this decision: the overturning of Roe v. Wade has significant implications for the legal precedent around a right to privacy. Other existing rulings on civil rights are potentially at risk: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) which establishes the right to contraception and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) which establishes the right to same-sex marriage.

It is also worth calling attention to the fact that this decision is coming at a time of a wholesale attack on civil rights nationwide, particularly around bodily autonomy and access to gender-affirming healthcare for trans and gender non-conforming people. Northwest Harvest is in solidarity with all communities who are facing legal, social, political, and economic attacks on their fundamental human rights and will continue to fight alongside these communities in their pursuit of liberation and self-determination.

What can we do?

• Donate to Abortion Funds (and amplify calls for donations): A donation to the National Network of Abortion Funds brings abortion funds closer to a future where all people have access to abortion without shame or stigma.
• Use inclusive language when discussing reproductive rights: non-binary people, intersex people, and trans men, in addition to cis women, are impacted by this change.
• Get involved with local reproductive justice organizations: sign up for calls to action, sign petitions, contact your representatives, rally and protest.
• Abortion clinics and funds are open and ready to support patients in every state. To find a clinic in the US, go to www.ineedana.com (vetted, up to date, and personalized info on how to get an abortion, no search or user data saved). If you need help funding an abortion, go to www.abortionfunds.org.
• Bansoff.org: Bans Off Our Bodies campaign.
• Keep Our Clinics: Support independent community providers who provide the majority of abortion care in the US.
• ReproLegal Helpline: a free, confidential source for legal advice and information on self-managed abortion. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812.