Welcome back to the Lighthouse! With the passing of the Autumn Equinox, fall has begun here. The nights are starting to get cooler (although the days still seem unbearably hot at times!), and pollen is messing with the sinuses of many, myself unfortunately included. The days are getting shorter, and I don’t know about you, but I’m already feeling it. It’s a bit harder to get out of bed in the morning, and harder still to power through the day. I hope I can find ways to slow down, and I wish the same for all of you.
On the COVID-19 front, an updated vaccine is now available! Remember that fat folks may need a longer needle length (although you should talk to your provider about it, to make sure they’re using the correct length and/or adjusting placement to ensure it’s effective), and you can get your flu shot at the same time. The government is also giving us another (meager) four free tests per household, which isn’t nearly enough but is still worth getting. Just remember that they aren’t as effective at detection as PCR tests and are more likely to give false negatives, so serial testing is recommended. The Test to Treat program is another great resource to have on hand, which is currently available to people who are currently testing positive for COVID and “uninsured and underinsured adults, as well as those on Medicare, Medicaid, and those in the Veteran Affairs healthcare system.” Depending on your needs, they can provide tests, telehealth services, and treatment, all for free.
Now, onto the newsletter!
Planned Parenthood to resume offering abortions in Wisconsin next week*
“‘More access to care benefits everyone,’ said [Planned Parenthood of Illinois] president and CEO Jennifer Welch in a press release Thursday. ‘We are thrilled Wisconsin patients have a choice and are not forced to flee their state for health care and clinicians can provide care in their home state.’”
Thanks to the ruling in June by Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper, which said that Wisconsin’s 173-year-old abortion ban outlawed feticide but doesn’t apply to consensual medical abortions, a pathway was opened to restore abortion access in Wisconsin. While the lawsuit is still likely to reach the Supreme Court, and the decision made here is not final, Planned Parenthood has decided to resume abortion services at their Madison and Milwaukee locations (two of the three Planned Parenthood locations that previously had them), given that the District Attorneys of those cities have not expressed any interest in prosecuting abortions. The Sheboygan location, on the other hand, still has not resumed offering medication abortion as it did before, thanks to Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski continuing to threaten prosecutions. The community and Planned Parenthood continue to push to change this, though, and we’re hoping they will return here soon as well. (In the mean time, medication abortion is still available by mail!)
This is, of course, great news for Wisconsinites! Planned Parenthood is still working on rebuilding their capacity to handle the number of appointments being requested, but at least access is increasing back to what it was again. It’s important to remember, however, that this doesn’t change the existing barriers Wisconsin had before, including a 24-hour waiting period, a ban on all abortions after 20 weeks, and a mandatory ultrasound law, on top of the costs and other potential obstacles. It also means that most of Wisconsin still doesn’t have a location within close range, given that Madison and Milwaukee are multiple hours’ drive from most of the state. We can — and should! — celebrate this news while also continuing to fight for truly accessible abortion services for all that need them.
See also: It’s impossible to separate abortion restrictions from the dangers that Black and brown people face when pregnant and giving birth. This is especially true for Black Wisconsinites, who experience far higher rates of maternal and infant mortality than their white counterparts in our state, due to the racism they face (including at the doctor’s office). As always, the holistic approach of reproductive justice — which includes both the right to have children and not have children, as well as the right to raise children in safe and sustainable communities — is so important. I would also be if I didn’t acknowledge the issues with Planned Parenthood and how it being a business sometimes overshadows its commitment to abortion access at large. The New Yorker article “The Problem with Planned Parenthood” is a long but nuanced read that I’d highly recommend if you have the time! (Unpaywalled version here.)
*This article is from September 14th, so services have already resumed!
What's Happening at Lakeshore Liberation?
Nothing new to share this time!
What’s Going on in Reproductive Justice
In the last newsletter, I talked about Zurzuvae, the newly FDA-approved medication meant to treat severe postpartum depression. Henci Goer dug into this as well and provides some additional insights to consider. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with choosing to take medication, and also, questioning a medication’s use in a medical model that pushes medication over addressing systemic and societal issues is important in making truly informed decisions — and fighting to change root factors.
Romper shares Melissa Petro’s experience being unsupported by her OB when reporting postpartum anxiety. It’s an unfortunately common story, given how mental health is always seen as “someone else’s job,” it seems.
In Poland, scientists have developed a test that can detect the use of mifepristone and misoprostol, the drugs typically used for medication abortion. This is such a gross over-reach by a government hell-bent on restricting bodily autonomy for pregnant people, and it’s possible this could come to be used in the United States as well.
The 19th reports on how the images we typically see of babies — with plush blankets and fluffy stuffed animals — contradicts safe infant sleeping guidelines that can help keep babies safe from accidental suffocation.
What’s Going on in Wisconsin
Republican lawmakers are joining in on the surge of anti-trans bills, circulating a bill that would ban gender-affirming healthcare for youth. Thankfully, Gov. Evers has pledged to veto any legislation that targets trans people, but this kind of thing helps Republicans rile up their base by pushing anti-trans narratives and disinformation about trans healthcare.
To help save their language, the Ho-Chunk Nation is utilizing an app — and the help of both elders and teenagers — to help make learning Hoocąk more accessible.
What I've Been Reading
It’s been hard to keep up with all the labor news happening, but here are some links to read more about the group of strippers that unionized (making them the only — but hopefully not for long! — currently unionized group in the US today), how to support the auto workers that are striking, and the tentative agreement in the WGA strike.
The Myth-Making of Dopamine Nation from the Sluggish newsletter really sums up a lot of what they’ve talked about in their past newsletters through the lens of Dopamine Nation, and it’s truly a great read.
Remember when I mentioned the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in my previous newsletter? Erin the Morning (another great newsletter I’d recommend!) shared how a chief sponsor said the quiet part out loud, saying that KOSA would “protect minor children from the transgender [sic] in our culture.” Yikes!
Also from Erin in the Morning, a look at the "Detransitioner Wave" that failed to materialize.
The New Yorker explores the history of Protactile, a unique communication style created by the DeafBlind community, that many consider to be its own language now. (Unpaywalled version here.)
What I'm Watching
We just finished watching Hulu’s adaptation of The Other Black Girl, and wow, was it good. Looking forward to (finally) reading the book as well!
What I'm Listening To
I’ve been trying to catch up on some podcasts I’ve been really behind on, and one of those is Throughline. There have been a few recent-ish episodes that I’d highly recommend:
First and foremost, The Labor Of Love was an incredible listen. It explores three myths of motherhood in America: “the maternal instinct, the doting housewife, and the welfare queen.”
Another is The Lavender Scare, which looks at the “purge of gay and lesbian people ordered at the highest levels of the U.S. government” that lasted for decades, based on — you guessed it — plain ol’ anti-queerness.
Remember last newsletter when I mentioned the book Seeing Red: Indigenous Land, American Expansion and the Political Economy of Plunder in North America? The episode A Tale of Two Tribal Nations is about a similar topic, looking at how colonization — and the responses to it from two tribal nations — led them down very different paths.
Places to Donate To
Street Angels is holding a fundraiser leading up to their 48 Hours of Hope Campaign! They provide a variety of services and supplies to those experiencing unsheltered homelessness, and with requests at an all-time high, any amount of money can help support their work.
The Atlanta Solidarity Fund “bails out activists who are arrested for participating in social justice movements, and helps them get access to lawyers.” You may have heard about them, given the recent arrests of three of their organizers in an obvious attempt to stop protesters of Cop City. Donate to the bail fund to keep their work going!
Donate to support Indigenous Women Rising’s Midwife (Emergence) Fund, which, “is open to all Native and Indigenous people in the United States who are pregnant and seeking funding for the following to support their pregnancy or birth journey: midwifery or doula services, breast/chest feeding support, supplies for your growing family, placenta encapsulation, herbal support or traditional medicine.”
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Feel free to share them below or contact me directly.