"We will always fight against attacks on abortion rights and access."
Vol 3, Issue 12: December 2023
Welcome back to the Lighthouse! The year is coming to a close, and 2024 is on the horizon (in fact, it might already be here as you read this!). As has been the case for the past few years, 2023 has been a rough one. And I know I don’t need to tell you that — we’re seeing it from all angles. So I’ll try not to rehash what you already have heard a thousand times, and I’ll just say this: even when things feel hopeless, there are so many ways to make a difference. We are all just individuals, so we need to keep perspective on what we can do instead of what we can’t. I shared resources last month specific to supporting Palestinian liberation, which are still great starting points if you’re not sure what you can do. I’m also going to highlight Disability Visibility’s Crips for eSims for Gaza, a fundraising effort to get as many eSims to Gazans as possible with the power of collective action. There are so many other atrocities happening in the world, and I’ll be honest, I’ve had a harder time finding ways to take action in relation to those. As I see them, I’ll include them in future newsletters, but please feel free to share anything you find in the comments as well!
On the COVID-19 front, rates are high, as is expected during the colder months. The CDC has finally released their own wastewater tracker, which the People’s CDC explains:
The CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) landing page now includes dashboards to check national wastewater viral activity for COVID and Mpox. Additional dashboards for National and Regional trends, State and Territory trends, a wastewater viral activity map, and variants in wastewater are available.
This is yet another tool to use to help monitor activity in your area, although local tracking is also a great place to start. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services indicated that COVID-19 activity is up 50% since October already, although their attitude about that (and the dangers of catching COVID-19, the flu, and RSV, as well as their inflated confidence in at-home testing) leaves much to be desired. Some Wisconsin hospital systems are starting to require masking again, although it’s far too few in my opinion. Here’s my usual reminder: make sure to get up to date on your vaccinations if you haven’t already (COVID-19, flu, and RSV if applicable) and mask up to protect yourself and those around you!
Now, onto the newsletter!
SCOTUS decision on mifepristone will disproportionately impact BIPOC
“Medication abortions account for more than half of all abortions in the U.S., and 98% of medication abortions use mifepristone and misoprostol. Advocates say removing access to these pills will be detrimental to abortion care, especially in the post-Roe landscape, where abortion is almost completely banned in 14 states and restricted in others.”
As abortion and reproductive rights activists have long expected, one of the next targets for anti-abortion activists is mifepristone, one of the two medications typically used in medication abortions. Despite no medical reasoning, given how safe and effective mifeprisone is, they are trying to undermine the FDA’s approval of it to prevent people from using it to end pregnancies (and not caring that it’s also used to manage miscarriages), particularly by blocking its use via mail or telemedicine. Prism’s Alexandra Martinez provides the background on this attempt:
In April, Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled in favor of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and suspended FDA approval of mifepristone. The U.S. Department of Justice then appealed this decision to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Later that same month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay preventing any restrictions from taking effect and sent the case to the Fifth Circuit. In August, the 5th Circuit Court reinstated the pill’s pre-2016 restrictions, which prohibits the provision of mifepristone by mail and through telemedicine. But the Supreme Court’s earlier order prevented these restrictions from taking effect. In September, the Justice Department again appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
Even if the ruling only prohibited mifepristone’s use via being mailed and through telemedicine, this would have widespread impacts on people even in states where abortion is legal.
Let’s look at Wisconsin as an example: currently, we have three locations with clinics that provide abortions, all of which are Planned Parenthoods: Madison, Milwaukee, and Sheboygan (which only provides medication abortion). With 72 counties total in the state, that means we have 69 counties — or roughly 96% — without an abortion provider. Given the locations of these three counties, the northwestern expanses of Wisconsin are an abortion care desert. While surgical abortion requires in-clinic care, 54% of abortions are medication abortions that can be done anywhere. Consider the impact of not being able to obtain these pills via mail anymore. Instead of being able to talk to someone virtually and get the pills mailed directly to them, someone would instead have to drive all the way to a clinic in order to obtain them (for some, this would mean 4+ hours one way), requiring transport, time off of work, child care, etc. And that’s despite no evidence that it would be safer, and not even taking into account the additional existing restrictions on abortion in Wisconsin.
As this article from Prism explains, these measures always impact people of the global majority the most, especially pregnant Black people. On top of facing higher scrutiny and policing even when they do everything right during a pregnancy (or during the immense pain of a miscarriage, or when self-managing abortions), they face disproportionately high rates of maternal death due to systemic racism. In fact, the overwhelming majority of maternal deaths in Wisconsin have been deemed preventable and due to inadequate care for pregnant and postpartum people. When both continuing and ending a pregnancy are made to be unsafe, what are people meant to do?
As we await the decision, it’s important to remember that pills are still an option right now. Organizations like AidAccess offer the option of advanced provision pills, aka packs of pills to have on hand in case you need them in the future, for example. There are also ways to use misoprostol only, which so far hasn’t been directly targeted. Misoprostol-only methods have been used around the world as a safe and effective abortion method for decades, and it’s only slightly less effective than the mifepristone/misoprostol combination, although it can have a bit more painful side effects during its use than if both medications were used. When faced with uncertainty, now is a great time to brush up on what options exist so that we can be prepared for whatever comes next.
See also: The City of Milwaukee Health Department announced that they are planning to target racism as a public health crisis in the next five years, through a focus on housing, maternal and child health, and public safety. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what impact it will have on the people of Milwaukee in the coming years.
What's Happening at Lakeshore Liberation?
Nothing new to share this time!
What’s Going on in Reproductive Justice
Here in Wisconsin, Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper gave her official ruling that the 1849 law does not apply to abortions, which led to the Sheboygan Planned Parenthood resuming abortion services as well. Despite local advocates urging him not to, Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski unsurprisingly chose to pursue an appeal and is seeking to have the case heard in the Waukesha-based 2nd District Court of Appeals, which has a conservative majority. It’s likely this will eventually go to the State Supreme Court, which now has a liberal majority that will hopefully do the right thing and uphold the ruling. However, it’s important to remember that, as great as it is that we currently have our previous abortion access restored, our state still has restrictions and rules that make abortion difficult to access, especially in the vast majority of the state that isn’t within close distance to Madison, Milwaukee, or Sheboygan.
Ever wonder when your kid can start learning how to blow their own nose and how to get started with teaching them? Romper has you covered, just in time for the stuffiest times of year!
I know most people are past gifting holidays this time of year, but I still wanted to share this article form NPR that discusses ParentsTogether’s 2023 Naughty List of Tech Toys that Spy, Steal and Shock, which helps people make informed decisions about toys for children. I appreciate that they include things like data security and privacy concerns, which unfortunately are becoming more common with tech toys.
Slate’s Kendra Hurley explores The “Solution” to Our Child Care Woes Will Make Everything Worse, referring to companies partnering with for-profit child care chains to provide child care for their employees. I really appreciate how this article covers a lot of ground in an easy-to-digest way, explaining the multiple facets of why this solution isn’t a solution at all.
In an extremely rare event, an Alabama mom gave birth to two babies from two uteri in two days. Bodies are fascinating!
What’s Going on in Wisconsin
Hundreds of protestors showed up at the capital to oppose the on-going genocide in Gaza, with the organizers from Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) demanding, among other things, “a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, lifting the siege of Gaza, ending Israeli occupation of Palestine, and ending all USA aid to Israel.” This appears to be the largest pro-Palestinian march in the history of the state, which is really powerful to witness!
Rep. Glenn Grothman making an ass of himself and claiming we need to ban trans people in sports to force them to detransition? Must be a day ending in Y! Thankfully, Gov. Tony Evers continues to stand with trans people and veto bills that negatively affect us, such as the recent attempt here to ban gender-affirming care for kids.
GOP lawmakers have fucked around with the Lac du Flambeau tribe and are now finding out.
ProPublica has spent the past year investigating worker injuries — primarily affecting undocumented immigrants — on Wisconsin dairy farms. The findings really show how disposable the most vulnerable workers are treated.
What I've Been Reading
From JewishCurrents, Israel’s “Humanitarian” Expulsion examines the growing trend of those in Israel’s government (and beyond) calling for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and dressing it up as benevolence while making it clear that they aren’t planning to allow Palestinians back later. Also from JewishCurrents, Progressive Zionists Choose a Side reflects on the people who attended the November 14th March for Israel and how those who identify as progressives are now struggling to reconcile their beliefs with who they are allying themselves with.
Masha Gessen has come under fire for their recent piece in the New Yorker, In the Shadow of the Holocaust (un-paywalled here). I’d highly recommend reading both their original article and the Q&A with Gessen about the backlash to get a clear picture of what happened and what was really said in the article and why.
I’ve never been a huge true crime fan, and the more I hear about true crime podcasters and their fandoms and how they treat the families of victims, the more I’m glad for that.
After the Hit-and-Run was a piece I didn’t expect from JewishCurrents but was an incredibly insightful read about the possibilities — and limitations — of restorative justice in hit and run cases. And on a similar-ish note, Bike Lanes Vs. the Carceral State, courtesy of my sister!
What I'm Watching
We’re still trying to watch more movies lately, so we watched The Menu (loved it!), Legally Blonde (partner’s first time seeing it, but a classic for me), Talk to Me (surprised by how much I enjoyed it!), Daughter (liked the concept, didn’t like the execution), and Home Alone (another new-to-partner one I wanted to share with them).
We had to break it up a lot, but we finally finished hbomberguy’s latest masterpiece on YouTube, Plagiarism and You(Tube). As always, he’s hilarious while also delivering well-researched information about important topics with well-thought-out criticism and commentary.
What I'm Listening To
I listened to an old and a new Reveal episode this past month:
Gaza: A War of Weapons and Words, which looks at the on-going genocide from a variety of angles, including Israeli and Palestinian parents who have lost children and are joining forces to work towards peace, the weapons the U.S. has rushed to Israel, and the stifling of pro-Palestinian speech on college campuses.
They Followed Doctors’ Orders. The State Took Their Babies. explores the ways that even legal drugs, like those used to treat addiction, can be used by “child welfare” agencies as a reason to remove children from their parents.
While a single podcast episode will never be able to cover every detail, I found Throughline’s A History of Hamas to be really insightful.
DemocracyNow! continues to be a great resource for staying plugged into the news, especially what is happening in Gaza. They recently shared Reverend Munther Isaac’s powerful Christmas sermon, “Christ in the Rubble: A Liturgy of Lament,” which can be read or listened to on their site.
Places to Donate To
Equity and Transformation (EAT) builds social and economic equity for Black Chicagoan workers engaged in the informal economy, founded by and for post-incarcerated people. Donate today to help their work!
Chi-Nations Youth Council engages Native youth in “strengthening the community through avid volunteerism, fundraising, and traditional values.” You can donate to them directly or check out their garden wishlist to support the First Nations Garden (scroll to the bottom to see it!).
Donate to SisterSong’s Birth Justice Care Fund to help cover the costs of “prenatal, labor, and postpartum support, and other essential items, such as diapers, wipes, car seats, strollers, and breast pumps” for “Black and other birthing people of color, especially Queer and Trans folks in need of support during their pregnancy and within one year postpartum” in Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
Impact Justice’s Homecoming Project provides a unique opportunity for people in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Los Angeles Counties who have space in their home to host incarcerated people who are recently released, to help ease their transition and provide a welcoming home for them for up to six months. They pay a daily stipend, and you can make a huge difference in someone’s life who is at a very vulnerable place in their life.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Feel free to share them below or contact me directly.