io1 ☆ Bodies Under Control: a year post-Roe

issue 1 spring 23

by planned parenthood generation action

ed no

On Ju Wade the rep nation have a resolu numer

Thanks for picking up the first ever issue of our zine. We are Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell, a club on campus with a focus on reproductive rights and justice, as well as sex education. We aim to educate, empower, and activate our peers to create positive change on campus, in Ithaca, and beyond. When deciding on an issue theme for this semester, bodily autonomy was a topic threaded throughout all the themes we explored. We recognize how this subject is seen differently by each individual and believe creative expression to be a greatly influential medium of conveying how one feels.

We at PPGA present issue no.1:

Bodies Under Control: A year post-Roe

CURRENT REPRO RIGHTS CURRENT REPRO RIGHTS EVENTS EVENTS

Texas Mifepristone Case

A case brought forward in Texas challenged the approval of the drug mifepristone by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Mifepristone was approved for general use by the FDA in 2000 and is used in almost all medication abortions in the United States. The FDA determined after four years of deliberation that this drug was effective and safe in terminating a pregnancy until ten weeks of gestation. Medication abortions – which typically consist of a two drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol – account for the majority of abortions in the United States, more so now than ever, following the June 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

A group known as the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine sued the FDA in November 2022, claiming that the federal agency abused its authority when it approved mifepristone to be used as an abortive drug in 2000. The goal of this lawsuit was for the FDA to be forced to rescind its approval of mifepristone, which would effectively force the removal of the drug from the market in the United States. The group argued that the FDA approved this drug under an “obscure regulation for drugs used to treat serious illness”. The FDA sanctioned mifepristone through a process used to fast-track the approval of drugs that treat illnesses including HIV and cancer. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine claimed that since pregnancy is not an "illness", the FDA used improper methods to approve mifepristone 23 years ago. The FDA, on the other hand, argued that pregnancy is 3

classified as a “medical condition” that can sometimes be life-threatening, and that this argument is essentially irrelevant. Additionally, the FDA assured that the drug was thoroughly reviewed and tested before it was ever approved; in fact, mifepristone was under review for about four years before it was approved. The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine also argued that mifepristone should be removed from the market due to harmful side effects. Though the FDA conceded that there can be mild to serious side effects of mifepristone (including cramping and bleeding), it also acknowledged that all drugs have possible side effects and that mifepristone is safe enough to remain on the market. Several major medical groups have consistently proven that mifepristone – if taken as directed – is safer than many common prescription drugs, including penicillin and Viagra. Additionally, childbirth is drastically more dangerous than mifepristone-induced abortion, according to the National Library of Medicine.

After much anticipation, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryck ruled on the case on April 7th. Judge Kacsmaryck revoked the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, which would mean the drug could no longer be dispensed legally in the United States. Despite his initial decision, Judge Kacsmaryck halted any changes to the availability of mifepristone for one week in order to give the Biden Administration and the FDA time to appeal his ruling. Shortly after the one week hiatus, the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice filed an emergency request for the Supreme Court to intervene to preserve access to mifepristone. The Court obliged and ruled on April 21st to block the

lower court ruling, ensuring that the drug will remain broadly available while the case follows the appeals process. The case is currently pending and will be heard in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, beginning on May 17th.

Utah Abortion Ban

A bill signed into law on March 15th by Utah governor Stephen Cox (HB 467) will outlaw clinics from providing abortions as early as May 3rd of this year. The bill does not ban abortions completely, rather, it regulates who can provide abortion care. Abortion is currently legal up until 18 weeks of pregnancy in the state. This law will prohibit any specialized clinics from providing abortion care to patients. The law declares that the state will not renew or issue licenses to abortion clinics starting May 2, 2023, and will outlaw all pre-existing licenses beginning in 2024. As a result, only hospitals will be able to perform abortions, though it is likely that many patients seeking abortions will not have access to hospital care. According to The 19th* – a nonprofit, independent news source on gender, politics, and policy – the vast majority of abortions in Utah are performed in clinics. A lobbyist for Planned Parenthood has announced that the group will review the wording of the law to determine if clinics can re-apply for new licenses that would grant them the ability to perform hospital-equivalent procedures, which would give clinics flexibility to circumvent the law if applicable.

Idaho Maternity Ward Closure

Bonner General Health, a hospital in rural Sandpoint, Idaho, announced that it will close its obstetrics ward indefinitely, citing staff shortages and

difficulties posed by the state’s “legal and political climate”. The hospital had previously been the northernmost hospital in Idaho that provided obstetrics care. The hospital officially cited staffing shortages - specifically a lack of pediatricians - as the main cause for the need to close the maternity ward. However, many staff within the hospital posit that the shortage of qualified doctors and nurses is a result of Idaho’s stringent abortion laws. Idaho – which has some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation –prohibits abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, and threats to the health of the pregnant person. Many healthcare staff have chosen to leave the state rather than be faced with potential civil and criminal prosecution for providing necessary care, including abortions, that may contradict state laws. The closure of the Sandpoint facility is part of a larger national pattern that has seen 89 rural obstetric wards close between the years of 2015 and 2019, according to the American Hospital Association. Bonner General Hospital says that it hopes to one day employ enough staff to be able to reopen the ward to serve pregnant people and babies in the area.

South Carolina Death Penalty Bill

A bill proposed in the South Carolina state House would allow people who receive abortions to be tried and convicted of homicide, which carries a minimum sentence of 30 years in jail or death. The South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act would allow prosecutors to try anyone accused of receiving or performing an abortion with murder, under the pretense that life begins at conception. Thus, the termination of a pregnancy at any point after

fertilization would be considered murder of a “person”, just as the murder of any other living “person” would. The bill would allow exceptions for anyone that received an abortion “because she was compelled to do so by the threat of imminent death or great bodily injury”, or if an abortion was provided by a licensed physician in order to save the life of the pregnant person. There is not currently an exception for cases of rape or incest. The bill is currently stalled in the state’s House Judiciary Committee, where it is waiting to be considered. Previously, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that an abortion ban after six weeks is unconstitutional, so the plausibility that this bill will become law is unclear at this time.

Walgreens Mifepristone Policy

A January 2023 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision made it possible for major pharmaceutical retailers - like Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid - to apply for licenses that would allow them to dispense the mifepristone pill. In February 2023, the attorneys general of 20 states sent letters to Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Albertsons, Costco, Kroger and Walmart, threatening legal action if the companies chose to dispense mifepristone in their states. In some of these states, abortion and the abortion pill are already illegal. However, in many of these states, the abortion pill is still legal and dispensed by clinicians and physicians. The attorneys general for Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia contributed to these letters. Walgreens announced in early March

2023 that it would not dispense mifepristone in any of these states, even though they plan to continue their certification process to sell the drug in other states. In many of these states, medication abortion is still currently legal (though it is often highly regulated). The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has announced that the state will no longer do business with Walgreens “or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk”. The other retailers that were contacted by the attorneys general have not publicly responded.

Florida Six Week Ban

The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has signed into law an abortion ban that would prohibit abortion after six weeks of gestation. The law has exceptions for cases when the life of the parent is threatened and in cases of rape or incest. These exceptions, however, will only be made if two different physicians attest in writing that the life of the parent is threatened and if the pregnant person can provide proper documentation of rape or incest that meets stringent standards - like a police report, a medical report, or a restraining order. The law also targets those who provide abortion care after six weeks of gestation.

Governor DeSantis, signed into law a 15-week abortion bill in June 2022. This law does not have exceptions for cases of rape or incest. This law is currently being contested in the Florida Supreme Court. Therefore, the six week ban -- though it has already been signed -- will only go into effect if the 15week ban is deemed constitutional. Recently, Florida has become somewhat of a "safe haven" for citizens of surrounding states - Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,

and Georgia - as even the 15-week ban offers more freedom than the abortion laws of these states.

According to Caitlin Myers - a professor at Middlebury College - only about 4% of abortions nationwide occur after 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, most abortions do occur after six weeks of pregnancy. Evidently, shortening the timespan to legally have an abortion in the state of Florida from 15 weeks to six weeks would have a major impact on those seeking abortions. Myers also reveals that only about half of people seeking abortions in states with six week abortion bans are actually able to receive abortion care.

Virginia Defeat of Anti-Abortion Bills

Democrats in the state Senate of Virginia defeated a trio of House bills backed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin that would have placed more restrictions on abortion in the state. The Virginia state Legislature is split between the parties, with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats holding a majority in the Senate. These three bills proposed a total abortion ban, a 15-week abortion ban, and a ban after the point of viability. Due to the defeat of these bills, there is unlikely to be any major changes to abortion laws in Virginia through the end of this year. Democrats have also proposed an amendment to the state’s constitution that would formally protect the current abortion laws (as they existed before the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade). Senate Democrats have made it clear that as long as they hold the majority in the upper-chamber, they will not allow any restrictive abortion laws to pass. Virginia lawmakers describe the state as a "beacon of reproductive freedom in the South".

our bodies, ourvoices.

foreword:

When I realized I needed Plan B, it was Friday night and Cornell Health was closed. My partner and I didn't know what to do. So, I called a friend, frantic, while he opened Google. We discovered our only option was a 7/11 a mile away. It was just after midnight and neither of us had a car.

The night, albeit, was beautiful. The stars were out and it was just warm h was good because

And that was that. I swallowed again, took a deep breath and The experience, for me, though stressful, was ultimately successful—if not vaguely pleasant. I did not get pregnant; my period came just a few days later. I felt empowered in my choice to take the contraceptive pill. My partner was sweet and kind and I was well supported. The only real downside was that I bled much more heavily than normal. And the cramps were pretty bad too, not to mention the mood swings. But overall, it was OK. There was a fluke accident, a simple solution, and a successful prevention.

I share my story with you, not to claim that it is particularly tragic or remarkable, nor as a warning against having sex. rather, to emphasize the mundanity of taking emergency contraception.

Planned Parenthood Government Action asked Cornellians to share their experiences taking the morning after pill. I have selected a few stories which demonstrate the diversity of these experiences. I hope that the excerpts below serve as a reminder of not only the cruciality of emergency contraception, but also just

WhatCameBeforeUs,andWhatComes Next?APre-RoeAbortionActivistTalks LocalAbortionActivism,LifePost-Roe, andHopefortheModernPro-Choice Movement

By Chloe Asack

Almost exactly one year ago, the unprecedented happened when the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked to the public. The 1973 supreme court case that legalized abortion throughout the US, allowing countless women to exercise their right to choose for the past 50 years, would soon be obsolete.

For women across the country, questions began to stir. Will abortion remain legal in my state? If I need an abortion where do I go? Could I be prosecuted for having a miscarriage? What does this mean for my daughters’ future? My granddaughters’? Where can I protest?

Abortion activist Sue Perlman is a part of the End Abortion Stigma group in the Ithaca area, formed to normalize abortions and discussions around it. The group works with local legislators, they send letters, and they collaborate with other organizations from central New York to facilitate discussion and educate around abortion. One EAS member wrote a sermon for her church. Perlman has often utilized theater and filmmaking as an outlet for her activism, releasing Connie Cook: A Documentary in 2015, about the assemblywoman who codified abortion in New York state. Perlman had an illegal abortion pre-Roe v. Wade, which she has talked about in various conferences, performances, and more. In March, Sue agreed to speak with me, an undergraduate member of Cornell’s PPGA group, about the End Abortion Stigma group, and her thoughts on the world both before Roe v. Wade and after. The interview below has been edited for length or clarity.

(Asack) Can you talk about the purpose of the End Abortion Stigma group here in Ithaca? The group was created in 2015, what prompted that? When did you join the group?

(Perlman) So unfortunately, the woman who formed it is in Egypt so I can’t get anything from her. It was formed because a group of women had gone to dinner together and they were all talking, and one of them said, “Who here has had an abortion?” and out of I think the nine women, eight had had an abortion, and they had never ever talked about it. So I think that was the genesis of the beginning, so it formed to talk about it. I think I joined in 2015. My film about Connie Cook came out in New York, she was one of the three women in the New York assembly, a republican, and she passed the law that decriminalized abortion in 1970 in New York State. One day, I was on the streets in New York City protesting for abortion rights and the next day, I didn’t have to because she passed this law. I didn’t know about Connie until much later, but anyway, I finished in 2015 and as I was showing the film to people in 2015, I realized I had to start talking to people about my illegal abortion. So I started talking about my illegal abortion at screenings and then I was invited to the End Abortion Stigma group. So I came in probably pretty quickly after it was formed.

What comparisons do you draw between the pre-Roe period and now the one year post-Roe period we have had? The difference is that we didn’t know what it was like. It’s really something because you ’ re not in the same place we were before Roe, you [modern Abortion activists] are in a place where you ’ re aware. Abortion is illegal in many places but we had nothing, we were starting from scratch, when we were protesting for abortion rights. We just knew we had to do it, but for a great while after Roe v. Wade passed, we thought it was gonna be it. We thought “this is it, it will never be a problem”. Clearly, there was.

What do you think is an unexpected consequence of the overturning of Roe v. Wade?

Well, what I have heard, I mean it’s all anecdotal, is that people are leaving. I just heard of someone moving out of Kentucky. She told her friend “I can’t live here anymore. My family can’t be here anymore. ” I know somebody who lives in Texas. Their daughter goes IC, they’re like “ we ’ re out of here, we ’ re moving. We can’t be here.” And you know, I think there may be some Conservative people in New York like “Well, I don’t wanna be in this state and I’ll move, ” and it’s like “goodbye!” but I don’t know.

Cornell is a very mixed bag of women as it is very racially and economically diverse, but collectively, the women of Cornell are all very privileged in the sense that we are getting a higher degree and we live in a state where abortion rights are pretty set in stone. Being in that position, what do you think the women of Cornell should focus on doing for reproductive rights?

I think that of course working on overturning the supreme court ruling, but definitely working on fake pregnancy centers. I don’t know if you know about them, there’s two in Ithaca. That is extremely important because young women your age are going to go there and and basically have a bad experience because they’re not gonna help you get an abortion, they don’t have any HIPAA rules they say they do, they don’t they’re going to tell your information to anybody who wants it, so you are in a scary place. They lie to you about how pregnant you are, they make you go to Bible classes before they give you any help. I mean it’s a really, really scary place. Being an activist is very important, I think being active, I think being vocal, really vocal, is where it’s at and I think not to be afraid.

So like we talked about with your documentary on Connie Cook, she was a Republican and I was wondering do you see her as an exception to the Republican Party back then, or do you think the Republican Party is morphed to be more antiabortion now?

It’s changed, I’ve talked about it a lot. They were something called the Rockefeller Republicans back then and they were all financially conservative and I guess socially liberal, and [Connie Cook] wasn’t an outlier. But things have morphed totally. She was one of three women in the Senate at that time and she then went on in 1974 to become the first woman vice president at Cornell. No, I don’t think she was an outlier, but I think she became an outlier as the years went on absolutely. What I think is that the minute Roe went through I think they started to organize to get rid of it. I mean I think that there’s a legacy they have to get rid of it and I think it’s religious. It’s based on religion a lot and as we know on misogyny.

You mentioned that when Roe happened you thought that was it, so was there ever a time in the past 50 years or like when you started to think it’s possible that it could be overturned? Yes. I mean the former head of Planned Parenthood said “Okay, Connie passed this law but… ” . There’s been people who have said abortion rights being codified in New York is like a tree, and people have been trying to chop it down ever since. I expected that things would happen, but I did not know the supreme court was going to do that. But of course, with those people it wasn’t a surprise.

In the last year, are there any changes that you’ve noted about the world post Roe v. Wade?

In terms of Roe v. Wade, I think it’s politicized a lot of young people. I think the vote in Kentucky and Kansas, when they put it on the ballot and it didn’t pass, what a mind blower for people! They forgot that women voted. They forgot that young people vote. They forgot that women still have their own minds, even though they’re trying to take it away. I mean it’s the only way I can keep going in some ways and frankly, I wish I wasn’t still protesting truthfully. And what keeps me going are kids your age. Young people who are protesting, who are saying “We will not put up with this,” who are doing all those things, and my hope is that the world is changing. It’s becoming more diverse, it’s becoming more multicultural, all those old white men are dying out. That’s why they’re flipping out, because they’re losing it. Because what is coming up behind them is not them, and so they’re gonna lose it. I may not be alive to see it, but the world is going to change because it’s gonna be a more multicultural world. That’s really my belief.

“What’s coming up behind them is not them, and so they’re gonna lose it.” It’s been a dark year for reproductive rights and for democracy, but people have mobilized, and it’s a bright future.

ALLABOUTEMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVES

AKA PLAN B AND OTHER MORNING AFTER PILLS WHENTOTAKETHEM

theyshouldbetakenupto72hoursaftersexforbest resultsorwithinfivedays

theyaremosteffectiveiftakenassoonaspossible

HOWEFFECTIVE ARETHEY?

morningafterpills areabout75%-89% effectiveiftakenup to72hoursaftersex morningafterpill pricesvarybutall brand-nameand genericpillsare equallyeffective

HOWDOTHEY WORK?

Morningafterpills haveanactive ingredientthat delaysovulation andpreventssperm accesstoegg

ifalreadypregnant, itwillnotstop pregnancyorharm thefetus

SIDEEFFECTS

possibleminorsideeffects;dizziness, headaches,tenderbreasts,andanirregular periodfollowingtakingthepill noserioushealthproblemshavebeen reportedfromtakingthepill ifyouthrowupwithin2hoursoftakingthepill, itmightnotbeeffective

HOWMANYTIMESCANYOUTAKETHEM?

youcantakemorningafterpillsmultiple times,thisdoesn'tlowertheireffectiveness orcauseanylongtermeffects however,morningafterpillsonlyprevent pregnancies afteringestion Birthcontrolisthemosteffectiveformof pregnancyprevention!

DOMORNINGAFTERPILLSHAVEAWEIGHTLIMIT?

emergencycontraceptiveswillreduceriskof pregnancyforanyonetakingthem however,ifyouareover165pounds, ella, anotherversionofthemorningafterpillmay workbest

takBACKthe night 4/28/2023

Take Back the vigil and even about sexual assault, domestic violence, and other similar issues This year, the theme for the event is reclamation. Below is an account from a survivor about what Take Back the Night means to her. Similarly to abortion, domestic and intimate partner violence can also inhibit a survivor’s ability to control their own body. I hope it sheds light on how necessary Ithaca’s event and raising awareness about these issues in general truly is:

We’ve all heard the statistics ⁄ women will be raped in their lifetime. Females between the ages of 16-19 are 4x more likely to be victims of rape or sexual assault than the general population. Even despite these striking statistics, to most, sexual assault and domestic violence are far more prevalent issues than most are willing to admit. This prevalence makes awareness events like Take Back the Night not only important, but essential

I reclaim my autonomy. The ability to decide for myself what I do and don’t want to do Who I want to hang out with. Who I want to talk to. What I want for dinner. What college I want to go to. What I want to wear to school.

I reclaim my life. The ability to make it whatever I want to. The ability to make it the one I want, not the one someone wants for me . The ability to be myself and be true to myself.

I reclaim my body. The same body that was used and abused by someone who didn’t deserve to ever lay a hand on me at all. The body he got in the face of and screamed at. The one he shoved to the ground. Over and over again Did he only love me when I was that far beneath him? That body is MINE, and I take back the night to reclaim it as such.

My autonomy. My body. My life. My freedom My choices I reclaim it all.

Going through an abusive, toxic relationship during a time in which I was forming my beliefs about myself, about love, about relationships, and about the world, proved to be incredibly detrimental for the way in which I situate myself in and interact with the world. I’ve had to reclaim everything about myself, even the way I think about myself in my own head. But through doing so, my eyes have been opened to how wrong the ideas about myself placed into my head by my abuser had been; to how I would never allow someone to treat me or make me feel that way ever again.

I am a work in progress I am reclaiming myself and putting the pieces back together after the wreckage my abuser turned my life into. I was isolated, depressed, anxious, confused, and lonely when my relationship ended My life felt bitterly empty without him in it Thank god for the emptiness; it made room for better things and better people in my life. Reclamation, like healing, is not linear, but everyday I tackle a new struggle and am one step closer to healing

"Reclamation is powerful. It has wildly transformed my life. But the most impactful lesson that I’ve learned during my healing journey is that the most empowering thing you can do is turn pain into something positive. Take Back The Night is one of the ways I’m doing so; just as the pain of hundreds of survivors gathering together is amplified, so is the power that comes from hundreds of survivors fighting back and reclaiming their autonomy."

PASS THE MIC INTERVIEW WITH

JORDAN FERRARI

As the interim Assistant Director of the Women's Resource Center, Jordan has many valuable insights into the current climate of women ' s health & healthcare, her doula work, past volunteering experience with domestic abuse survivors, and what the WRC has to offer!!!

Everything On Abortion Doulas

What is an abortion doula and how did you get into this profession? (Veronica)

Jordan) Doulas are NONCLINICAL support people, so they don't have any icensure and are not midlife level, they are just emotional support people -people into community work and support, and who want to provide for pregnant people (there are also many different types of doulas).

I‘ve never had an abortion so I feel like it would be unethical for me to do client-to-client care and come with someone to Planned Parenthood (PP) and support someone because I haven't been through it. And in most of my work, I feel like you have to have that personal experience to do it.

Community care workers who want to help PEOPLE.

I mostly support through education just because I feel like it would be inappropriate for me to have clients.... if I were at any point to have clients I would do it for free. If someone doesn't have any family/friends and needs to go to PP, I would do it for free Ithaca’s PP cut their counseling department, so there isn't anyone there for emotional help. There is this huge gap in that And culturally for many reasons, people don't want clinical help, it's scary and not always culturally relevant, so having someone with you makes all the difference. We do that in social work for victims and survivors of sexual abuse and trauma for a lot of different things, but for for abortion, that is something still new.

How do you think the climate of abortion rights affects doulas' role in helping patients?

When I was taking my course, we talked about how much more dangerous it can get and to really set your boundaries. Any doula should never be giving medical or legal advice It is increasingly harder to not do that It is getting dangerous because you need to make your boundaries better.

Andthemoreyouareaidingpeople,especiallyincertainstates,knowing whatyourrightsareandhowfaryouarewillingtogoisimportant Make sureyourclientorthepersonyouarehelpingisinformedandsupportive! Idon'tthinkit'sethicaltodointerstateworkbutnotreallyknowwhat you 'redoing.It'shardbecauseifyou'reinasanctuarycityandyouhave peoplecomingandyouwanttogivethemshelter,andyouwantto supportthem,youhavetostayuptodateonthestatestheyarecoming from It'sjustaboutbeingmoreinformedandmakingyourboundaries better.

What aspects of abortion do you think get overlooked by the general public, discussion, or policymaking? What should people be more aware of when taking a stance on the matter?

The lack of traumainformed care for everything

IntheUStherehasbeenincreasingawarenessofdomesticviolenceandall thesedifferentgender-basedthings,butwearestillnotatthepointwhere abortionormiscarriageismainstreamedtalkedabout.Forexample,domestic violence(mybackgroundinsocialwork)isembeddedincertainpolicyIn NewYorkState,thereare4differentwaysyoucangetoutofalease withoutbeingcontractuallyobligated.Oneofthoseclausesisifyouare fleeingdomesticviolence.Toparallelthat,inmostevenprogressive states/companies,thereisnoHRclauseforbereavementforabortionor miscarriageThosethingsarenotembeddedinthatwork,andIalsothink aboutOBGYNcarethatIamsupercriticalofLikehowoftenarepeople who'vehadanabortionormiscarriage,andgrievingthat,aresittingnextto someonewiththeirnewbornbabyinthewaitingroom?

Itreallydoesn'tmatterhowmanysafeabortionsyou'vehad,butIfeellike thereissuchastigmaforaskinghowmanyabortionsyou'vehadButitreally doesn'tmatter,it'snotchangingyoureffectivenessoffertilityiftheyaresafe, especiallywithmedicationabortions.Wedon'tdothatforanyother procedure.

Ifeelliketheonethingpeopleshouldknowandcareaboutisthatpeople stillneedsupportformedicationabortion(nottoscarepeopleawaybecause itissupersafeandeffective,anddoesn'thurtyourchanceoffertilityinthe futureiftakenappropriately).Wehavestudentswhohavetakenthat,and theyjustgotoclasslikeeverythingisfineTheymaybehavingahardtime andbeindenial,ormightnotbeabletotakeonclassAlso,whatyourbody goesthrough,theamountofbleedingforsomepeople,medicationabortion isnotawalkinthepark. Iwouldn'treallyknowpersonally,butIwishthattherewasmorearoundself care,support,andaccommodationingeneralForsomepeople,medication abortionisjustareallytoughtime.Ijustwishpeopledidn'tmakeitseem“Oh it'sjustlikeaplanb,justpopitandyou'regood”likeNOitisnotafuntime, nottoscarepeople,butjustreallygivethesupportpeopleneed.Mostpeople don'tunderstandthedifferencebetweenemergencycontraceptionlikePlanB andtheabortionpilluntiltheyexperienceit.

Thoughts on men in this profession?

Unpopular opinion, I don't think cis men should be in any OBGYN care at all, doula work I could see and respect I would like to see cis male doulas teaching and educating fathers during pregnancies, or maybe even say if its a straight relationship, and the mom is resting (as she should!)a doula can come and support the dad and teach him everything

"Whenyouaredoingcommunity-based researchyouneedtolookaroundandbe likeamIanoutsider?Ifthisisn'tmyhome, whatprivilegesdoIhaveinthesespaces?

EspeciallyforyourPhD,wheredoyou wantyourlegacytobe?Isitreally appropriatetobedoingcommunity-based participatoryresearchwhereyoudon't haveastake?"-JordanFerrari

ON YWCA Nashville Volunteering

What made you interested in working at the YWCA?

Saying "oh btw our shelter is full so call this list of shelters" -- they don't have time for that!

I went to Vanderbilt for my master's, and my senior ending thesis was referral best practices in hotline quality insurance. In general, some companies are good at hotline quality insurance, training their volunteers to respond when people call and need support. But referral practices are not very good Handing someone a paper or a phone number like "hey go to this place"-- what is the retention rate of that?! What details are you giving them? Are you customizing their plan? You need to create a software, which I tried, where one can put their age, gender, how many kids they want to bring, pets, and if they need to be in a confidential location, and then it would bring up shelter recommendations. Where I volunteered, they had this really cool form that they had their client fill out and they put them on this waiting list that all of the directors of the shelters would review weekly. It was cool because they don't have to apply to 20 different shelters However, still there were issues Since I was trying to think of better software systems, and I'm not a tech person but my partner is, and so thinking about how to do that in an efficient way that was trauma-informed for my master's degree, it just made sense that I needed on-ground experience for shelter management to align with the ethics of case measuring software You shouldn't be able to see their past history because people can consciously/subconsciously use that against the candidate. Them applying for shelter right now has nothing to do with the past So yeah I worked there because that was what made sense with my thesis

What is one thing about survivors that you find to be a common misconception that people without this training would believe?

It's just so unproductive to just ask someone ”Oh , well why didn't you just leave” , it is so belittling

My biggest pet peeve, asking the question "whydon'tyoujustleave "is STUPID because why don't you ask whyisthisperson(abuser)doingthis?

What is wrong with them?! If it was easy to leave they would be gone. There are thousands of perfectly acceptable reasons going down to I was taught this was love is, I don't want to be alone, and not to say it in a tone that those are stupid, but like the more minuscule reasons that people stay in abusive relationships, those are what people jump to first “Ohthey aren'tstrongenough,theyjustneedtogeton” Asking someone what do you need and how can I support you versus obsessing over “they'llleave whenthey'reready,theyareemotional” is more productive Most of the erious barriers and manipulation

What is the YWCA? It is a high max domestic violence shelter (high max as in secret) no one knew where it was You had to take a different route to work every day. For people to get into the shelter, there was a set of questions Although with domestic violence you are always in danger, there is an evaluation criterion and statistics used for applications (list of things that make your chances of death increase )

How can a friend be most supportive of the survivor?

It depends on your own capacity and bandwidth. If you are a survivor yourself or you ' re just not in the position to give that kind of support, check in with yourself first "What can I actually offer?" If you are a survivor, "How do I not trigger myself?"

I am really big into making lists of tangible offers to people! Like I'll walk you to and from class, come with you here, help you do laundry, actual tangible things are really wonderful I think also giving your friends grace and support and knowing that when they are going through something, they aren't going to always do what you want them to do Even if you are banging your head against the wall and are like "Iloveyouyou'remybestfriendpleaseleavethisperson", the more you force someone will push them away And I know that it's pushing a mental health barrier, to expect people to wait around for someone until they get hurt, but I always say that abusers and predators make it so that you ' re alone they push everyone in your life away so that it's just you completely isolated. If you can be that one person standing for them that would be great. But yeah checking in with them and doing safety planning if they feel like it. Also, this goes for a different level of what they are ready for, but if they want you to take pictures of their bruising for them and hold it on their phone, or if they want to write a diary or tell you about their experiences and collect them, that will be very important if they go to court. Be there for them if it's safe.

ON PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)

I got diagnosed with PCOS as an undergrad and that was the first time I felt like someone actually paid attention to me and was less fat-phobic. They were actually interested in someone and not just writing them off as "Oh they just eat badly or they are probably just weak , their periods are not that bad" and just blowing off everything most people with ovaries go through.

How was your journey with PCOS?

I feel like just with most people once you get a PCOS diagnosis, it's "birth control , spironolactone, and metformin , see you later!" , and really that's the end of training that most people have I am trying to think about what I can do on my own for research, looking into inositol and different vitamins, and thinking about how I can eat for insulin sensitivity.

TikTok and Instagram have started becoming toxic for PCOS because it has been increasingly nutritionists (not licensed unlike dietitians) and mostly thin white women, who are being the spokespeople and giving all of these tips "I reversed my insulin resistance" and "I got pregnant on PCOS" , that you have to pay for. The monopolization and commodification of PCOS care disgust me because it shouldn't be a secret what vitamins and supplements to take At one point, I would like to have a support group or make a cookbook, or just do something that is free and accessible, and culturally relevant to many people. I feel like I am still figuring myself out, so I can't really give advice to anyone else but yeah we'll see. They are pushing for Ozempic and all of these things now and it's ridiculous because I feel like they focus PCOS care exclusively on fertility, because that is all that we are good for, and for being fat because people hate when we aren't thin Hormone levels, anything with metabolism, and mental illness that comes with it, they (doctors) just don't care about it

Any critiques on the healthcare system’s treatment of PCOS/women's health care?

Listen to patients! Literally, listen to people, believe them, and take them seriously. Especially women and nonbinary identifying people, take their pain seriously, gender bias and pain are my biggest pet peeves.

Not only is it embedded in people's perceptions and how they act, but it definitely is embedded in policy and structure. Like when you leave for a c-section, you don't get anything. When women-identifying people go to the dentist, there are differences in pain relief that they get. When you get pap smears and colposcopies of the cervix, samples of cervix tissue k h d V h h y are hing. med.

the women's resource center :)

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orked hat is ng at ould, es in victim advocacy at Cornell Health as well. I hope they (yes you reading!) come to the WRC :)

planned parenthood generation action