Hey Jane’s Post

Think abortion and tech advocacy have nothing in common? Think again. Today I have an op-ed in Fast Company urging tech companies to protect users' health data if Republicans reinstate the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that bans the mailing of “obscene” materials, such as birth control and devices used for abortions. This law could be expanded to include abortion pills, which account for 60% of medication abortions. Extremists are already pulling these kinds of stunts. In fact it was just last month that the Arizona Supreme Court ruled a law passed in 1864 -- 160 years ago! -- still stood, banning abortion in the state overnight. Accountable Tech's research has concluded that despite Google's policy changes and announcements, they still track and retain location data for trips to abortion clinics approximately 50% of the time. A person seeking abortion would have the same odds as a coin flip to determine whether their location data might still be retained by Google and used to prosecute them. In order to protect abortion seekers, we must take on Big Tech's business model of surveillance and data collection. We deserve to have power over our own data, and we must fight to prevent a handful of powerful Big Tech companies from weaponizing our private information against us. Please read the op-ed, and then join us in the fight at Accountable Tech. https://lnkd.in/enTijEb6

If Republicans want to keep the abortion issue working for Democrats then the decision by the Texas Supreme Court to refuse to allow a 20-weeks pregnant woman with a fetus that has been diagnosed with a fatal abnormality to get an abortion will do it. As the woman's attorney was quoted as saying in a WSJ article on the topic, "Kate's case is proof that exceptions don't work, and its dangerous to be pregnant in any state with an abortion ban." Nice work Republicans, thank for helping prove yet again that fetus fanaticism is all the public can expected from elected Republicans. In the irony or ironies the Supreme Court of Texas in turning down her bid for an in-state abortion wrote in its decision "Our ruling today does not block lifesaving abortion using reasonable medical judgments." Well, thanks for adding that pointless observation to an already embarrassingly stupid decision. Exactly what are the lawyers saving the fetus from? Certain death from abortion or certain death from the abnormality that will kill it? I suppose some religious nuts will say that there could always be a miracle. Sure, that's how we want our laws and medical decisions to be reached. Let's pray for a miracle. In fact, why have doctors at all then. Next time you have a fatal diagnosis, don't treat it. Just pray about it. I am a Republican and this case makes me mad. I can't imagine what the Democrats and Independents will think about it.

2023 saw many significant developments in Ireland’s abortion policy. The Pro Life Campaign has compiled a short overview on four key developments we saw this year. They relate to the three-year review, Bríd Smith’s abortion bill, telemedicine, and exclusion zones. The much awaited three-year review was released in April, which included recommendations for significant changes to the country’s abortions system. Most of the attention has been on its proposed legislative changes (which are being assessed by the Oireachtas Health Committee), however the Department of Health has also set up an implementation group to oversee the ‘operational’ changes proposed in the review. This internal group is being headed by the director of the national women and infants’ health programme. The Health Committee’s consideration of the report involved inviting its author, Marie O’Shea, to address its members. “Highlights” from her two appearances in 2023 are contained in the PLC’s policy report. The passage of the Bríd Smith abortion bill at second stage on 31 May will also now come before the Dáil health committee, which pressurises the government to carry out extreme pro-abortion changes to the 2018 Act. In addition, in 2023, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, announced that telemedicine will become a permanent feature of the Irish abortion system. This is a very reckless policy, which endangers the lives of women. In addition, it undermines the robustness of the three-day waiting period. The Minister also introduced his so-called ‘Safe Access Zones’ Bill, a draconian piece of legislation which the PLC has been campaigning against. In 2024, we can expect these issues to continue to be important, particularly as the Oireachtas Health Committee puts the matter of legislative changes contained in the three-year review report back into the hands of the government. Pressure must be applied by pro-life citizens, particularly through lobbying, to ensure that sweeping changes to Ireland’s abortion policy are not introduced through the backdoor due to circular lobbying by well-heeled NGOs and interest groups. Click here to read full policy report https://lnkd.in/et5n82zA #prolifemovement #righttolife #humanrights

On repeat from Erin Gallagher below: “I *am* a statistic … I *am* the 1 in 4 women who will have an abortion over the course of her life … I *am* the 60% of women who have abortions who are mothers … I *am* the 50% of women who have abortions who have two or more children … 63% of abortions are medical abortions … Motherhood is not a monolithic experience: it is dangerous for many and deadly for some … Black women are 3 times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes Abortion is not political. Abortion is not religious. Abortion is #healthcare. Any attempts to shame or blame women for making choices about what happens to our own damn bodies is MISOGYNY MASQUERADING AS MORALITY.” Erin Gallagher ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ thank you for sharing your story & for your continued #leadership & #advocacy!! How is it that judges not doctors get to decide what is #healthcare? #CodedPatriarchy #SheIsSomeone #IamaStatistic #power #government #culture #data #economy #business #inclusion #belonging #money #cultureofmoney #FloodtheFeed

Take Action: Sign the petition to Big Tech: Stop sharing abortion data with law enforcement Friend, I took an action on Action Network called Sign the petition to Big Tech: Stop sharing abortion data with law enforcement. Google, Facebook, and online pharmacies are providing data–including user chat logs and search history–to law enforcement to prosecute abortion seekers. Online pharmacies have played a key role in making abortion pills accessible post-Roe to as many people as possible. However, some of those pharmacies are jeopardizing patients’ safety by sharing identifying information with Google and other third parties, which could then be turned over to law enforcement. Google, over one year ago, promised to delete sensitive abortion data that could be used to prosecute those seeking reproductive health care. They have not kept that promise. Data shared by Google from law enforcement requests can include users' web addresses, location data in relation to visiting clinics, and search data. Facebook continues to share sensitive information that is used in prosecution of reproductive health care seekers including user chat histories. This past summer, data turned over by Facebook became the key piece of evidence provided in a trial around abortion access. Currently, there is little legal protection for people who use internet platforms such as Google or Facebook and who seek abortions. But businesses have a responsibility to safeguard the privacy and security of their users. Big Tech companies must take a stand against the use of personal data information to persecute those seeking or providing abortion access, including collecting and retaining that data. Sign the petition to Big Tech companies: Don’t give law enforcement abortion data! Can you join me and take action? Click here: https://lnkd.in/ezX7nGhy Thanks!

Over Eight Million People Visited Power to Decide's 'AbortionFinder' Tool Since The Overturn of Roe v. Wade — MediaContacts.co — #pas the two year #mark of the #US #Supreme Court's Dobbs #v #Jackson #Womens #Health #Organization #decision nears, #Power to #Decide has #seen over eight #million visits to the AbortionFinder #website since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. WASHINGTON, #June #20 #2024 As the two year mark of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision nears, Power to Decide has seen over eight million visits to the AbortionFinder website since the overturn of Roe v. #Wade AbortionFinder is a #search #tool that helps people seeking an #abortion in the U.S. find verified abortion #care and #support #based on their location, age, and pregnancy stage. Since the Dobbs decision, the average number of monthly clinic searches on AbortionFinder increased 441% to about 100K searches per month. Additionally, AbortionFinder has had a half million search events in which the user was past the state limit to be eligible for abortion care services in the state in which they searched. In our current environment with tens of thousands of people traveling out-of-state for abortion care, AbortionFinder is helping pregnant people learn about their options for care. "AbortionFinder is a critical tool to get people accurate, trustworthy and up-to-date abortion care information in the midst of confusion and misinformation," said Power to Decide CEO, Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. "As an OB-GYN who includes abortion care as part of my practice, I've seen first hand the impact that Dobbs has had on existing barriers to abortion care, creating an even more dire and confusing landscape for individuals to navigate. Many of my patients have had to overcome immense obstacles to access abortion care, but it is those who cannot make it to my office that keep me up at night," said Power to Decide CEO, Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. Since Dobbs, attacks on abortion care have skyrocketed across the country with numerous states enacting total abortion bans and severe restrictions, creating a distressing and confusing abortion care landscape. A Power to Decide poll found more than seven out of ten respondents

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: There is nothing “pro-life” about abortion bans. As The Intercept reports, a recent study out of Tulane University found that in states with multiple abortion restrictions, the rate of intimate partner homicides against women and girls ages 10 to 44 rose by a chilling 3.4% for each restriction enforced. Another study they cited found that suicide rates have increased among reproductive-age women, with new reproductive restrictions associated with a 5.81% higher annual suicide rate compared to pre-enforcement years. Research like this underscores the dangerous and potentially deadly consequences of abortion bans and it SHOULD NOT be ignored. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAAC2ZPe

States with no abortion limits often hide the number of babies aborted Real figures may be 50% higher. 👀 👀 While pro-abortion advocates in the private and public sphere claim that abortion is healthcare, they are doing everything they can to de-medicalize it, including advocating for eliminating or loosening abortion reporting requirements in states across the country (Michigan’s new law removing reporting requirements). We keep track of everything and we don't keep track of abortions? Wow... Did anyone know this?? 👀 While other public health metrics are tracked and mandated to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), abortion reporting in the United States is entirely voluntary at the national level. As a consequence, no central repository of abortion data exists in the United States. Researchers, public health scientists, and the public therefore do not know the true number of abortions that occur each year, in part because some of the highest volume abortion states (California, Maryland, and New Jersey) do not report any data through their own health departments or to the CDC. Instead, the public must rely on the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute’s estimates, released only sporadically, to get any approximation of the total number of abortions occurring in those high abortion-volume states. In 2020, Guttmacher Institute estimated that 154,060 abortions occurred in California and 30,750 in Maryland, which if reported to the CDC would have increased the total number of abortions in the U.S. by 30% (620,327 to 805,137). Michigan, New Hampshire, and North Dakota also do not report any abortion data. The CDC’s 2020 abortion total estimate is 50% lower than the 2020 abortion total that Guttmacher estimated. By Around the Web Published July 4, 2024 at 11:58am https://lnkd.in/gn8jBqHE

Today we released the first briefs from our 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey focused on women’s abortion experiences, knowledge, and attitudes. The survey included almost 4,000 women of reproductive age. We also oversampled women in Florida and Arizona where abortion will be on the ballot this November. A few key takeaways: - Abortion is a relatively common healthcare experience with 1 in 7 saying they have had an abortion.   - The majority of women want abortion to be legal in all or most cases and support a nationwide right to abortion.   - Large shares of women are also concerned that abortion bans could affect a future pregnancy for themselves or someone close to them or that they wouldn’t be able to get an abortion if was needed to preserve their life or health. Surprisingly, a quarter of women wouldn’t know where to go if they wanted or needed an abortion and wouldn’t know where to find the information and only 19% of women knew they could get medication abortion pills online.   Check out our findings here: https://lnkd.in/gHriG7AX 

Over Eight Million People Visited Power to Decide's 'AbortionFinder' Tool Since The Overturn of Roe v. Wade — PRBuzz.co — #pas the two year #mark of the #US #Supreme Court's Dobbs #v #Jackson #Womens #Health #Organization #decision nears, #Power to #Decide has #seen over eight #million visits to the AbortionFinder #website since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. WASHINGTON, #June #20 #2024 As the two year mark of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision nears, Power to Decide has seen over eight million visits to the AbortionFinder website since the overturn of Roe v. #Wade AbortionFinder is a #search #tool that helps people seeking an #abortion in the U.S. find verified abortion #care and #support #based on their location, age, and pregnancy stage. Since the Dobbs decision, the average number of monthly clinic searches on AbortionFinder increased 441% to about 100K searches per month. Additionally, AbortionFinder has had a half million search events in which the user was past the state limit to be eligible for abortion care services in the state in which they searched. In our current environment with tens of thousands of people traveling out-of-state for abortion care, AbortionFinder is helping pregnant people learn about their options for care. "AbortionFinder is a critical tool to get people accurate, trustworthy and up-to-date abortion care information in the midst of confusion and misinformation," said Power to Decide CEO, Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. "As an OB-GYN who includes abortion care as part of my practice, I've seen first hand the impact that Dobbs has had on existing barriers to abortion care, creating an even more dire and confusing landscape for individuals to navigate. Many of my patients have had to overcome immense obstacles to access abortion care, but it is those who cannot make it to my office that keep me up at night," said Power to Decide CEO, Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. Since Dobbs, attacks on abortion care have skyrocketed across the country with numerous states enacting total abortion bans and severe restrictions, creating a distressing and confusing abortion care landscape. A Power to Decide poll found more than seven out of ten respondents