Self Managed: An Abortion Story

Susan Yanow, a longtime reproductive rights activist, defines “self-managed abortion” and what it means to feel safe and supported. This episode offers insight into global organizing efforts for SMA access. Susan addresses some of the challenges of online activism and making information accessible and safe for those who are looking for it. TRANSCRIPT * Read the full transcript (english/español) [pdf] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/z5spswe6ijjzc3r/Part%201%20-%20Transcript%20%28ENGLISH_SPANISH%29.docx?dl=0] RESOURCES * Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) [http://wgnrr.org/] * Women on Waves [https://www.womenonwaves.org/] * Women Help Women [https://womenhelp.org/] * SASS: Self Managed Abortion, Safe and Supported [httpshttps://abortionpillinfo.org/en/sass://www.ifwhenhow.org/] * Euki [https://womenhelp.org/en/page/1082/euki-app] * WHO [https://www.who.int/] * Plan C [https://plancpills.org/] * Gynuity [https://gynuity.org/] * Ibis Reproductive Health [https://www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/about-us] * Kimberly Ann Johnson [https://www.magamama.com/] RELATED MEDIA * Yvonne Abraham: "Remembering the horror of the Brookline clinic shootings, 25 years later." [https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/12/28/quarter-century-indelible-loss/I4h9OTd56hNpknYlXk9WLI/story.html] * Mari Lodi: “Missouri Official Admits to Tracking Women’s Periods” [https://www.thecut.com/2019/10/missouri-official-tracked-womens-periods.html] * Jennifer Lee and Cara Buckley: “For Privacy’s Sake, Taking Risks to End Pregnancy” [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/nyregion/05abortion.html] — Article that describes Planned Parenthood study that Susan mentions. * Barbosa RM1, Arilha M: “The Brazilian Experience with Cytotec [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8212093] TERMINOLOGY * Compilation of words and ideas [https://www.dropbox.com/s/5n8v64bmnn837ij/Self-Managed%20Podcast_Terminology%20Study%20Guide.docx?dl=0] Part_1_Susan.jpeg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7f9d94737abc0444d6838f/1589505574813-9299721M6MMLU4ELNGAC/Part_1_Susan.jpeg?format=1000w]

A person shares their story about self managing. This episode offers insight into the feelings, fears and dreams that arose for one person as they experienced self managing. Anonymous invites us into the experience of what it feels like to share one’s abortion story and redefines what it means to be a “responsible person.” TRANSCRIPT * Read the full transcript (english/español) [pdf] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/yns9tik1rnps5ul/Part%202%20-%20Transcript%20%28ENGLISH_SPANISH%29.docx?dl=0] TERMINOLOGY * Compilation of words and ideas [https://www.dropbox.com/s/5n8v64bmnn837ij/Self-Managed%20Podcast_Terminology%20Study%20Guide.docx?dl=0] Part_2_Anonymous.jpeg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7f9d94737abc0444d6838f/1589505335511-BN8ICSOOQOFC1TZBO901/Part_2_Anonymous.jpeg?format=1000w]

Beverly Winikoff, a professor and public health expert, walks us through the advent of the abortion pill, RU486 and how the pills move across the globe. This episode gives listeners an inside scoop on what happened behind laboratory doors upon discovering the abortion pill, RU486. TRANSCRIPT * Read the full transcript (english/español) [pdf] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ipq1toeueafvlpd/Part%203%20-%20Transcript%20%28ENGLISH_SPANISH%29.docx?dl=0] RESOURCES * Population Council [https://www.popcouncil.org/]: The Population Council conducts research to address critical health and development issues * Rousel Uclaf [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234199/]: A former French pharmaceutical company which oversaw the development of RU486 * André Ullman [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/18/us/french-abortion-pill-will-be-tested-in-us.html]: MD, PhD, medical director of Rousel Uclaff * Hoescht [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hoechst-Aktiengesellschaft]: German pharmaceutical company that acquired Rousel Uclaf in 1997 * Aid Access [https://aidaccess.org/]: “Aid Access supports women who cannot otherwise access an abortion or miscarriage treatment and protects their human rights.” [https://gynuity.org/] * Gynuity Health Projects [https://gynuity.org/]: “Envisions a world in which each individual has access to safe and effective reproductive and maternal health care—delivered where, when, and how needed.” * Rebecca Gomperts [https://aidaccess.org/en/page/561]: Rebecca Gomperts, MD, MPP, PhD is a registered physician in Austria and the founder of Women on Waves and Women on Web, which provides reproductive health services for people around the world. * Margaret Sanger [https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-sanger]: (September 14, 1879 - September 6, 1966) American birth control advocate and nurse. RELATED MEDIA * Nicholas Kristof: “Another Pill That Could Cause a Revolution” [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/opinion/01kristof.html] — 2010 NYTimes article that features Winikoff referencing the abortion pill as “world shaking.” * Chloe Murtagh, Elisa Wells, Elizabeth Raymond, Francine Coeytaux, Beverly Winikoff: “Exploring the Feasibility of Obtaining Mifepristone and Misoprostol from the Internet [https://gynuity.org/news/obtaining-abortion-pills-from-the-internet-feasible-in-us] — Article referenced author, Chloe Murtagh “We aimed to document the experience of buying abortion pills from online vendors that do not require a prescription and to evaluate the active ingredient content of the pills received.” TERMINOLOGY * Compilation of words and ideas [https://www.dropbox.com/s/5n8v64bmnn837ij/Self-Managed%20Podcast_Terminology%20Study%20Guide.docx?dl=0] Part_3_Beverly.jpeg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7f9d94737abc0444d6838f/1589505223986-IHSDQKDMN5HIB97C2O8T/Part_3_Beverly.jpeg?format=1000w]

Farah Diaz-Tello, a reproductive justice lawyer, describes the legal landscape of SMA and the history of criminalizing pregnant people in the US. This episode offers an origin story for the criminalization of abortion, and an overview of some of the legal risks that arise within it. Farah invites us into the thicket of legal restrictions on self-managed abortion, explaining how states and prosecutors have gotten creative in punishing pregnant people for ending their pregnancies on their own terms. TRANSCRIPT * Read the full transcript (english/español) [pdf] [https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kwern9euvpdi7q8/AADCw3UpMXGjFa9SroIrZ22Ea?dl=0&preview=Part%204-%20Transcript%20%28ENGLISH%3ASPANISH%29.docx] RESOURCES * Carol Downer’s self help work [http://womenshealthinwomenshands.com/] * Our Bodies Ourselves [https://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/] * SIA Legal Team, now If/When/How [https://www.ifwhenhow.org/about/who-we-are/] * If/When/How [https://www.ifwhenhow.org/] * National Advocates for Pregnant Women [http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/] * Southwest Women's Law Center [https://swwomenslaw.org/] * Legal Voice [https://www.legalvoice.org/] * Gender Justice out of Minnesota [https://www.genderjustice.us/] * Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice [https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/center-on-reproductive-rights-and-justice/] * If/When/How’s Repro Legal Helpline [https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/] * Electronic Frontier Foundation's surveillance self-defense toolkit [https://ssd.eff.org/en] RELATED MEDIA * If/When/How: Roe’s Unfinished Promise [https://www.ifwhenhow.org/resources/roes-unfinished-promise-2019-update/] * If/When/How: Regulation of Pregnancy Issue Brief [https://www.ifwhenhow.org/download/?key=e1h0dOwhi5JdxLe1eNeOEshk7I3JCbsKzYIzCnB3GdEQhhJKvPBTe2O5o5ekEmQP] * Farah Diaz-Tello: “The Law Protected Marshae Jones; Her Prosecutor Didn’t.” [https://www.ifwhenhow.org/the-law-protected-marshae-jones-her-prosecutor-didnt/] * Molly Redden: “Jailed for ending a pregnancy: how prosecutors get inventive on abortion”. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/22/abortion-pregnancy-law-prosecute-trump] — This article provides an overview of the cases Farah mentions. * Molly Osberg: “'Every Pregnancy Is a Risk of Harm': How Criminalizing Miscarriage Could Play Out.” [https://theslot.jezebel.com/every-pregnancy-is-a-risk-of-harm-how-criminalizing-mi-1834810320] — Article describes Kenlissia Jones’ case, among others. * Miriam Zoila Pérez: “Purvi Patel Released From Prison After Feticide Conviction Overturned.” [https://www.colorlines.com/articles/purvi-patel-released-prison-after-feticide-conviction-overturned] * Caroline Burke: Massachusetts' NASTY Women Act Aims To Protect Abortion Access In The State No Matter What. [https://www.bustle.com/p/massachusetts-nasty-women-act-aims-to-protect-abortion-access-in-the-state-no-matter-what-9858533] TERMINOLOGY * Compilation of words and ideas [https://www.dropbox.com/s/5n8v64bmnn837ij/Self-Managed%20Podcast_Terminology%20Study%20Guide.docx?dl=0] Part_4_Farah.jpeg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7f9d94737abc0444d6838f/1589504270396-VV4T1A6FS9AUGYCHVRTF/Part_4_Farah.jpeg?format=1000w]

Molly Dutton-Kenny, a full spectrum midwife, discusses home abortions and the persecution of midwives and community providers across history. Molly grows our conception of “safety” and invites us into the world of using plant medicines for abortion care and fertility support. She shares personal stories about her experiences with self-managed care. TRANSCRIPT * Read the full transcript (english/español) [pdf] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/bltfme204szzsgb/Part%205%20-%20Transcript%20%28ENGLISH_SPANISH%29.docx?dl=0] RESOURCES * Molly’s website [http://www.mollyduttonkenny.com/] * Susan Weed’s books [http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Herbal_Birth_Control.htm] * Sage-Femme Collective: “Natural Liberty: Rediscovering Self Induced Abortion Methods” [https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Liberty-Rediscovering-Self-Induced-Sage-femme/dp/0964592002] * John Riddle: “Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance.” [https://www.amazon.com/Contraception-Abortion-Ancient-World-Renaissance/dp/0674168763] * John Riddle: “Eve’s Herbs [https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674270268] * Leslie Reagan: “When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973” [https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520216570/when-abortion-was-a-crime] RELATED MEDIA * Judith Rooks: “The History of Midwifery.” [https://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book-excerpts/health-article/history-of-midwifery/] * Samantha Zipporah: “Hollistic Healing After an Abortion.” [https://www.samanthazipporah.com/holistichealingafterabortion] * Marilyn Gryte: “Inner Healing After Abortion.” [https://chodarr.org/sites/default/files/chodarr1084.pdf] * Tony Wechsler: “Taking Charge of Your Fertility.” [https://www.tcoyf.com/taking-charge-of-your-fertility/] * Jennifer Block: “The Criminalization of the American Midwife.” [https://longreads.com/2020/03/10/criminalization-of-the-american-midwife/] * Kerry McDonald: “Arresting Homebirth Midwives Just Reduces Women’s Birth Choices.” [https://fee.org/articles/arresting-homebirth-midwives-just-reduces-women-s-birth-choices/] TERMINOLOGY * Compilation of words and ideas [https://www.dropbox.com/s/5n8v64bmnn837ij/Self-Managed%20Podcast_Terminology%20Study%20Guide.docx?dl=0] Part_5_Molly.jpeg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7f9d94737abc0444d6838f/1589503949138-TA0W8C8REUAWCA3NCCFX/Part_5_Molly.jpeg?format=1000w]