On Organizing for Choice (5/6/22)
Like many in our community, we are grieving and angry after the news that the Supreme Court of the United States is likely to finalize its years-long erosion of reproductive rights by overturning Roe v. Wade.
After several days of reflection, listening, thinking, OHCDB and its allies would like to express our opinions about how we believe Harvard can organize for access to abortion and bodily autonomy for all people. Specifically, we wish to provide guidance on (1) rhetoric/language and (2) organizing tactics. Our goal is to give Harvard students an understanding of how our work fits into what must be a nationwide push to codify Roe into law and pack the Supreme Court with pro-abortion access justices.
We have already seen Harvard students rise up for access to abortion and bodily autonomy, in both online postings and the well-attended and powerful rally on Wednesday, May 4, when over a hundred students gathered in the pouring rain to stand for access to abortion. We recognize this spontaneous, self-motivated organizing as a crucial part of the fight for access to abortion and we welcome the continued action of students who feel compelled to speak up. We welcome students to join our organization’s efforts, or to work in solidarity with us in any way they see fit. We do not have a monopoly on feminist organizing here at Harvard, but we hope to be in relationship with all who carry out that work.
The fight ahead.
Overturning Roe will kill people, and extend state control over people’s bodies. This decision is an immediate and dire threat to the dignity and safety of all people in the United States but especially people with uteruses. We need immediate, unyielding direct action to force elected Democrats to (1) codify Roe into law and (2) add pro-choice justices to the Supreme Court to defend against further conservative attempts to control people’s bodies.
Crucially, this is not primarily an electoral fight. We cannot afford to wait until November on the assumption that we can elect enough pro-access Democrats to reinstate Roe. Democrats must be forced to move on abortion rights immediately, something that can only be accomplished through mass mobiliziation and sustained street action. Every major step towards justice in this country– from the Civil Rights Act to the original Roe decision– required direct civil action. We cannot focus solely on electing more Democrats; we cannot hope to persuade our lawmakers to change their positions through pleas and supplication. We must demand immediate action to protect the bodily autonomy of people in the United States.
We must continually disrupt business as usual. Our message is simple: no access, no peace.
Who we fight with & for.
Abortion access has historically been framed as a women’s issue, and many of the chants and rhetoric we have encountered on campus have framed it as such. As a feminist organization ourselves, we lovingly urge all those organizing for choice to reconsider this language. Abortion access directly impacts all people with uteruses, and language that frames this as a women’s issue erases the experiences of non-binary, intersex, and transgender people who will be directly affected by the loss of abortion access. Such language also reinforces the idea that to be a woman is to have a uterus, which is fundamentally incorrect and has been used to justify violence towards trans individuals. The reversal of Roe, further, must be understood within the context of increasing rightwing attacks on people of marginalized gender identities in recent years, including attempts to outlaw gender-affirming care and other violent legislation. We urge all organizers to use gender-inclusive language in their rhetoric, and be vigilant in insisting that this is a fight for abortion access and bodily autonomy for all.
We also remind our community that abortion access is currently highly unequal, and will become more so after this decision. Those with privilege are more likely to have access to safe abortion, while those who are discriminated against– including people of color, LGBT+ people, disabled people, poor people, undocumented people, and non-English speakers– disproprtionately face challenges exercising their right to an abortion. Further, the erosion of legal recognition of bodily autonomy created by Roe can and will be used to further control and discriminate against marginalized groups. The overturning of Roe is an assault on the bodily autonomy of all people, but it is crucial to acknowledge that its effects will be unequally experienced. As such, our organizing for abortion access must be positioned within a vision of a world without structural discrimination. Solidarity with other movements for justice is crucial in this fight, and our actions and rhetoric must mirror the intersectionality of this issue.
How we will organize.
As stated above, this moment calls for sustained direct action to safeguard access to abortion for all people. We are calling for vigorous, continuous, and unapologetic disruption of the status quo until Democrats move swiftly to codify Roe and pack the courts. The roles that Harvard students can play in this fight are outlined below.
Material aid: Nonprofits and community organizations have been and continue to fight to provide access to abortion for those who need it. Abortion funders and providers are on the frontlines of this fight, and donating to these causes is a relatively easy way to tangibly contribute to abortion access. A list of frontline organizations to donate to can be found here.
Direct demands of Harvard: Our initial demands for Harvard are as follows: (1) release a statement from President Bacow condemning the overturn of Roe, and advocate publicly for protecting abortion access; (2) provide free Plan B at HUHS, rather than requiring demonstration of trauma to receive it for free; (3) formulate a plan for the summer to ship Plan B and over-the-counter abortion medications to students who are living in states where such healthcare is banned. We urge all Harvard students to email President Bacow and other administrators using this template, right now. This takes seconds, but will put pressure on the University to use its platform and resources to stand on the side of justice.
Direct action in Boston: We urge students to find time amid finals to attend the many rallies and protests in the Boston area that are scheduled for the coming days. A continually updated list of these actions can be found here. We will coordinate travel to these rallies using a GroupMe chat, which you can join at this link. We encourage all student organizations to consider attending these rallies as a group. There is power in numbers, and attending large-scale protests is an impactful way to disrupt business-as-usual.
Organize at home: Democrats can move swiftly to codify Roe at any time, but there is no telling how long this fight will last. We must prepare to organize locally, to continue to disrupt the status quo wherever we are located this summer. As such, we encourage all students to identify local organizations which they can organize with to continue large-scale disruption over the summer. If no organization exists where you are located, we can help you create one– email us at ourharvardcandobetter@gmail.com. This local organizing can include a variety of tactics, including rallies, banner drops, teach-ins, die-ins, and acts of civil disobedience. Remember, the goal is to cause disruption and unrest; even in states where abortion will remain legal, it is important to agitate. No access, no peace. Be creative, be intentional, and find joy in organizing for justice.
Organize sustainably: We must prepare for a long fight, and thus prepare for a sustained campaign of disruption. As such, we encourage our community to be conscious about organizing sustainably. Frustration and anger are valid and powerful motivators, but these emotions can only take us so far. To organize long-term, we have to lean on one another and take care of one another. Build in time to check in with those you organize with, and intentionally create opportunities for relaxation and collective joy. Miriame Kaba reminds us that “hope is a discipline.” We must practice this discipline collectively, and not let ourselves burn out or despair.
Conclusion.
This letter represents our initial thoughts regarding organizing for abortion access and bodily autonomy on a national level. We stress that these thoughts are representative of a small organization, and welcome constructive discussions about rhetoric, tactics, and theory of change. However, we hope this letter was instructive for those seeking to stand on the side of justice in this moment. We are grateful for the majority of the Harvard community that is standing up for abortion access; we ask that you sustain that fight until justice is realized.
Please visit linktr.ee/OHCDB to get involved.
Solidarity,
Our Harvard Can Do Better
And our allies:
Harvard Graduate Student Union – Feminist Working Group
Harvard Student Labor Action Movement