Disability Justice is Reproductive Justice

In partnership with Advocates for Youth's Abortion Out Loud campaign (linked here), SDAG's Georgia Southern Chapter hosted a Reproductive Justice tabling event.

Following the reversal of Roe vs Wade, Georgia put their 2019 Heartbeat bill into law. This has banned abortion after 6 weeks, with some exceptions for reported sexual assault and medically determined risk. Access state guides on abortion policy at abortionfinder.org (linked here).

It was with this in mind that the Georgia Southern chapter's executive board voted to host this event. We knew the anxiety of our fellow students, unsure of how to access and advocate for our own bodies. Bodily autonomy is at the base of disability justice, driving us to continue advocating for reproductive justice in post-Roe Georgia.

An Event Recap

by Advocacy Director Harley Grey Meyer

How long is sperm viable after sex? (Five days).

Antibiotics lower birth control efficacy; how long at minimum should you remain extra cautious after finishing a round of antibiotics? (At least seven days, but some doctors recommend extra precaution for up to a month).

After starting or switching birth control, how long at minimum should you use other contraception methods? (One month).

What is the most effective form of female birth control? (The IUD, with the birth control as the second most effective).

What exactly does Plan B do? (Plan B blocks the sperm from fertilizing the egg, preventing pregnancy rather than terminating it).

These questions and more were what we were educating the Georgia Southern Statesboro campus about with our table on Reproductive Health. In addition, we provided students with a link that would allow them to request an envelope full of free condoms and/or dental dams from the Department of Public Health (linked here).

It so happens that we were also discussing abortion. We informed people that the nearest abortion clinic is the Planned Parenthood center in Savannah - which surprised many people, as they thought it had shut down (when in fact, Planned Parenthood is determined to keep their doors open, and it was a different clinic that closed in the aftermath of Roe being overturned). We also warned of a fake clinic that exists right here in Statesboro that attempts to scare and talk people out of obtaining an abortion.

All in all, we had a very successful 4-hour event. We passed out 50 resource goody bags, talked with numerous curious and/or passionate students, and surprised many with what they learned from our trivia. While we did have 2 particularly combative students (one of which quite literally screamed about us “killing babies” and the other who asked about our reasoning and then proceeded to say “Well when you get more accurate info, you can talk to me then”), we also had at least one who, while they did not agree with us, chose to listen to our stance with a polite ear and go on his way.

I am proud to be a part of the discussion about the right to bodily autonomy, the right to choice free of governmental control, and the right to put myself and my body first, and I think it is important that these conversations continue, especially in such rural southern areas.

Other Abortion on Campus Resources:

• Check out the National Network of Abortion Funds (linked here). Abortion Funds listed on Georgia Southern's poster are Abortion Freedom Fund (linked here) and Access Reproductive Care - Southeast (linked here).

• To learn more about what the abortion experience is like, please see these links: Medication Abortion and In Clinic/Procedural Abortion

• To identify fake abortion clinics in your area, check out ReproAction's database (linked here).

• Check out Advocates for Youth's Youth Abortion Support Collective Resource List (linked here)

• Learn about how to access medication abortion at plancpills.org (linked here)

• The M+A hotline (linked here) is staffed by physicians for people who need support regarding miscarriages and self-managed abortions. Everything is confidential and no personal information is asked. They operate from 8am - 11pm in all U.S. time zones. People can call or text.