MERJ Newsletter 10/30/2025
Activists in New York City rally to go “All Out for Abortion Rights,” June 24, 2022. Photo by Stacie Joy.
📚 MERJ Book Club!
If you’re interested in joining one of our future book discussions, email us at action@endthepatriarchy.org, and we’ll be happy to invite you!
Men and Abortion:
Lessons, Losses, and Love
Arthur B. Shostak
(Author)
,
Lynn Seng
(Author)
,
Gary McLouth
(Author)
Originally published October 15, 1984; notes below from Bookshop.org page.
Here is a pioneering and revealing study of the meaning of the abortion experience for American men.
The book draws on over 400 detailed surveys from men involved in an abortion, along with opinion data from secondary polls of American women.
“Shostak and colleagues have amassed a valuable set of quantitative and qualitative data blended with a richly sensitive, compassionate, and thought-provoking discussion...." -Contemporary Sociology
Other books we’ve read, and strongly recommend:
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, by Dorothy Roberts
Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win, by Jessica Valenti
Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion, by Gabrielle Blair
Comics for Choice, ed. Newlevant, Taylor, and Fox
You’re the Only One I’ve Told: The Stories Behind Abortion, by Dr. Meera Shah
Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organize for Reproductive Justice, by Silliman, Gerber Fried, Ross, and Gutiérrez
Reproductive Justice: An Introduction, by Loretta J. Ross and Rickie Solinger
A letter from MERJ’s co-founder
The Scariest Thing this Halloween is Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Dear MERJ Community,
Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are spreading fast—and they act as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Often posing as medical clinics, these centers lure in people seeking reproductive healthcare, only to mislead them with anti-abortion propaganda and false medical claims.
Many CPCs use deceptive advertising to appear legitimate, but most have no licensed medical staff and offer misinformation about abortion, contraception, and pregnancy. Their goal isn’t to provide care—it’s to prevent people from accessing it.
Now, with the introduction of the **Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act**, lawmakers are pushing back. This bill would empower the Federal Trade Commission to hold CPCs accountable for spreading dangerous misinformation. But anti-abortion groups are mobilizing to block it.
Young, low-income, and rural people are the most vulnerable to CPCs’ deceptions, because their access to any type of reproductive healthcare provider is already limited; and if the one clinic geographically nearby is fake, it could make traveling to a real reproductive healthcare provider financially or logistically impossible.
Not to mention that CPCs drain resources (state and local budgets) that real reproductive health providers desperately need!
If you are a man who knows a person seeking out reproductive care, do your research. Men can play a key role in combating the threat presented by CPCs. MERJ stands for evidence-based healthcare, and we advocate for laws like the SAD Act that protect access to accurate reproductive information.
If you want to further get creeped out this Halloween, read this article about a piece of legislation that will enshrine Crisis Pregnancy Centers into law.
Reproductive justice depends on truth—and on all of us defending it.
In loving community,
Justin Haas and the MERJ Team
📖 10-Minute Power Read from Racket:
“Meet the Volunteer Pilots Flying Patients from Red States to Reproductive Care”
Small excerpt: ““When the Dobbs thing happened and everyone was talking about, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ I just went on Facebook and asked friends, like, ‘I have an airplane, and I can help people move across the country to get where they need to be,’” Andy recalls. Someone told him about Elevated Access, and he signed up to volunteer.
He’s flown more than a dozen times for the nonprofit over the last few years, helping folks get to appointments in Minnesota. And he’s just one of hundreds of pilots in the network trying to ensure that everyone can access care, even as conservative lawmakers try to make it impossible.”
🎥 Two Video Power Watches:
90 seconds each
In Jessica Valenti’s words: “We’re going to start today with an incredible PSA from our friends at Shout Your Abortion (SYA). If you can get through this without crying, you’re stronger than we are! 💔 This is just one of several spots SYA produced with the Hydra Mutual Aid Fund and Plan C. We are in such desperate need of work like this right now: reminders that despite the current shit show, you always have options. And that those options don’t have to be stressful or distressing. People can order abortion pills to have on hand just in case—to take care of themselves and each other.”
💸 Amazing Organization to Support:
“The mission of the Chicago Abortion Fund is to advance reproductive autonomy and justice for everyone by providing financial, logistical, and emotional support to people seeking abortion services and by building collective power and fostering partnerships for political and cultural change.
We envision a world where everyone has the freedom and autonomy to create lives, families, and communities that are healthy, safe, and thriving and where the full range of reproductive choices, including abortion, are accessible and affirmed.”
Please consider making a donation to CAF at this important time of advocacy and protest!
“Following the Dobbs decision, Virginia is the only state in the South that has yet to roll back protections for women’s reproductive rights — making it more important than ever to protect our freedoms right here in the Commonwealth.
Abigail believes Virginians deserve a Governor who will defend our fundamental rights. As the next Governor of Virginia, Abigail will defend the right to contraception, the right to choose, and the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF).
In Congress, Abigail voted to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law, protect contraception access, and defend the right of Americans to travel across state lines to seek reproductive care. As Virginia’s next Governor, Abigail will sign into law legislation to protect the right to contraception. She will also make sure the Commonwealth is on the path to codifying reproductive rights in the Virginia Constitution. ...
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rates of any developed, high-income nation — with rates even higher for Black and Hispanic mothers. In response, Abigail will also continue to pursue policies that will make Virginia a leader in combating maternal mortality.
”
Help and Resources to Share with Anyone Needing an Abortion: (from ifwhenhow.org)
Find a local clinic by using the National Abortion Federation map.
If you have questions about your legal rights and self-managed abortion, the Repro Legal Helpline is a free, confidential source for legal advice and information. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812.
If you are under 18 and need information about your rights to an abortion, you can message or call our Repro Legal Helpline at 844-868-2812. You can also read more about your rights on our Judicial Bypass Wiki.
If you have been arrested, contacted by the police, or fear you may be arrested for a self-managed abortion, our Repro Legal Helpline can provide immediate legal advice and support, and our Repro Legal Defense Fund can help with bail and legal fees. You can call our Repro Legal Helpline at 844-868-2812, and for help with bail and other fees, visit ReproLegalDefenseFund.org.
Medically-reviewed, step-by-step directions for how to self-administer a medication abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol can be found on the Hey Jane website.
