MERJ Newsletter 6/11/2026
(source)
A letter from MERJ’s co-founder
No Viability Limits: Men Should Support Abortion Access Throughout Pregnancy
Dear MERJ Community,
When men talk about reproductive freedom, we often focus on the early weeks of pregnancy. We talk about contraception, unintended pregnancy, and the right to make decisions about our futures. But if we believe that people should have the freedom to make deeply personal decisions about pregnancy, that commitment cannot end at an arbitrary point in the calendar.
The reality is that abortions later in pregnancy are rare. When they do occur, they often involve some of the most difficult circumstances a birthing person can face: severe fetal diagnoses, threats to a pregnant person's health, barriers that delayed care (think “crisis pregnancy centers”), or rapidly changing life situations. These are not decisions made casually. They are decisions made by people confronting complex medical realities, profoundly emotional moments, and potentially insurmountable economic challenges.
As men, we should ask ourselves a simple question: Who is best positioned to make these decisions? Is it a politician? A state legislature? A prosecutor? Or is it the pregnant person and their medical team?
Many abortion laws rely on the concept of "viability"—the point at which a fetus may be able to survive outside the womb. But viability is not a fixed line. It depends on medical technology, geography, hospital resources, and individual circumstances. A pregnancy considered viable in one setting may not be in another. Using viability as a legal boundary can force doctors to prioritize legal risk over patient care and can create confusion during medical emergencies.
Men have a role to play in this conversation because we are often partners, spouses, fathers, brothers, and friends. We are frequently part of the support systems that help families navigate pregnancy, parenting, miscarriage, and medical crises. Supporting reproductive freedom means trusting the people most affected by these decisions to make them for themselves.
Advocating for abortion access throughout pregnancy means recognizing that government-imposed restrictions cannot account for the complexity of real life. It means believing that families deserve compassion rather than political interference when facing some of the hardest moments they will ever experience.
At its core, reproductive justice is about more than abortion. It is about the right to have children, the right not to have children, and the right to raise families in safe and supportive communities. Men who care about freedom, dignity, and family wellbeing should understand that those principles require trusting people with their own reproductive decisions.
The question is not whether these decisions are difficult—the question is who gets to make them. For those of us committed to reproductive justice, the answer should be clear: the people living with the consequences, not the politicians writing the laws.
In solidarity,
The MERJ Team
📖 3 Minute Power Read from Jessica Valenti (“Abortion Every Day”):
“My Favorite Abortion”
An incredibly powerful short read — no excerpt here this time, so that you’ll read the whole thing!
🎥🍿 Power Listen Recommendation:
Podcast episode, 2022 (67 minutes)
From the linked description: “We believe that everyone who has abortions deserves unconditional love and support. We believe that people who have abortions deserve to be in every space where decisions are being made. To borrow from the disability justice movement, there should be nothing about us without us. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.” -We Testify.
💸 Amazing Organization to Support:
SACReD is a national alliance of multiracial, multifaith, multiethnic, mixed gender and sexual identity religious leaders, congregations, movement organizations, activists, academics, and directly impacted communities collaborating to advance Reproductive Justice through congregational education, culture change, community building, and direct service.
Please donate to support their important and inspiring non-profit work!
📚 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!
Complicit: How Our Culture Enables Misbehaving Men
by Reah Bravo
Originally published March 7, 2023; notes below from Talking Leaves Books web page.
Part cultural study, part call to action, this thoroughly researched and deeply personal examination of white-collar work in America’s hyper-individualistic, patriarchal society will change the way you think about sexual misconduct and workplace abuse.
When Reah Bravo began working at the Charlie Rose show, she wasn’t deterred by the open secret of Rose’s misbehavior toward his female staff. Believing herself capable of handling anything unprofessional that might come her way, she soon learned a devastating truth: we don’t always react to abusive situations as we imagine we would. In fact, today she considers herself both a victim and an enabler of Rose.
Weaving her own experience with that of other women and insights from experts, Bravo reveals the psychological and social forces that make us all enablers of a dangerous, sexist status quo—regardless of our good intentions or feminist ideals.
Complicit shows that the path to a better, more equitable society begins with cultivating the self-awareness and mindfulness necessary to act against our cultural conditioning.
Other books we’ve read, and strongly recommend:
Men and Abortion: Lessons, Losses, and Love, by Arthur B. Shostak, Lynn Seng, and Gary McLouth
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
Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free, by Sabia Wade (pending book club choice)
“Supporting reproductive rights is about creating a just and equitable society for all.”
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.
