In this session of Abortion Academy we speak with Laura, Ciné, and Lana'e from the Florida Access Network (FAN). Florida has extremely restrictive abortion laws including a six-week limit, a parental consent law, and penalty fines for doctors providing abortions over the legal limit. It's a challenging environment to provide abortion support, but that doesn't stop people in Florida from needing abortions. That's where the beautiful people at FAN come in - providing funding, practical support, peer support, mutual aid, and more to abortion seekers. FAN's work is built around principles of reproductive justice and sexual liberation, and they practice what they preach. This trio talks to us about the creative ways they support abortion access, including the second edition of an analog newspaper coming out this spring, the challenges of living and working in a restricted state, how we can work with each other across state lines, and more.

Bio
Florida Access Network builds pathways for abortion access by advocating for reproductive justice, funding abortion care, and providing logistical support to make abortion access a reality. Shout Your Abortion is normalizing abortion and elevating safe paths to access. SYA makes resources, campaigns, and media intended to arm existing activists, create new ones, and foster collective participation in abortion access all over the country.

Links
Florida Access Network
FAN's blog
Newspaper Issue 1
Newspaper Issue 2
FAN's newsletter
Luca Molnar (local FL artist who partnered with FAN)
Lizzie Suarez (local FL artist who partnered with FAN)
Fuel Your Fund
Fuel Your Fund interest form
FAN's Instagram

ShoutYourAbortion.com

In this session of Abortion Academy we speak with activist and doctor Suzanne Veldhuis about her groundbreaking research and work with acompañantes and pro-choice physicians in Mexico. Velduis has been working closely with acompañantes – groups of activists who accompany pregnant people through their abortions outside of a clinical setting, creating a safe, holistic, and destigmatizing method of care. We talk with Veldhuis about how acompañantes networks work and why it is vital to center their work in the rapid expansion of self-managed abortion (SMA); how acompañantes, activists, and doctors can potentially work together to build a better system of care, and more. SMA is a revolution in abortion access and will be a major part of the future, no matter what politicians do – come learn more about how the acompañantes model can be adapted to other contexts, including your own.

Bio
Suzanne Veldhuis is feminist activist, physician, and researcher, originally from the Netherlands, who has lived in Chiapas, Mexico, since 2013. With over a decade of experience, Suzanne has worked extensively on projects related to sexual and reproductive health and access to safe abortion, both in Mexico and internationally. She currently serves as Advocacy and Research Coordinator and physician at Women on Web and is the co-founder of the Network of Pro-Choice Physicians Mexico. She specializes in self-managed abortion models and their articulation with the medical sector.

Links
Abortion Accompaniment Practices in Northern Mexico

"Becoming the woman she wishes you to be": A qualitative study exploring the experiences of medication abortion acompañantes in three regions in Mexico

Línea Aborto Chiapas documentary
Hegemonic Medicine and Self-Managed Abortion - full article
Hegemonic Medicine and Self-Managed Abortion - commentary
Acompañantes' perspectives on health system partnerships for medication abortion care in three Mexican states
Workshop methodology (Spanish)
Workshop methodology (English)
PhD dissertation (Spanish only)

We are thrilled to host author, baker, and activist Becca-Rea Tucker, aka The Sweet Feminist. Becca found her activism lane with her IG creation The Sweet Feminist. A love for baking and sharing pro-abortion stories and support turned into a powerful and influential Instagram account, a cookbook, and a brand-new book The Abortion Companion – a beautiful guide written to help others through their abortion journeys. Becca will speak with us about her new book, her book tour, how she found her personal niche in activism. Join us to find out and figure out how your passion can align with your activism.

Links:
The Sweet Feminist
The Abortion Companion