By If/When/How
Meet our Repro Legal Defense Fund clients who fought a first-of-its-kind lawsuit for supporting a friend seeking an abortion.
After Jackie and Amy helped their friend leave an abusive marriage, her ex-husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the two of them–with the help of known anti-abortion lawyer Jonathan Mitchell–to the tune of $1 million each.
Jackie and Amy told their story to Elle Magazine.
This isn’t just a case of a rogue abuser. Instead, it’s a growing project led by anti-abortion zealots intended to scare people out of helping their community get the abortions they need.
In the post-Dobbs landscape, accessing abortion–especially in a state with a ban–requires a network of support. Abortion seekers often lean on their friends, family, local abortion funds, practical support advocates, and out-of-state healthcare providers.
Now, to stop people from accessing care, Mitchell is using one of the same tactics as the men he is suing on behalf of: isolating people from their support networks to maintain power and control over their body and life. Whether or not these legal claims are successful, the fear this abuse spreads can be enough to stop people from helping their community.
Fighting these bans and legal attacks that are intended to isolate us from each other, and sow suspicion and paranoia requires us to be defiant through building stronger and deeper community networks. Like Jackie and Amy, we must be someone our friends, neighbors, and loved ones can trust and lean on when they need an abortion.
Ways to Take Action:
- Donate to the Repro Legal Defense Fund so we can continue fighting for those who are keeping their community safe.
- Join the If/When/How Network. We’re looking for attorneys and advocates to roll up their sleeves and support our clients with needs around criminal defense, family defense, intimate partner violence, judicial bypass, housing, immigration, and more.