Our New Research on the Policy Outcomes of Abortion Bans: Strategies for Disseminating Information on Reproductive Health Access

Our research data on the impact of abortion bans is very compelling, showing that a key strategy that social movements and activists, NGOs, and transnational governance institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) are using is to post critical information about obtaining abortions (including information about self-managed abortions and protocols) online so that there is equity in access to it. Their resources recommend using a safe and vetted organization such as Plan C to obtain abortions out of state, and to obtain abortion medication. Here is an example from the WHO, as we have found in our research, of the kind of information these organizations and movements are providing as a way of responding to abortion bans:

Callisto Vault available for Sexual Assault Survivors

Many thanks to the Director of Programs and Strategic Engagement for reaching out to send me this:

Callisto is a nonprofit organization and third-party resource that uses technology to empower survivors of sexual violence. The organization exists to address a critical problem - 90% of assaults are committed by repeat offenders and serial offenders assault an average of 6 times before graduating college. Callisto Vault is a suite of tools designed to help survivors of sexual assault engage in collective action and define their own pathways toward healing and justice. We offer two tools within Callisto Vault: the Matching System and Encrypted Record Form. 

• Enter into the Matching System: Survivors can learn if another person has been harmed by the same offender by entering the offender’s unique identifiers into Callisto’s Matching System. When a “Match” is detected, survivors are able to meet with a Legal Options Counselor who will explain their options and facilitate collective action, while protecting survivor privacy.

• Create an Incident Log: Survivors can document the details of their incident in an encrypted and timestampled electronic record form as they decide what to do next. 

Callisto Vault is a free resource for anyone with a .edu email address at Notre Dame, Saint Mary's, and Holy Cross. They can create an account today with the use of their .edu email address. No information entered into the system is accessible to the University or Callisto staff through their state-of-the-art encryption software.

Physicians Fleeing Abortion Ban States

In a July 2022 op-ed, Susan Ostermann and I argued: “What physician will choose Indiana if the threat of prosecution looms over her for providing life-saving, emergency care that she took an oath to provide? This traumatizes physicians in addition to patients. With abortion restrictions in place, we will likely have fewer physicians and medical specialists, and health care costs will rise.”

We are now seeing the effects of criminalizing health care for women in Idaho. This American Life produced an incredibly good story on ob-gyns leaving the state and the impact on all pregnant and non pregnant people. It is a must listen:

First, Do No Harm, This American Life