On a warm, sunny July morning in St. Louis, 23 activists came together to educate the community through two powerful direct actions in front of the anti-abortion fake clinic Thrive’s headquarters and their mobile fake clinic parked a block away from Missouri’s only abortion provider. When planning the actions, we tapped into the outrage over the state’s abortion ban, scheduled to go into effect on August 28 [currently, portions of the law are under injunction while others are in effect]. [1] The law bans abortions at eight weeks of gestation, without exceptions for rape or incest. Missourians are right to be outraged by an abortion ban that denies people bodily autonomy.

Anti-abortion fake clinics, such as Thrive, receive public funding through tax credits to deceive, shame, and stall patients who are seeking information about abortion care. They deliberately target women of color, women experiencing poverty and rural women—all populations struggling with access to adequate and affordable health care. [2]

Our activists diligently and proudly demonstrated what it means to expose fake clinics. I could hear their passion in the chants “My Body, My Choice,” and I witnessed the bond between activists and the mission at hand. They were supported and thanked by local community members and people driving by as they raised their fist or honked their horns in solidarity. Full of energy and advocacy, it was clear to everyone taking action they were not only vocalizing for themselves but for the community at large who are equally outraged by fake clinics.

Reproaction continues to lead the fight to hold deceptive, anti-abortion fake clinics accountable for the harm they are causing to our communities and their misuse of public funds. You can help us continue to advance reproductive justice by joining our mailing list, following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and supporting our work through donations.

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Brittany Jones joined us in July as organizing fellow through Reproaction’s partnership with the Action St. Louis Black Organizing Summer School (BOSS). Brittany helped organize an anti-abortion fake clinic direct action, researched sex worker justice, and led the organizing of a documentary screening and panel discussion event focused on Black infant and maternal mortality in St. Louis. The screening event was organized in partnership with Sistahs Talkin’ Back of the Organization for Black Struggle. We were thrilled to have Brittany on our team for eight weeks this summer, and we look forward to organizing to dismantle reproductive oppression with her and her fellow 2019 graduates of the Action St. Louis Black Organizing Summer School.

Sources:

1. https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/5/24/18632667/missouri-abortion-ban-law-2019-bill-126

• https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/for-rural-missourians-access-to-quality-health-care-is-a/article_b0b1abe8-8bc9-11e9-a6f9-83546412207d.html