The Week in Political Poetics
Texas cops jerk off to Orwell's 1984. Trump's okay with hospitals letting pregnant patients die. Ted Cruz REALLY doesn't know when to shut up. (And a format change!)
05.30.2025 – 06.06.2025
I’ll be honest—it’s rough in repro world right now. Between RFK Jr. coming for mifepristone, state after state coming on record about plans to criminalize miscarriage (hi, West Virginia), and Adriana Smith STILL being used as a human incubator, opening the news each day feels about the same as stubbing your toe on the coffee table (repeatedly).
As someone with a deep-seated disdain for feeling helpless, sitting down to write GIRL NEWS weekly has felt like awareness raising. But only almost. So, in the spirit of girlhood and growth, I’m making a change. Instead of three sections composed of an article, reflection, and poem each, future issues will still consist of three articles from the previous week (as well as additional linked articles in the introduction for larger context), one response poem, and a list of need-to-knows, resources, and protests.
As you dive in, a quick note about what you’ll find in each section: Three articles related to the politics of womanhood, motherhood, or bodily autonomy that have been living in my head this week, including links to read them in full in their home publications. A response poem. A list of three actions you can take to speak up, protest, and care for your community.
THE NEWS
01. “She Got an Abortion. So a Texas Cop Used 83,000 Cameras to Track Her Down” by Rindala Alajaji
Read it on Electronic Frontier Foundation.
02. “Trump administration revokes guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions” by Amanda Seitz and Geoff Mulvihill
Read it on AP.
03. “As Pride Month Kicks Off, Ted Cruz Leads Anti-Abortion Push to Make June ‘Life Month’” by Pocharapon Neammanee
Read it on HuffPost.
THE POEM
Not my president Someone tells me majority rules, but what kind of mother would I be if I accepted a president whose concern for women only extends to how young they would look on his arm? In five years, I’ve learned more legal jargon than I had in two decades. How should I take it that pregnant people’s lives supposedly only matter in an emergency? How should I take it that emergency has been under-definition since Roe fell? Earlier, but those of us who were talking about it then were labeled hysterical. I worry it’s a claim that could be used against us now. Georgia refused to give a pregnant mother care in life. Now refuses her dignity in death. My president would be seething. Would be in that hospital room holding her hand, on the phone with someone else’s governor. Would give weight to words which are lives which are not up to any president to rewrite.
THE PROTEST
Tell everyone: you do NOT have to report your miscarriage to the police. As devastating as it is to type, it’s also safest to limit who you share (in person or via encrypted channels because social media is not private) abortion plans with, as friends, family, and medical providers have reported people who’ve self-managed their abortions to the police. (Speaking of medical providers, if you self-manage your abortion and have complications, you do NOT have to say you took pills. There is no way for a doctor to differentiate between a miscarriage and a medication abortion.)
Memorize these resources. The Repro Legal Helpline can answer your legal questions about abortion, pregnancy loss, and birth. The M+A Hotline is staffed by medical providers who want to answer your questions about safe, effective abortion pills (before, during, and after use). And the All-Options Talkline is there for you if you need someone to talk to about abortion, adoption, parenting, infertility or pregnancy loss confidentially and without judgment. (Bonus: If you are seeking spiritual or religious support, Faith Aloud is a great option.)
Let your senators know what you think about Ted Cruz’s bogus “Life Month Resolution.” (Especially if your senator is Ted Cruz.) Some points to make: abortion bans are killing pregnant people; anti-trans laws have been linked to increased suicide attempts among trans youth; with the support of the US, Israel continues its genocide in Gaza (over 50,000 children have already been killed). If you have a GOP senator, ask them, how can you say you’re pro-life yet contribute to all these being true?
Which protest are you committing to this week? Let me know in the comments.
I like the new format, Iva. Tangible acts are so important and you make them very easy to share. I'll be celebrating No Kings Day in Reston, VA but I'm hoping DC finds itself awash in a torrential downpour with gale-force wind because we all know how much rump abhors rain.