Library Research Notes #40
Trigger bans and voting plans
Library Research Notes is a product of hippiegrrl media. At hippiegrrl media we believe that Black Lives Matter, Climate Change is real, Treaties need to be honored, Women have autonomy, Love is love, No human is illegal, Science=Truth, Unions are essential, the United States needs gun reform immediately, and the time for Trans Liberation is now! We value your readership. If you enjoy the Library Research Notes newsletter, please share it with a friend.
Hello again! We are now at the end of August and the weather is still unbearable, but the heat and humidity are tame compared to the politics here in Tennessee. This past Thursday, a trigger ban to criminalize abortion, starting at fertilization with zero exceptions, went into effect. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you are probably a little tired of hearing about it, but I’m not going to stop. The weekend before the ban went into effect, I attended a grassroots organizing retreat in rural Tennessee, and when I returned from the retreat I was even more fired up to talk about the loss of rights that we are experiencing here in the United States. Right now it is the southern states, but if the conservatives have their way, the north and west will be in the same boat soon.
This time, as you can guess, I’ll be talking about abortion, reproductive justice, and the loss of rights related to bodily autonomy. Thank you for reading this newsletter and learning some new things. We need to push forward in a collective way to make change happen and secure rights for everyone, not just the straight, white, cis, elite, dudes. Please be sure to share this newsletter with those you believe could use the information.
What is up in Tennessee?
As of the 25th of August, abortion has been banned in Tennessee, with no exceptions. The Governor and several legislators have tried to float the idea that there is an exception for the ‘life of the mother’, but that is untrue. The exception they speak of is an affirmative defense. This means if a doctor chooses to perform any medical procedure that can be deemed an abortion (a procedure to stop an ectopic pregnancy, among other dire situations that occur during the 40 weeks of gestation, would fall into this category), the doctor could be arrested and charged with a Class C felony. At that time, they are not able to claim that they were saving the life of the pregnant person in order to not be charged (which WOULD be an exception), but they would have to show proof, at trial, that what they did was warranted.
The affirmative defense may keep them from a conviction, but it will not keep them from being arrested, charged, and their license revoked. This will certainly cause a climate of fear for OBGYNs and emergency room doctors who now have to make a decision between saving the pregnant person in distress and potentially losing their medical license OR doing nothing for the pregnant person and leaving them to die. So this is the United States now. This is where we have landed. Anyone who tells you that this law is ‘pro-life’ is either lying or stupid.
To read the full text of the law, click here: SB1257: “Human Life Protection Act” - it is only 3 pages long, but apparently, even some of the legislators who voted for it are unaware of what it clearly states.
Organizing for change
On the 19th through 21st of August, I attended a grassroots organizing retreat hosted by the Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood (TAPP) and Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi (PPTNM). The weekend was super informative and affirming and one of the highlights was being able to meet other people living in Tennessee who share my pro-abortion stance. Abortion is healthcare and the loss of this right has created a dangerous climate for pregnant people.
During my time at the retreat, I was able to gather knowledge in several areas related to reproductive justice work and will be putting these strategies to use in both my writing for the TAPP media corps and in my on-the-ground action council work in Clarksville. Sharing personal stories is one of the best ways to reach folks and draw them into the struggle, which hopefully motivates them to vote for candidates who have the best interests of all constituents in mind.
GOTV
One of the most obvious and necessary ways to make a change, in any grassroots campaign, is to get out the vote. We focused on key House seats in the State government and will be targeting those districts to try and flip seats to Dem during this mid-term. We are also focused on our Governor race, where we see Dr. Jason Martin of Nashville running against Governor Bill Lee. Governor Lee has been ineffective in leading all Tennessee residents and so we hope that Dr. Martin can make Lee a one-term Governor in November.
Tennessee has 9 US House seats and currently, there are 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats in those seats. In the Nashville area, we are pushing for Odessa Kelly to win the seat from Mark Green and make the 7th district blue. We hope to elect Heidi Campbell (a current State Senator) in the 5th District, which has been gerrymandered since the last election to include a smaller section of Nashville and a larger part of the rural areas south of the city and retain Steve Cohen in the 9th District, which encompasses Memphis.
I don’t want to get too deep into elections this time, as I already went over this during the primary (LRN #38), but the only way to turn the tide back toward justice for all in Tennessee is to replace Republicans with Democrats. I don’t always agree with all the ideas and strategies of the Democrats, but they at least have human rights in mind and they govern from a place of care and empathy, rather than division and oppression. Getting Democrats out to vote in greater numbers could make this happen, so that is the first priority in the next 2 months.
Knowledge is power
The second priority is to provide information and resources to our friends and neighbors who may not have all the information they need to make decisions about their individual lives. Through door-to-door canvassing, we can provide information and supplies while learning about the needs of individuals in the community. Centering the needs of those most affected by the loss of reproductive rights in our state is an important part of reproductive justice work.
Another way to get information out is through the internet. A strong online presence to dispel myths and provide valuable information for those who are not reached by canvassing efforts is imperative. By growing the number of members, across the state, to our TAPP media corps, we can reach people in all corners of Tennessee with vital information about their options when it comes to abortion and reproductive healthcare in general. Right now in Tennessee, it is still legal for us to share websites such as abortionfinder.org and plancpills.org and point people in the direction of groups to assist with self-managed abortion care.
Birth control is still available, including PlanB which is, contrary to anti-science misinformation, NOT an abortifacient. PlanB stops ovulation and does not allow an egg to be fertilized. And with the current ban in place that states explicitly that abortions are to be considered any intervention after fertilization, it is abundantly clear that PlanB does not fall in the abortion category.
Information on safe sex practices is also vital in a state where sex ed curriculums lean heavily on abstinence-only education (law.justia.com) and the rate of STIs reflects this lack of knowledge (cdc.gov). Planned Parenthood provides comprehensive sex education for those who are not able to obtain this information through the public school system or their homes and getting the word out to those in need is imperative.
At the end of the day, talking to one another about our own lives and sharing our stories while actively listening to those who are most affected by these changes to our rights is invaluable. Just knowing that there are other people here who are also affected by the laws, but also working toward a better tomorrow for all people, can lower the anxiety we each feel. Being a part of a community that is working toward positive change helps us to feel less lonely and supporting one another through good and bad times is uplifting and necessary.
I will admit that there have been times, since we moved to the south, that I have felt like it was going to be too difficult to stay here, but I have come to find, just in the last few weeks, that there is a community of care here. There are people who truly believe we can be better than this and they are willing to stand up and move forward together. I am lucky to have the privilege of connection with those in states without bans and that is the reason that my energy is needed here, in the south. I am doing this work for people who don’t have that connection. People stuck in places where they don’t have the resources they need to get the healthcare they deserve. Everyone deserves the right to decide what is best for their body and to be able to receive the care that aligns with that decision. And until we are at a place where everyone has that same privilege of care, I will continue doing the work. I hope that you will join me in some meaningful way.
Good news from the stacks
You made it - here is your good news…
A win for librarians in Florida. LGBTQ children’s books at Sanibel library are staying on the shelves (winknews.com)
Following in the footsteps of the NYPL. Brooklyn Public Library makes banned books available to teens for free (npr.org)
Clarksville to get a second library branch! (I mean - what took so long?!) North Clarksville branch library survives attempt at delayed funding in county budget (clarksvillenow.com)
Thank you for reading the Library Research Notes Newsletter! Now it’s YOUR turn. Please share your thoughts along with any other questions or suggestions for future research, in the comments. I look forward to lively discourse.