Roe Was Never Enough: A Conversation with Abortion Fund of Ohio’s Executive Director

For decades, abortion funds have worked tirelessly to bridge the gaps in access for people who needed abortion care. Their very existence highlights the fact that Roe failed to protect and address the needs of many communities marginalized by systems of oppression. Lexis Dotson-Dufault, Executive Director of the Abortion Fund of Ohio (AFO), sits down to talk with us about her first abortion, the importance of reproductive justice, and why Roe was never enough.

Having grown up in a conservative environment, Lexis initially did not see abortion as an option when she discovered she was experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. Open and de-stigmatized  conversations about abortion empowered Lexis to get the care that she needed. Now an abortion storyteller and champion herself, Lexis’s abortion story exemplifies that abortion storytelling changes and saves lives. Now, as Executive Director of AFO—an organization grounded in reproductive justice—Lexis has borne first-hand witness to the profound impact of the Dobbs decision. In the journey towards collective liberation, it is imperative that we center the visionary leadership of Black reproductive justice activists and organizations and transform sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice in the United States.

Links from this episode

Lexis Dotson-Dufault on Instagram
Abortion Fund of Ohio
Abortion Fund of Ohio on Twitter
Abortion Fund of Ohio on Instagram
Abortion Fund of Ohio on Facebook
Ohio Women's Alliance
We Testify
Sistersong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective

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Transcript

Jennie: Welcome to rePROs Fight Back, a podcast on all things related to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. [music intro]
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Hey, rePROs! How's everybody doing? I'm your host Jennie Wetter, and my pronouns are she/her. So y'all, I have been revisiting the Usher catalog ever since the Super Bowl halftime show, and it has been bringing me so much joy. Like, I have just really loved going back and listening to all of the songs from when I was younger and just reliving going out dancing to all of them. And yeah, it's just been making me so happy. I am kind of loving being in that age group that they're now catering to. Like, all of the songs that were popular and all of the artists that were popular when I was younger. It's been so much fun the last couple years. Let's see here. Anything else new and exciting? I mean, not really. I have a really exciting interview next week with an author and I need to finish reading her book. And like, it's not like I am dragging on it 'cause I'm not enjoying it. I just, I’m like, struggling to find the time to sit down to give it my absolute full attention because it's so good, y'all. I cannot wait to talk about it. I cannot wait to have her on, but also I have to get it finished and I will. It's just yeah, I need to, like, sit down and make it happen. Let's see, what else is new and exciting? I don't feel like much, I feel like I've been a little bit in a cocoon and just being kind of quiet and chill. And I think part of it is like, you know, like your body just kind of knows. Like it's the, this weekend was the one year anniversary of my dad dying. So like, I think, like, my body is just, like, take the time to just, like, curl into a ball with a good book and, like, have cozy snuggle time with the kitties and just take some downtime. And I think that's what's happening right now. And, but, but it's okay. I sent my mom some flowers to give her something to smile for on that day. And I hope it helps. It's been, it's been a wild year, but it's hard to believe that it has been a year. Anyhow. Let's not dwell. But yeah, it's just been a lot. I think. With that, let's just turn to this week's interview. Y'all, I had so much fun with this week's interview. She was amazing and I am so excited for y'all to hear it. I had on Lexi Dotson-Dufault with the Abortion Fund of Ohio. Talking about, honestly, a huge range of things. But she tells her abortion story. We talk about her work with the Abortion Fund of Ohio. We talk about Issue 1, we talk about so many things. So, let's just turn to my interview with Lexi. Hi Lexi! Thank you so much for being here today.

Lexi: Hello, hello. Thank you for having me.

Jennie: Before we get started, would you like to introduce yourself and include your pronouns?

Lexi: Absolutely. Hey y'all, my name is Lexi, well Lexis, but you can call me Lexi. Lexi Dotson-Dufault. I'm the executive director of Abortion Fund of Ohio, Ohio's only statewide abortion fund. I'm calling in from Columbus, Ohio, but I was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. I'm a Northeastern baby. It is true. And yeah, I'm really happy to be here. Really happy to chat with y'all.

Jennie: I have to say, first of all, y'all, if you are not following the Abortion Fund of Ohio on socials, you are missing out because their social is amazing.

Lexi: Our comms homie, Sam, she's not playing around.

Jennie: So good.

Lexi: She's doing... I love it. I love it. I can't just wait for the Valentine's Day drops. Oh, y'all will see it by then. But yes, we have our Valentine's Day drops, our little memes or whatever, really excited I even contributed to one of them. So, yeah. Be on the lookout for those. I'm really excited.

Jennie: I'm really excited! Can't wait to see that tomorrow. So, obviously we're talking before Valentine's Day.

Lexi: Yes.

Jennie: And took advantage of Valentine's Day and, like, our episode that came out today was on pleasure because-

Lexi: Ooh.

Jennie: What else do you talk about in the episode before Valentine's Day of, like, why don't we talk about pleasure more in talking about sexual and reproductive health?

Lexi: Yes. I'm gonna have to listen to that one. I love talking about all things sex.

Jennie: Right?

Lexi: I grew up in a very conservative household. I grew up with some elderly grandparents who raised me from the south and also went to a Catholic school from kindergarten ‘til 12th grade. And so, I never talked about sex, I didn't know anything about that.

Jennie: I did K through eight. And I mentioned in this episode, had sex ed from a nun. So, pleasure was not on the, like...

Lexi: No.

Jennie: No, no.

Lexi: Not on the agenda at all ever. Yeah, when I got, I mean, I feel, like, shout out to Lifetime and, like, MTV and VH1 and for all my sex knowledge that really held me through until I went to college and started talking to people about sex.

Jennie: Yeah, I feel like I- so ours was called “Valuing Your Sexuality,” which clearly sounds very, you know, progressive and like you're gonna learn anything helpful. But then when I went to high school, I clearly missed when the public high school had done any of their, like, sex ed stuff. So, I just, just fell into like that huge gap of, like, I guess you'll figure it out as you go! Good luck!

Lexi: Right? Yeah, I remember when I had my first abortion, well, when I found out I was pregnant and I was like, what the fuck? Like, oh my God, if you, if you have sex, like you actually get pregnant, like, what is this? Yeah, it was very interesting. I'm sure I'll talk about it in this little time together.

Jennie: Okay. So, let's talk about the Abortion Fund of Ohio. You wanna tell us a little bit about it and like your path there? Because you told me you started there as an intern.

Lexi: Yes, I started as an intern. So, I'll give just a little background of my whole life. So, yeah, I grew up in Massachusetts, born and raised. I was raised by my grandparents and from a really early age I was dealing with a lot of, you know, social things that had happened to people because our country's fucked up. And so, I always had kind of this, like, background, like, I always knew something was off, something was wrong with what was happening in my life. And so, I did grow up having this, like, justice lens, like, what is happening? I have to figure it out. And, you know, I was in foster care and so, and my mom was in and out of incarceration and so I grew up with this very, like, I mean, you could say hatred of the state. You know, I knew that these systems were coming in and tearing up my family and, you know, I didn't know maybe the specifics, but I just knew that, like, this can't be the answer, separating people from their family. And so, when I went to college, I signed up for, at the time it was called the Reproductive Rights Activist Service Corps. Yeah, I think RRASC, they call it RRASC through Hampshire College, which was an internship program. And they basically worked with nonprofits throughout the country and placed students with these nonprofits for the summer. And so, when I applied to it, I was very focused on the organizations that they partnered with that were doing abolition work, you know, prison justice work. And I had just written down Abortion Fund of Ohio as one of my choices because I have family in Ohio. And I was like, okay, I won't have to pay for rent. Like, I don't really know anything about abortion. So, like I said, you know, went to a private- went to a Catholic school from kindergarten til I graduated high school. So, I didn't know, you know, anything about sex, anything about abortion, you know, the most I knew was that I guess if you had an abortion, you were going to hell. But like I said, I always kind of had, like, with my upbringing, I always just kind of understood that people need to do whatever they need to do to get by. So I was always like, I don't care what you do. Like, that's not my kid. Like, I was very, you know, but still not very pro-abortion, but very like pro-choice.

Jennie: The internalized stigma.

Lexi: Yes, yes!

Jennie: When you're in the environment just, like, gets into your bones that you're like-

Lexi: Right? Like-

Jennie: Like, the stuff I'm still trying to, like, get rid of is wild.

Lexi: Yeah, yeah. Like, you know, I don't care if other people have an abortion, but I'm not gonna have an abortion.

Jennie: Mm-hmm.

Lexi: Not me. Like, you know, I remember thinking that when I was 16 years old. And so, I'm applying for this internship and whatnot, and after I apply to it, waiting to hear back if I'm gonna get in or not, and I find out I'm pregnant. And the way I found out I'm pregnant is pretty wild. My best friend, she had a pack of a hundred pregnancy tests from Amazon and she was down to her last one. And me, I'm just like, ha ha ha, I'm just gonna take this. Not thinking I was pregnant in any way, shape or form, I was just like, I gonna get this off your hands. And I went into the bathroom and on this little stick and that turned positive in literally like 30 seconds. So, I'm freaking out. I Google I'm like what happens if you, I'm like, what happens if your pregnancy test turns positive very quickly? And they're like, Google's like, well, you're pregnant with twins, so I dunno what to tell you. So now I'm freaking out, I'm sitting there, I'm pregnant with twins according to Google. And I just remember like, you know, my first thought being like, oh my God, like I'm not ready to be a parent. Like, I do not want to be a parent. Like, I was going through a lot with school, you know, I was working, taking care of my brothers, I was in a domestically, you know, violent situation. And so, I just did not, you know, I didn't want to be a parent. I knew that, but, you know, because of everything that I had grown up learning, all the stigma, you know, not having anyone that I knew that had had an abortion, you know, at the time, having an abortion didn't even seem like an option. So like, I was just like, I guess I'm having this child that I don't want. And I remember, you know, I got severely sick with my pregnancy. So, this time I'm like, I'm having, I guess I'm having a baby, blah, blah, blah. And I just remember, you know, getting very sick very quickly. I lost 30 pounds the month I was pregnant. I remember telling—because I'm living with my grandparents at this time—I'm telling them that I have mono and, you know, trying to fight with my campus administration to, like, let me be absent. And, you know, my OBGYN wasn't trying to see me. I, you know, I was calling, I was like, I'm very sick. And they were like, we can't see you until you're 10 weeks. And I was like, what? I found out I was pregnant at four weeks. So, I found out very early.

Jennie: Oh, wow.

Lexi: And so, yeah, I'm just like, I'm just like, I'm having this baby. And I remember, like, maybe the next week after I found out I was pregnant, oh yeah, not, I'm not telling anyone. I'm just like, I don't even know who to tell. I can't tell my grandparents. I'm like, don't even wanna tell my friends, like, I don’t know what to do. And I remember the next week I actually got accepted to intern at the Abortion Fund of Ohio, so I'm like, okay, guess I'm going to intern at this Abortion Fund of Ohio and be pregnant because I’m still having this baby because even though I found out I'm gonna do this, like, the thought is still not a thought to me.

Jennie: Right, no.

Lexi: And so, yeah, I go on my way, keep being pregnant. And I remember I went to the conference that—they call it Collective Power Now, the internship program I did—I remember they had a conference and I go to the conference and I'm sitting there pregnant just wishing I wasn't pregnant, but not gonna get an abortion. And an organization called We Testify had some storytellers that were talking. And I just remember listening to this one storyteller, Jordyn Close, she is also the Deputy Director of OWA, Ohio Women's Alliance, and also the board president of the Abortion Fund of Ohio. Did not know her at the time, but listening to her speak and she basically was just like, I had an abortion. It was cool. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. I have no regrets, and I would do it again. And that is all I needed to hear. That was just the one thing I needed to hear. And I went out in my car, and I called Planned Parenthood right then and there. And fast forward, me and her are now best friends. She's the love of my life. So, really cute 180 or 360, I guess that would be the term, little 360 that we had. And yeah, so I went out, you know, called Planned Parenthood, made my appointment, and I went and had an abortion maybe a week or two later. And I remember I had a medication abortion, and I remember my best friend came over, I told my grandpa we were doing homework or something, and we watched Beyonce's Homecoming on Netflix.

Jennie: Perfect.

Lexi: And I took the pills. And I just remember, you know, it was very painful for me. I didn't have the best, like, experience. Also, I'm very young. I wasn't, you know, that very sexually active. I'd never been to the OBGYN before. So, like, I didn't have that much experience down there. So, I did have a pretty uncomfortable process. But I remember just when the pregnancy passed, just having the most immense sense of relief, just being, like, thank fucking God I'm not pregnant anymore. I don't have to do this. Like, I don't care if I'm going to hell, I don't care if I'm a horrible person. Like, I just don't have to feel like this anymore and I don't have to think about raising a child right now. And that's what I felt at first. And then immediately after, very depressed. Because I just had all this stigma around me. Like, I don't feel like I have anyone to talk to, feel like I'm a horrible person, feel like I had this duty to, you know, if I was having sex then I need to raise a child and blah, blah, blah. And it really took, you know, a few months later I went to Ohio, met everyone at Abortion Fund of Ohio and in the repro community in Ohio. And it really took being in that community to really be able to undo a lot of that internalized stigma because I was able to, you know, look at all these other people who had had abortions and be like, you're amazing. Like, I love you, you're great. And then I had to ask myself, why can't I feel that way about myself? Like, they're not any different from me. Like, we both had abortions. It's okay. And so yeah, that's a little bit about how I got into it. And I came, when I first started interning with Abortion Fund of Ohio, I was doing community outreach work. And one of my main tasks was to work with the other patient navigator at the time, Michelle, to create kind of like a case management program. Before that we were just doing block grants to clinics to fund people's abortions. So, me and Michelle created, you know, the case management one-on-one interaction with patients. And that has served, I mean, close to at least 10,000 people to this day. And so, started on that, went back to school, finished school, moved to Ohio, joined the board of directors, started as an employee continuing the work that I had done as an intern, moved to program manager as we hired new staff, and now I'm the executive director. So, that, you know, it's been a ride, but it all started with me having an abortion. And you know, I hold that close to me. I think it's really important on my team for the members of our direct service, you know, our patient-facing team to also be abortion-havers people who have had abortions. I think that does make a huge impact in the work that we do. And, you know, people know that, okay, this is, I mean, the information's out there if you could find it, that our, you know, the people you're talking to are abortion storytellers. I hope that makes you feel good. I hope it makes you feel good that the person helping you has also had an abortion. So, you don't feel that alone.

Jennie: Well, yeah, because that's what I was just thinking, like, with your story, like, how important it was that you went to a conference where there was an abortion storyteller who told their story 'cause it helped you let go some of that stigma enough to be like, oh, actually I can do this.

Lexi: Right, right. Yeah. And you know, when I was, you know, picking my team and picking, you know, who I wanted to, you know, with me moving away from talking to patients, who did I trust to really do that work? And, you know, in interviewing people, it really was the people that had abortions. You know, people who identify with a lot of the people that contact us. Black women, young people, poor people—like, those are the identities that a lot of the people contacting us have. And I think that's very important to be reflected in the work that we do.

Jennie: So much happened in Ohio this last year. Do you wanna talk a little bit about the ballot initiative and, like, so, where are we now?

Lexi: Yeah, so we had, you know, I remember the day that Roe was overturned that June and, and it was horrible. It was absolutely horrible. Ohio went for almost three months, you know, without access at all. Thankfully that, you know, ban was blocked in a court, held up in a court for a long time. But I remember what it was like for us not to have care and have to navigate hundreds of people out of state. And you know, I'm sure there are people that now have children that they were not planning to have because we did not have access to care and because there are, you know, people don't understand the barriers that go into actually obtaining an abortion. And so yeah, we saw just an absolute increase in need in the people that we were caring for. Especially with the loss of access in Indiana and Kentucky and a lot of the South. I don't necessarily believe that any state is a haven state, but in a state where there's more access than other states, people aren't usually looking at Ohio as that state. When you're looking at a map and looking at who does not have access, Ohio's the first stop for a lot of people. So, we saw, you know, I wanna say, oh my gosh, pull the actual number because it was ridiculous. We saw 4,500 people in 2023, and lemme see, in 2022, we supported 1,200 people.

Jennie: Wow. That's a huge increase.

Lexi: We went from, yes, in 2021 we saw 900. So, we went in 2022, 1,200 to 2023, 4,500 in funding, almost 1.5 million. We're a small team at, like, we have less than 10 employees. We're just a bunch of gals trying to get people abortions. So, you know, we're doing a lot. And so, you know, yes, we won the election. Yes, abortion is in our constitution that is not taking away the numerous other barriers that we still have. And, you know, cost of care has just increased so rapidly, so dramatically. Abortion funds, you know, we can't sustain that. It's not, you know, the donations aren't coming in the way that they were the minute Roe fell. You know, we blew through that money in months because look at how many people need help. And you know, we don't get funding like a lot of these larger organizing legacy organizations, but yet we're holding so much of this work on our back. So, it really does take a strain on you. And you know, for the first time AFO had to pause our funding last month, we actually just reopened funding in February simply because, you know, we didn't have the dollars to do it. You know, and I think it's hard to depend on grassroots donations to fund abortion because a lot of the people that support us are also in poverty. They're also struggling financially. You know, look at our economy. Everyone is pretty broke right now. Like, you know, this is where- a time where I really think, you know, institutions and really large funders need to be trusting abortion funds more and really not, you know, restricting the money they give us. And you know, what good is you giving me all this money for overhead and for this and that and everything but funding abortion. You know, I think, you know, we have a problem with funders really wanting to give us money to fund abortion. They'll donate or they'll give us money for anything else but it's something weird when it comes to actually giving money for people to receive healthcare. And I think it's time for us to have a serious conversation about why that is. And how can we move beyond that? Yeah, but you were asking- yeah, the election was what a wild time.

Jennie: I was so excited for y'all. You all did so much work and like it was nonstop because you had, yeah you had the two and, like, you worked your butts off and, like, and you won, and it was amazing.

Lexi: Yes. And shout out to Ohio Women's Alliance, one of the only Black-led RJ organizations in Ohio that got Black voters and brown communities and young people out to vote. You know, I think being a young Black leader in this space, you know, especially someone who's had multiple abortions, I think a lot of times we are left out of these conversations, we're left out of leadership positions, we're left out of, you know, the important, you know, decision making that is impacting us as Black women the most and thinking about the ballot and thinking about the work that had to be done by Black women and Black organizers because white leaders were just not listening to us. We know our community best. We don't need other people making decisions on our behalf. You know, that's why I said shout out to Ohio's Women's Alliance because they did the very intentional work on making sure that Black and brown communities were reached out to and engaged and, you know, doing that community education. They made sure that young people were informed and knew what was going on. You know, the legacy orgs, the white-led orgs, they were not trying to do that. They were not, you know, trying to put in the work to the communities that are impacted the most by these restrictions, by these bans. And you know, the poll showed what that work meant. You know, it was like 83, I wanna say, percent of Black voters showed out and voted yes on Issue 1. Yeah. 77% voters under 30 voted yes on Issue 1. I think young people, Black and brown communities are constantly seen as, like, disenfranchised that, you know, "they don't come out to vote. They don't care about these issues." That's not true. That's not true. When you give these people something real and tangible to vote on, we're gonna show out. But yeah, why would, why would we show out for these policies that don't give a fuck about us, that don't have us in mind? And you know, in the ways, you know, with the election that, you know, just some of the language, you know, the way language, the way messaging impacts, you know, just based off my story I had, I was gonna continue a pregnancy if I hadn't heard someone share their story. The way that we're speaking about abortion is very important. I'm not trying to hear "reasonable limits," "too many abortions."

Jennie: Ugh.

Lexi: You know, I'm not tryna hear that. But there's a reason why that works. There's a reason why that works, because we haven't done, you know...these orgs with all this money, they're not doing the actual on the ground community education that we need to do to overcome a lot of this stigma in the community. You can't pop out one minute after Roe goes and say, okay, now we're gonna transform all this, all these things overnight. Like no, this is, you know, Black and brown organizers have been doing this stuff for years and years and years. We've known Roe wasn't enough. We knew it was also gonna come down. You know, we've been saying, no, we have to mobilize now. We have to get in our communities now. And I think the real big difference is we're not following respectability politics. I'm not trying to hear that. Like, that's not saving nobody. That's not saving nobody. I'm not trying to appeal to the swing voter. I'm trying to appeal to the people actively going and getting abortions or gonna get a third trimester abortion right now. I want them to know that that's okay. I want people to know that, you know, I'm not trying to have...yes, absolutely rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, like my situation. Those are absolutely valid reasons for having an abortion. That is not the main reason people are having abortions. So, why are we making that the poster story for every time we're talking about abortion? Because you know what, you know how that made me feel when I went to have my abortion? Like, maybe my reason isn't good enough because I wasn't, I wasn't raped. So, I dunno, maybe I have to hesitate and think about it. These are things that have real impacts beyond a campaign. So, I just really wish people would fight back on these narratives a little more.

Jennie: Yeah. It's really that narrative of, like, unsaid but felt by people, like, that there are good abortions and bad abortions when there are just abortions and healthcare you need. And need access to, need to be able to get-

Lexi: Mm-hmm.

Jennie: -without all of these barriers, including financial barriers, like, this is just wild that we still are having all of that stigmatizing language out there. Something else that I thought of as you were talking is the campaign, I've seen a bunch of the reproductive justice groups launching that. I think if some people just see it may not quite understand and you did a good job of starting to articulate it. So, like, let's talk about it real quick, the "let Roe go." And I think that's really important to talk about because I think maybe people who aren't familiar with some of these conversations might be like, oh, what is that about? That feels like it could be a problem.

Lexi: Oh yeah.

Jennie: When it's really important.

Lexi: They was not happy.

Jennie: Yeah.

Lexi: They was not happy with our "let Roe go" one. [laughs] That's why I love our comms person. She be dropping shit and I'm like, that's gonna cause an uproar, I'm into it. I'm into it. Yes, we've gotta let Roe go, y'all. It didn't help us. It did not help us. Yes. Like, it's like asking the man for a bare minimum, like, I guess, but-

Jennie: This podcast did not start when Roe fell.

Lexi: Right.

Jennie: I've been doing this for six plus years because there were problems accessing care way before then, way before I started this. Basically from the day Roe happened right?

Lexi: Right. I mean, AFO has been around for 30 plus years. You know, there's a reason why abortion funds exist regardless of Roe. Black people, brown people, young people, disabled people, our trans homies. Like, they have always had issues accessing abortion care. Roe, what was Roe doing? How many bans did Ohio push through in the last 30 years? What was Roe doing? Like, you know, we have to not want to settle for something that isn't serving us. We don't, we should not have to settle for the bare minimum access to care. We have to think bigger. We have to do bigger, we have to do more. You know, as long- to me, as long as one person is not able to access care, we're not doing enough. There's more work to be done. And I think this is, you know, for people that might have an issue with letting Roe go, please go listen to some abortion storytellers that had to access care with Roe. You know, the stories I've heard, the people I've talked to, these are...it's horrific what people have to do. People having to put down payments on a house to access care that could kill them. And even if it couldn't kill them, they still shouldn't have to do that. Like, we have three, is it, I wanna say three trimester clinics in the whole country? Like, come on, like, what was Roe doing for us? Like, yeah, I'm not settling for the bare minimum, not settling for the bare minimum at all. And I think, you know, this is also an important time for people to really be learning about reproductive justice because there's such a big difference. There's such a big difference, you know. It was created because Black women recognized that these movements were not working for us. And I really love reproductive justice. I just remember, like, when I first learned what it was and I was just like, oh my gosh, like, there's a name for all the things I've been thinking, like, how everything is connected. Oh my gosh, there's a movement for this. I frigging love this. It all made sense once I learned about reproductive justice. Learn it folks. It'll change your life.

Jennie: And it just feels so basic, right?

Lexi: It's so [laughs], it does, but it's like-

Jennie: Huge but, like, so simple.

Lexi: Right? It's, like, yeah, everyone should just be able to live healthy and safely. Yeah. Yeah. But when, you know, it's interesting, it's interesting, you know, a lot of people had stuff to say about our Palestine statements and you're an abortion fund. Why are you even speaking on this? Like, because you can't live safely if you're being bombed and starved and things like that. So, like I said, reproductive justice, people, reproductive justice. I'm not trying to hear all that. That's why, you know, we work, you know, cross movements, you know, reproductive justice is all the movements. So, I really think now is the time for us to continue our work cross-movement and you know, bringing people along and showing them, you know, hey, abortion impacts what you're doing because X, Y, and Z. You know, reproductive justice is your movement because X, Y, and Z. You can show me any problem in the world, and I promise I'll connect it back to reproductive justice. So yeah, whenever someone tries to argue with me, it really just comes down- I'm like, I dunno, do you know, or do you follow reproductive justice? Intersectionality? You don't know about that? Go look it up. Come back to me. Come back to me babe.

Jennie: Okay. So, I always like to wrap up with like, not just talking about all the problems that we tend to focus on on the podcast, but I like to give people something they can do. So, what actions can people take right now to push back on what's happening or just to get more involved?

Lexi: First, please donate to your local abortion fund. We need it [chuckles]. We need it. We're trying to get people care. Please say the word abortion. Oh my god. People who are anti-abortion say the word abortion more than we do. And that, that's why their narratives are the ones that are so pushed all the time in TV and books and any media because they're not afraid to say it. Meanwhile, we got Joe Biden doing jumping jacks and circles and gymnastics, trying to think of every word except abortion to say. Yes and get, you know, follow Black reproductive justice leaders. You know, we're out here telling the truth, y'all. We're out here spitting facts. Especially look and see what volunteer opportunities your local abortion fund has, if any. You know, hopefully in the future, Abortion Fund of Ohio will be launching some more volunteer opportunities to get folks involved. Yeah, and like I said, do your research on reproductive justice. It'll change your life. It'll change the way you organize. It'll change the way you do your activism. It'll change the way you think about things. Promise.

Jennie: I'm just gonna add one thing, like, absolutely donate to abortion funds, but especially if you can become a monthly donor because like-

Lexi: Oh yes, please.

Jennie: I definitely do the rage donating and donate to, like, whatever. But I also make sure that I am a monthly donor to several different places because that way they know they can count on X amount of money each month and it makes a huge difference in their ability to plan.

Lexi: Yes, yes. Thank you so much for that. And one more thing I wanna add, learn about self-managed abortion, y'all.

Jennie: Yes!

Lexi: It's safe, it's good, you know, it's good for our communities. We can manage our abortions ourselves. Period.

Jennie: Lexi, thank you so much. It has been so much fun talking to you.

Lexi: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. I was happy to talk.

Jennie: Okay, y'all, I hope you enjoyed my talk with Lexi. I had so much fun talking to her. And yeah, like I said, make sure you are following the Abortion Fund of Ohio's socials. They really are amazing, and I really love following them on all of the platforms. So, we'll have all those links in our show notes, so make sure that you jump on that, and I will see y'all next week! [music outro] If you have any questions, comments, or topics you would like us to cover, always feel free to shoot me an email. You can reach me at jennie@reprosfightback.com or you can find us on social media. We're at @RePROsFightBack on Facebook and Twitter or @reprosfb on Instagram. If you love our podcast and wanna make sure more people find it, take the time to rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Or if you wanna make sure to support the podcast, you can also donate on our website at reprofightback.com. Thanks all!