Election 2024:
No matter what happens,
we have work to do.

Right now it’s easy to feel like everything abortion-related is hinging on the upcoming election. But we’d like to offer a recalibration: the reality is that even if Harris is elected and ballot measures pass in a dozen states, abortion access will remain in a state of crisis. The flip side of that very depressing statement is, even if we descend back into Trump hell and find ourselves facing a federal ban, revival of Comstock, or whatever else they throw at the wall, people are going to keep having abortions. 

‍TL;DR: politicians aren’t coming to save us, and they can’t stop us either. 

Let’s talk about abortion ballot measures, which are on the ballot in November in 10 states. These initiatives are generally understood as likely pro-choice victories, which double as a way to galvanize pro-choice voters in swing states who will probably vote blue on the rest of the ticket. And look: the degree to which these ballot measures help Democrats get elected in swing states is tbd (we certainly hope it works!) but the actual content of these initiatives is by no means visionary, and their passage would *not* make abortion magically accessible. 

First off, nearly every one of these measures include viability limits, which the pro-choice movement has historically accepted as a “reasonable compromise,” instead of understanding them as the literal abortion bans that they are. Bottom line: at no point is the government qualified or entitled to decide whether a person should be allowed to end a pregnancy, and gestational limits cause unfathomable hardship. Some ballot measures such as Florida’s Amendment 4 have adopted language supporting parental consent requirements, which is HORRIFYING. Lastly, these ballot measures have cost hundreds of millions of dollars overall, much of which has come from people who might have been giving to direct service organizations.

At the end of the day, we at AMP just can’t get excited about any solution that throws people—inevitably, the most marginalized among us—under the bus, in the name of progress.

Again, we aren’t saying these ballot measures are all bad, and we don’t want to fall into reductive or binary analysis. But ultimately, there is a disproportionate obsession with elections, considering that the solutions required to address this crisis are much more than political. The reality is that the abortion access movement needs a whole lot more people power, and we, not politicians, are what makes access unstoppable. You’ve read this far because you’ve got some time, energy, or resources to leverage, and we really hope that AMP can help put you to work.

For a deeper dive into how federal policies can better reflect the needs of abortion seekers and providers, head over to Abortion Justice Now. When we hear candidates and proposals to protect abortion access, these plans fall dramatically short, and Abortion Justice Now is what real, visionary political change might look like. It’s time to commit to real, lasting change, no half-steps. And above all, please remember that we need you no matter what happens in November.

Laws can change. The breakdown of political power in Washington D.C. is in constant flux. But the need for abortion isn't going anywhere, and neither are we. Real power lies in community, and you always have options. Keep learning, keep sharing and keep supporting each other. 

Love, AMP aka the abortion mob