9. Interestingly, the US "underground" is said to be actually out-innovating the UK's legal bureaucracy. NHS gatekeeping vs the US post-Dobbs chaos creating a decentralized, telehealth-driven model that's faster & more autonomous than the "settled" law of 1967 newlinesmag.com/reportage/in...

8. The rise of "Shield Laws" created a legal paradox. A patient in a total-ban state like Alabama can now access pills legally (or semi-legally) from US-based telehealth providers, provided those doctors are in states like NY or MA that enacted specific laws to block out-of-state prosecution.

7. Research for a "Plant Parenthood" series uncovered 100+ plants (like peacock flower and wild ginger) historically used for abortion by midwives and enslaved women, highlighting that community-managed care predates the "white male physician" consolidation of the 19th century.

6. Muslim organizers like Heart to Grow are producing guides that frame bodily autonomy as an anti-colonial rejection of control, arguing that wanting to make decisions about your body isn't a "Western feminist thing" but deeply rooted in their own theological interpretation.

5. Borrowing from Latin American activists, some networks are distributing medication before pregnancy is confirmed. It’s framed as regulating menstruation ("missed period pills") rather than abortion, bypassing both stigma and specific legal trigegrs newlinesmag.com/reportage/in...

4. Leading doctors admitted that the long-standing requirement for pre-abortion ultrasounds was often for research purposes or because "doctors love doing procedures," not medical necessity. Post-Dobbs, the removal of these barriers through telehealth has streamlined care significantly.

3. Churches are now running travel networks. The First Unitarian Church in Dallas designed a travel program that literally flies groups of women to New Mexico for same-day procedures. The SACRED curriculum is pushing congregations to move from "lesser of two evils" rhetoric to a "moral good."

2. Mexican "companions" (veterans of Latin American activism) are guiding Texans via anonymous text chains. One "pill bank" operator mails meds & care packages with heavy overnight pads and pregnancy tests, so women don't have to risk buying a test in a local drugstore.

1. Abortion access actually expanded post-Dobbs. A 12% increase in provider-administered abortions in 2024 compared to 2020. The system simply mutated into something decentralized. newlinesmag.com/reportage/in...