Like us, you may still be reeling from last week's leaked document showing there are enough votes on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade, upending abortion access throughout the country. 

And like us, you may use action to counter fear and despair. Thank you to all of you who have donated, signed up to volunteer at clinics and abortion funds, and showed up at rallies in support of access. We know we have a long road ahead of us to secure and expand reproductive rights, health, and justice. Below are some actions you can take now and in the near future to help us achieve true reproductive freedom for all.

Challenge stigma: Write a letter to the editor of your local paper in support of abortion access! There continues to be a lot of press coverage of this draft opinion, and your community needs to hear from you. Letters should be short, to the point, and share why you support access to abortion. You can find links to newspaper submission pages and more tips here: https://prochoicenc.org/write-letter-editor

Use the power of our vote: Primary elections are happening right now! Elected offices up and down the ballot - including state judges and district attorneys - will be critical to securing our reproductive rights. Early Voting ends on Saturday, May 14, and Tuesday, May 17, is Election Day! Find a sample of your ballot, Early Voting sites in your county, check your voter registration, and learn more about One-Stop in-person voting at the North Carolina State Board of Elections' website.

Get ready to contact your state lawmakers: The North Carolina legislature will be back in session soon (May 18), and we will be watching closely for anti-abortion lawmakers to try to move through more restrictions and/or bans. We can and will hold the line here! Find out who represents you in the General Assembly, write down their contact information, and be ready to make your calls, send your emails, and maybe even visit them in person, to demand we protect abortion access in North Carolina.

Show Your Support: Join a Bans Off Our Bodies rally near you, Saturday, May 14! This is a national day of action, for folks to rally, do teach-ins, speak out, and march. Below are some of the rallies we know happening across the state:

Asheville: 4:00-8:00pm at Pack Square

Charlotte: 4:00-6:00pm at Marshall Park, 800 E 3rd St

Greensboro: 12:00-3:00pm at Government Plaza, 110 S Greene St

Hendersonville: 4:00-5:00pm at Boyd Park, 851 N. Main St

Raleigh: 12:00-3:00pm at 1 E Edenton St

Wilmington: 1:00-3:00pm at Wilmington Brewing Company

Winston-Salem: 11:00am-2:00pm at West 4th St & Spring St

Advocates have been holding the line on abortion access here in North Carolina since 2016 and - with your help - we will continue to do so.  

If you can't make it out to a rally this weekend, don't worry - we promise you there will be more opportunities to take action in the coming days, weeks, and months. We've seen the power of our movement to protect abortion access in our state, especially in the past few years. We can and will amplify that power now, to ensure all who need abortion care can get it - safely, with dignity, and in the communities where we live.