Some of the most powerful reproductive rights work in North Carolina isn't happening in courtrooms or at the legislature. It's happening in communities across this state, like in Ashe County, where a handful of neighbors refused to stay quiet.
Here's what happened when they didn’t.
Towards the end of 2021, Pro-Choice North Carolina (PCNC) was contacted by a few abortion and reproductive rights advocates in western rural counties who shared that out-of-state anti-abortion groups were approaching rural county elected officials to get them to adopt anti-abortion resolutions. While these resolutions--usually stating that “the county” was opposed to abortion and would not support any (non-existent) abortion clinics in their county--did not have the legal authority of an ordinance or law, these actions are a tool for normalizing anti-abortion rhetoric, misrepresenting support for abortion, and contributing to shame, stigma, and misinformation around abortion care, including who accesses that care. With one in four American women having accessed abortion by the time they are 45 years old, it’s very likely that there are people living in these counties who have either chosen to have an abortion or love someone who did.
This fact did not stop these county commissions from quickly passing these resolutions, often with little public notice of the resolution and no opportunity for public comment. The advocates who contacted us felt silenced and frustrated. One group of community members from Ashe County took their frustration a step further, though. After an initial meeting with local advocates, PCNC staff worked with the county residents to develop and circulate a letter of opposition to the resolution, stating that the signatories opposed the resolution because they supported people’s ability to make their own healthcare decisions and that the county commission was not an appropriate venue for such a resolution. They collected over 115 signatures of Ashe County residents in just a month! While they knew their statement would not affect the resolution, they had the opportunity to read it at an Ashe County Commission meeting and enter their opposition into the public record. It was an empowering moment for the advocates involved!
Since that effort in early 2022, reproductive rights advocates in the county have continued to show public support for abortion and reproductive healthcare, and have been a strong partner for PCNC’s work in western NC. They held at least three rallies/marches in opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which removed federal protections for abortion access. They have invited PCNC to speak at public educational events on the state of reproductive rights in North Carolina. They have also been a partner in PCNC’s work to hold anti-abortion centers accountable. PCNC has been proud to work alongside these advocates, in communities often written off as anti-abortion, to show that abortion and reproductive rights garner support in small towns as well as big cities.
Those supporters in Ashe County didn't make national headlines. There was no viral moment. Just neighbors finding each other, speaking out, and refusing to let their community be defined by a resolution they never agreed to. And they didn't stop there. Four years later, they're still showing up: organizing, holding their elected officials accountable, calling out anti-abortion centers, and fighting misinformation. PCNC is proud to walk alongside them, and communities like them, for as long as it takes.
No matter where you live in our state, we know that there are those who believe that people should make their own decisions about their reproductive healthcare, not politicians. It just takes a few people speaking out for advocates to find each other. So keep raising your voice!
The fight against anti-abortion centers is personal in western North Carolina — and it's not over. Join us in West Jefferson on Wednesday, June 17, from 6–8 pm for a screening of Preconceived, the documentary that exposes the tactics and real harms of anti-abortion centers, followed by a Q&A and community discussion. Light refreshments provided.
Register today: https://prochoicenc.org/preconceived
