Today, the start of Women’s History Month, Mayday.Health is launching a multi-day education campaign centered around accessing abortion pills. They will have a heavy presence in Texas with mobile billboards in Austin, Dallas, and Amarillo, which is the site of a current lawsuit against mifepristone, a medication that can terminate an early pregnancy.
The 501(c)(3) health education nonprofit is one of the top information providers about how to get abortion pills, even in states like Texas with abortion bans. The Signal spoke with Mayday President Dr. Jennifer Lincoln as she was traversing the country, and just after news broke about a new bill filed in Texas that would force internet providers to block access to websites that promote abortion pills.
Dr. Lincoln noted she had a limited amount of time to even process the potential legislation (which has not yet been assigned a committee), but stressed that were it to go through, “we would absolutely consider a free speech lawsuit.” For now, Mayday is focused on their biggest ever action campaign.
In addition to the mobile billboards, they are working on the ground with college students and social media influencers to let Texans understand that they can still purchase abortion pills. “Being informed is being empowered,” says Lincoln. They also have merchandise available, which is another avenue for promoting their work.
According to Lincoln, Texans have been the biggest users to the website since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. She also reiterated that the website does not collect cookies. “We very intentionally design the website to collect no identifying identification.”
For Lincoln, Mayday is a crucial resource for residents of states where abortion is currently banned. “We are not afraid to show up in banned states and use free speech to tell [Texans] that they can still get abortion pills in all fifty states.” Lincoln is also very aware that many Texans are afraid to even talk about or search online about abortion because of the very opaque wording of Senate Bill 8, which says anybody could be sued in Texas for aiding and abetting an abortion.
The education campaign that Mayday is starting is another visible way that out-of-state organizations have taken to help Texans access healthcare. “We are here to help and know that free speech is protected,” said Lincoln.
Even in such a hostile anti-abortion climate, Mayday is committed to doing whatever they can to educate Texans about abortion pill access. And they don’t intend to stop any time soon. “We know we have the arc of history and justice on our side, so we’ll just keep pushing.”
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
