Mayday Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that educates on medication abortion and how to access it in the United States. It was founded in 2022 in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) court decision that limited access to abortion in many U.S. states.[1][2][3][4] Mayday educates on self-managed abortion and does not sell or distribute the abortion pill.[5][6] Mayday was founded after the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The organization launched on the day of the Dobbs decision.[7]
| Formation | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Founders |
|
| Type | non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | Massachusetts |
| Website | www |
Tactics
editMayday uses guerrilla tactics to raise awareness about abortion pills, in a break from traditional organizations like Planned Parenthood.[1][8]
Mayday advocated in Massachusetts for a law to shield healthcare providers who mail abortion pills to patients in other states.[9][10]
The mayday.health website is written at a fifth grade reading level. It is available in multiple languages. It does not track data from visitors.[11]
In December 2022, Mayday published an undercover video filmed inside crisis pregnancy centers, arguing that the centers share false information with women seeking abortion.[12][13]
During Women's History Month in March 2023, Mayday drove mobile billboards through 14 states with restrictions on abortion.[3]
In June 2023, Mayday opened a pop-up "abortion store" art installation in Bastrop, Texas to show that free speech can be used to talk about access to abortion pills, even in ban states.[14][15][16]
Social media
editMayday reached millions of people within 48 hours of its launch using viral infographics about how to access safe abortion pills by mail, starting with zero followers the day of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision.[7]
Mayday has criticized Facebook and Instagram for restricting access to their platforms for health education information.[9] When Spotify blocked Mayday ads about abortion pills, Mayday released a 119 hour "Spotify Rapist Playlist" of sexual predators hosted by the platform to pressure Spotify for policy changes.[17][18][19]
In January 2023, Jennifer Lincoln, an OB/GYN and social media influencer, became Executive Director of Mayday.[2] In January 2024, co-founder Olivia Raisner transitioned to the role and Dr. Lincoln moved to the Board of Directors.
Legal disputes
editIn July 2022, Mayday put up three billboards in Jackson, Mississippi, that read: "Pregnant? You still have a choice."[20][21][22][23][24][25]
Mayday received a subpoena from the state of Mississippi. Mayday rejected the subpoena, citing censorship of free speech. Mayday put up 20 additional billboards and ran a television ad in Mississippi.[4][6][26]
Mayday was represented pro bono by the litigation firms Hogan Lovells, Davis Wright Tremaine and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.[11]
In October 2022, the University of Idaho advised students and professors to avoid speaking about abortion pills or contraception. Mayday ran a mobile billboard in Idaho with the same message as Mississippi.[27][28][29]
In April 2023, the district court ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA (2023) against approval of mifepristone referenced Mayday as a new organization that "focuses on those who live in states with abortion bans, giving users step-by-step instructions on how to set up temporary addresses in an abortion permissive state and forward the mail into the banned state."[30][31][32]
Staff
edit- Olivia Raisner - Executive Director, Co-founder
- Sam Koppelman - Co-founder
- Nathaniel Horwitz - Co-founder
See also
edit- Dobbs v. Jackson – 2022 United States Supreme Court case on abortion
- Roe v. Wade – 1973 US Supreme Court decision on abortion
- Planned Parenthood – US nonprofit reproductive health services organization
- Plan C – Non-profit medication abortion information provider
References
edit- ^ a b Alptraum, Lux (29 July 2022). "Women, the Game Is Rigged. It's Time We Stop Playing by the Rules". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Alter, Charlotte (9 December 2022). "This Group Wants to Teach You How to Get Abortions Even Where They're Banned". Time.
- ^ a b Pilkington, Ed (3 March 2023). "Billboards advise on how to get abortion pills in US states where procedure is banned". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Torres, Carolina (11 February 2022). "A New "Underground Railroad" in U.S. Amid Draconian Abortion Laws". Der Spiegel.
- ^ Mcnamara, Brittney (22 November 2022). "What It Feels Like to Take the Abortion Pill: People Share Their Stories". Teen Vogue.
- ^ a b Mounk, Yascha (22 August 2022). "Why Freedom of Speech Is the Next Abortion Fight". The Atlantic.
- ^ a b Azar, Taraneh (28 June 2022). "Need help getting an abortion? Social media flooded with resources after Roe reversal". USA TODAY.
- ^ Davis, Dominic-Madori (16 July 2022). "After Roe's reversal, founders of women's health startups prepare for battle". TechCrunch.
- ^ a b MacColl, Margaux (19 August 2022). "The Abortion Pill Paradox". The Information.
- ^ Tusk, Bradley (20 January 2023). "N.Y. can expand nationwide access to abortion". New York Daily News.
- ^ a b Aymond, Natalie (17 August 2022). "Mayday, mayday, mayday: Abortion pills to the rescue". MV Times.
- ^ Cheung, Kylie (15 December 2022). "She Went Undercover to a Crisis Pregnancy Center. They Told Her Abortion Is Reversible". Yahoo.
- ^ Raisner, Olivia (15 December 2022). "Going Undercover at a Crisis Pregnancy Center". Ms. Magazine.
- ^ "Mayday.Health Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ Coggins, Jessica Montoya (2023-06-23). "An Abortion Information Store Arrives In Texas". Texas Signal. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Mayday Health opens pop-up in Bastrop one year after Roe v. Wade overturned". kvue.com. June 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ Carman, Ashley (17 November 2022). "Deciphering Spotify's Ad Policy on Abortion Pills". Bloomberg.
- ^ Newton, Casey (13 October 2022). "Spotify's about-face on abortion ads". Platformer.
- ^ Cheung, Kylie (21 November 2022). "Why Is Spotify Blocking Ads for Abortion Pills?". Jezebel.
- ^ Judin, Nick (21 July 2022). "With Pink House Gone, Group Promotes Self-Managed Abortion—With Caution". Mississippi Free Press.
- ^ Vance, Kobee (19 July 2022). "New billboards remind Mississippians that abortion pills are available by mail". MPB.
- ^ di Fiore, Bettina (22 July 2022). "Abortion pill billboards erected in Mississippi, where abortion is legal only in rare cases". The Paradise.
- ^ Jackson, Courtney (18 July 2022). "Billboards go up in Jackson area promoting access to abortion pills". Action News 5.
- ^ Perlis, Wicker (18 July 2022). "Jackson billboards promote abortion pills, despite them being banned in Mississippi". Clarion-Ledger.
- ^ Weigel, David (15 September 2022). "Calif. governor rents billboards in red states to tout abortion access". The Washington Post.
- ^ Bazelon, Emily (4 October 2022). "Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines". The New York Times.
- ^ Boone, Rebecca (3 October 2022). "Abortion info fight targets university but affects far more". AP News.
- ^ Moseley-Morris, Kelcie (30 September 2022). "Organization runs ads in Idaho college town to promote birth control, abortion access". Idaho Capital Sun.
- ^ Wixey, Will (30 September 2022). "Mayday Health displays billboards promoting birth control at University of Idaho". KXLY.
- ^ Calvan, Bobby (28 April 2023). "Competing abortion pill rulings sow broad alarm, confusion". AP News.
- ^ "Read the Court Decision Invalidating F.D.A. Approval of Mifepristone". The New York Times. 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas USDC No. 2:22-CV-223" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 12 April 2023.
Despite state laws, mailed medication abortion can cross borders in ways that undermine state laws . . . A new organization, Mayday Health, for example, focuses on those who live in states with abortion bans, giving users step-by-step instructions on how to set up temporary addresses in an abortion permissive state and forward the mail into the banned state.