Photo via #ActforAbortion
Recently, the Arizona House voted to repeal a controversial Civil War-era abortion law. This moment serves as a powerful reminder for California as we intensify our efforts and strengthen our commitment to safeguarding our reproductive freedom.
As we near the 2nd anniversary of the fall of Roe v Wade, Arizona’s recent actions highlight ongoing threats to bodily autonomy. The Arizona House repealed a state Supreme Court ruling that aimed to reinstate a 160-year-old law. This ruling would have banned abortions except when the pregnant person’s life was at risk, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The legislation will now advance to the state Senate, where it may receive final approval next week.
The feminist future we envision is one where communities are healthy, safe, and prosperous, and where systems operate with love and justice. Women’s Foundation California is executing a robust strategy to promote an inclusive and flourishing democracy for all. Our latest efforts include:
- Joining All by April to resist coordinated attacks on democracy, bodily autonomy, reproductive justice, the LGBT+ community, and immigrants and moving election-related grants by the end of the month.
- Hosting a dynamic conversation with Paris Hatcher, the esteemed Executive Director of Black Feminist Future working to reshape and shift culture for our collective liberation.
- Continuing our support to grant partners in California working at the intersection of reproductive justice and democracy.
As one of over 160 signatories of All by April, WFC supports the Open Letter from Pro-Democracy Philanthropy. Our pledge is to move funds faster wherever possible to advance a multiracial democracy, committing to distribute election-related grants by the end of April. We recognize early resources are essential to supporting a reproductive justice movement led by BIPOC women and gender-expansive groups on the frontlines.
By directing financial resources and fostering collective power, we are collaboratively shaping California’s reproductive justice landscape. This pivotal moment, with the upcoming November election, requires our collective action and commitment. We are grateful for our partner organizations working to increase voter education and participation. Their unwavering commitment to civic engagement is crucial power-building work for a more inclusive and equitable future.
WFC has been a steadfast supporter of reproductive justice for over four decades, championing the leadership of Black, Latine, Indigenous, and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and gender-expansive folks and their organizations across California. Together with our grassroots organizers, WFC continues to actively defend bodily autonomy and invest in the future of reproductive justice.
Through the advocacy of our Solís Policy Institute (SPI), we have championed over 50 intersectional feminist policies promoting health, safety, and prosperity for our feminist future. As our democracy and civil liberties hang in the balance, we must work to preserve our reproductive freedom. We are forging a path towards a feminist future where bodily autonomy and democracy not only exist, but thrive. Join us in supporting the transformative work of our grant partner organizations advancing reproductive justice in California and beyond.
Two years ago, following the landmark Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion, many states looked to California as a refuge for reproductive freedom and an abortion sanctuary. Now, California is bracing for a second wave and may serve as a refuge for Arizonans affected by their state’s near-total abortion ban. A new bill backed by Governor Gavin Newsom allows Arizona doctors to perform abortions in California temporarily, bypassing the restrictive law.
On March 14th, we had the privilege of hosting a Community Call featuring our CEO Bia Vieira and Paris Hatcher, the Executive Director of Black Feminist Future. Together, we explored the imperative to shift culture and unlock our political power for our collective liberation. Throughout the event, Paris Hatcher articulated the power and brilliance of our community and Black Feminist Future’s proactive stance against the assaults on abortion and reproductive freedom in the U.S. Hatcher’s insights shed light on the critical work being done to challenge existing narratives and advocate for justice and equality. The conversation highlighted the many ways narrative strategy paves the way for fostering an inclusive and flourishing future for all of us.
At WFC, we are strengthening California’s infrastructure as a reproductive freedom state for all, ensuring affordable and equitable access to reproductive healthcare and serving as a leading model for other states facing threats to reproductive rights.
Our ability to mobilize in this moment, as a community, as a state, as a movement, is closely tied to the power we’ve cultivated through supporting our reproductive justice grant partners and through our Solís Policy Institute (SPI), where we advocated for and enacted over 50 intersectional feminist policies. Our community of SPI fellows and alums, our grant partners, our donors…all of us are dismantling systems of power to protect the health and safety of our communities, to safeguard bodily autonomy, and to better care for ourselves and each other.
Let this be a call to reinvigorate and recognize that our work is far from done. We must not only delve into the depths of injustice but also take bold action to challenge the oppressive systems that sustain it. There is power in amplifying community voices, redistributing resources, and implementing policy changes that center belonging, inclusion, and democracy.
Join us by investing in training programs for women and gender-expansive individuals, particularly those from marginalized communities, who are actively shaping California’s legislative landscape for reproductive justice. As Angela Davis reminds us, true liberation requires not only the abolition of oppressive structures but also the creation of new systems rooted in justice and equity. Together, let us continue the journey toward a feminist future where everyone’s rights and freedoms are honored and protected.
