Women in the United States are urging each other to delete their period tracking apps in the wake of Friday's Roe v. Wade overruling.
As reported by news.com.au, more and more women in the US are growing fearful over how their intimate data may be used following the United States Supreme Court's ruling to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Justices vote 5-4 to overrule Roe v. Wade, which means that there will no longer be a federal constitutional right to an abortion in order to terminate a pregnancy with the first two trimesters.
Instead, each state will be able to determine its own abortion rights - with CNN reporting that nearly half of the states in the US have or will pass laws that ban abortion, as others plan to introduce laws to further restrict the procedure.
Amid the outcry on social media, US author Jessica Khoury warned her followers in a tweet: "Delete your period tracking apps today."
Khoury's tweet has received more than 96,000 retweets as of this writing.
And Khoury wasn't the only tweet calling for people to remove period tracking apps from their cell phones:
Further expanding on these concerns, NPR reports that the data collected by period tracking applications could - in theory - be used to penalize anyone seeking or considering an abortion, as these apps can report when a person's period begins and ends, as well as when a pregnancy stops and starts.
NPR adds that some of the biggest period tracking apps include Flo, with over 43 million active users and Clue, which boasts approximately 12 million monthly users.
In response to the fears of its users, both apps have released statements regarding Friday's SCOTUS decision.
Clue tweeted: "We are, and always have been, committed to protecting your private health data. Your tracked experience should empower you, whatever your private health decisions. We will never enable anyone to use it against you."
The company has also pinned tweets from May 4, that state: "We've had messages from users concerned about how their data could be used by US courts if Roe vs Wade is overturned. We completely understand this anxiety, and we want to reassure you that any health data you track in Clue about pregnancy or abortion is private and safe.
"Keeping your sensitive data safe is fundamental to our values and what we believe in, and also fundamental to our business model, because that depends on earning our community’s trust.
"And we are based in Berlin. As a European company, Clue is obliged under European Union law (the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR) to apply special protections to our users' reproductive health data. We will not disclose it. We will stand up for our users."
Flo has also released a statement to its social media pages, writing: "In the wake of the recent United States Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we want to share the actions we are taking as a company to ensure the privacy of our users’ data."
The company has vowed to "do everything in our power to protect the data and privacy of our users", reassuring its users that it has "comprehensive security measures in place and will never sell your personal data".
Additionally, the app announced a new 'Anonymous Mode', which it describes as "an option that allows users to access the Flo app anonymously without providing their name or email address."
"Flo will always stand up for the health of women. And to us, this means taking a pro-health stance as it relates to reproductive health which aligns with the World Health Organization (WHO): Being able to obtain a safe abortion is a crucial part of healthcare.
"Together, we will continue to work to build a better and safer future for women’s health," Flo's statement concludes.
A mom-of-six is once again going viral on Twitter after sharing what some are calling "the greatest Twitter thread" of all time.
It comes in the wake of Friday's SCOTUS ruling to overturn the historic Roe v. Wade decision, which now means that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
As reported by CNN, Justices voted 5-4 in favor of the ruling - a ruling that will have huge consequences on women's reproductive health across the country and a ruling that President Joe Biden says "is literally taking America back 150 years."
In the aftermath of the ruling, many pro-choice arguments are being shared on social media, with one mom-of-six's lengthy Twitter thread once again getting attention.
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Written back in 2018, author and art director Gabrielle Blair posted the series of tweets to shine a light on what the mother describes as "men [grandstanding] about women's reproductive rights".
She writes: "I’m a mother of six, and a Mormon. I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. I've been listening to men grandstand about women's reproductive rights, and I'm convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here's why...
"If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies."
"But ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period," she argues.
Blair continued: "Though their sperm gets crappier as they age, men can cause unwanted pregnancies from puberty till death. So just starting with basic biology + the calendar it’s easy to see men are the issue here.
"But what about birth control? If a woman doesn’t want to risk an unwanted pregnancy, why wouldn’t she just use birth control? If a women can manage to figure out how to get an abortion, surely she can get birth control, right? Great questions."
Speaking about female birth control, Blair writes: "Modern birth control is possibly the greatest invention of the last century, and I am very grateful for it. It’s also brutal. The side effects for many women are ridiculously harmful. So ridiculous, that when an oral contraception for men was created, it wasn’t approved...
"...because of the side effects. And the list of side effects was about 1/3 as long as the known side effects for women's oral contraception.
"There’s a lot to be unpacked just in that story, but I’ll simply point out (in case you didn’t know) that as a society, we really don’t mind if women suffer, physically or mentally, as long as it makes things easier for men."
But good news, Men: Even with the horrible side effects, women are still very willing to use birth control," she continued. "Unfortunately it’s harder to get than it should be. Birth control options for women require a doctor’s appointment and a prescription. It’s not free, and often not cheap."
"In fact there are many people trying to make it more expensive by fighting to make sure insurance companies refuse to cover it. Oral contraceptives for women can’t be acquired easily, or at the last minute. And they don't work instantly.
"If we’re talking about the pill, it requires consistent daily use and doesn’t leave much room for mistakes, forgetfulness, or unexpected disruptions to daily schedules. And again, the side effects can be brutal. I’M STILL GRATEFUL FOR IT PLEASE DON’T TAKE IT AWAY."
Blair then moves on to condoms, and explained: "Condoms are readily available at all hours, inexpensive, convenient, and don’t require a prescription. They’re effective, and work on demand, instantly.
"Men can keep them stocked up just in case, so they’re always prepared. Amazing! They are so much easier than birth control options for women. As a bonus, in general, women love when men use condoms. They keep us from getting STDs, they don’t lessen our pleasure during sex...
"...or prevent us from climaxing. And the best part? Clean up is so much easier — no waddling to the toilet as your j**z drips down our legs. So why in the world are there ever unwanted pregnancies? Why don't men just use condoms every time they have sex? Seems so simple, right?
"Oh. I remember. Men _don’t_ love condoms. In fact, men frequently pressure women to have sex without a condom. And it’s not unheard of for men to remove the condom during sex, without the women’s permission or knowledge. (Pro-tip: That's assault.)"
After theorizing why many men don't want to wear a condom, Blair concludes: "Men regularly choose to put women at massive risk by having non-condom sex, in order to experience a few minutes of slightly more pleasure."
Shifting the thread, Blair then argues: "Let’s talk more about responsibility. Men often don’t know, and don’t ask, and don’t think to ask, if they’ve caused a pregnancy. They may never think of it, or associate sex with making babies at all. Why? Because there are 0 consequences for men who cause unwanted pregnancies.
"If the woman decides to have an abortion, the man may never know he caused an unwanted pregnancy with his irresponsible ejaculation.
"If the woman decides to have the baby, or put the baby up for adoption, the man may never know he caused an unwanted pregnancy with his irresponsible ejaculation, or that there’s now a child walking around with 50% of his DNA."
"If the woman does tell him that he caused an unwanted pregnancy and that she’s having the baby, the closest thing to a consequence for him, is that he may need to pay child support," Blair adds. "But our current child support system is well-known to be a joke."
"If you’re not holding men responsible for unwanted pregnancies, then you are wasting your time," the author states, directing her attention to those who are against abortion.
"Stop protesting at clinics. Stop shaming women. Stop trying to overturn abortion laws. If you actually care about reducing or eliminating the number of abortions in our country, simply HOLD MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS."
"What would that look like? What if there was a real and immediate consequence for men who cause an unwanted pregnancy? What kind of consequence would make sense? Should it be as harsh, painful, nauseating, scarring, expensive, risky, and life-altering...
"...as forcing a woman to go through a 9-month unwanted pregnancy?"
Comparing castration to the extreme "punishment" of pregnancy, Blair continued: "In my experience, men really like their testicles. If irresponsible ejaculations were putting their balls at risk, they would stop being irresponsible. Does castration seem like a cruel and unusual punishment? Definitely.
"But is it worse than forcing 500,000 women a year to puke daily for months, gain 40 pounds, and then rip their bodies apart in childbirth? Is a handful of castrations worse than women dying during forced pregnancy & childbirth?"
She writes: "If you want to stop abortions, you need to prevent the 'disease' - meaning, unwanted pregnancies. And the only way to do that, is by focusing on men, because: MEN CAUSE 100% OF UNWANTED PREGNANCIES. Or. IRRESPONSIBLE EJACULATIONS BY MEN CAUSE 100% OF UNWANTED PREGNANCIES.
"If you’re a man, what would the consequence need to be for you to never again ejaculate irresponsibly? Would it be money related? Maybe a loss of rights or freedoms? Physical pain?
"Ask yourselves: What would it take for you to value the life of your sexual partner more than your own temporary pleasure or convenience?"
Turning her attention to the US government - or rather, the men in the US government - Blair explained: "Men mostly run our government. Men mostly make the laws. And men could eliminate abortions in 3 months or less without ever touching an abortion law or evening mentioning women.
Blair concludes: "In summary: STOP TRYING TO CONTROL WOMEN'S BODIES AND SEXUALITY. UNWANTED PREGNANCIES ARE CAUSED BY MEN. The end."
The response to the thread was overwhelming - with the tweets amassing thousands of shares and likes. One Twitter user responded: "Arguably the greatest thread I’ve seen on any subject. That good. Required reading."
Another Twitter user added, "This is by far the best series of tweets I have read on Twitter. It steers clear of any insecurities that it may harbor, doesn't get polemic, doesn't pontificate or indulge in pedantic. You are absolutely right 100%"
Yesterday, Blair responded to the Roe v. Wade overturning simply by tweeting: "I’m really angry and I’m really sad. They said they would overturn Roe and they did it and I hate them for it."
American women are proposing a sex strike in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling which protected a woman's freedom to have an abortion.
Since the controversial move, thousands of people up and down the country have taken part in protests against the ruling, which is widely regarded as a step back where women's rights are concerned.
Several Twitter users took their activism online as they proposed a sex strike, with one writing on the platform: "Hey ladies, with the recent Roe v Wade decision, I think it's time we all practice abstinence, especially our lovely ladies who are married to the SC justices, senators, etc. No sex at all - we wouldn't want to risk anything! Let's see how long they last."
One of the activists, 24-year-old EMT Brianna Campbell, told The New York Post: "If you’re a man who won’t get a vasectomy, even though it’s reversible, and you’re not out in the streets fighting for my rights, you do not deserve to have sex with me."
Another, 22-year-old Caroline Healey, told the outlet: "I think it’s absolutely valid for us to be withholding the Holy Grail that men seem to think is important."
She continued: "Why shouldn’t we withhold it if we’re always worried that they’re not going [to] put a condom on, that they’re going [to] take one off after we ask them to.
"If we can’t safely go out and have sex and know that we will have a choice after that, then why should we be expected to?"
Other activists began using the hashtag "sex strike" to protest against last week's ruling, with one writing: "Perhaps a #sexstrike (also known as #abstinence) would help the men folk to be all in on this #womensrights issue," while another tweet reads: "#SexStrike. If our choices are denied, so are yours."
Per CNN, Vice President Mike Pence has been making strong pitches to swing-state anti-abortion voters of late, as the Presidential campaign enters its final two months. These voters could prove crucial in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where polling indicates a tight race between the two candidates.
A Mormon mom-of-six wrote a Twitter thread back in 2018 that has recently resurfaced due its powerful statements on abortion and women's rights.
Author and art director Gabrielle Blair posted the series of tweets, which shine a light on what Blair describes as "men [grandstanding] about women's reproductive rights".
Blair wrote:
"I’m a mother of six, and a Mormon. I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise. I've been listening to men grandstand about women's reproductive rights, and I'm convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here's why…"
"If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies."
"But ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don’t believe me? Let me walk you through it. Let’s start with this: women can only get pregnant about 2 days each month. And that’s for a limited number of years."
"That makes 24 days a year a women might get pregnant. But men can _cause_ pregnancy 365 days a year. In fact, if you’re a man who ejaculates multiple times a day, you could cause multiple pregnancies daily. In theory a man could cause 1000+ unwanted pregnancies in just one year."
"And though their sperm gets crappier as they age, men can cause unwanted pregnancies from puberty till death. So just starting with basic biology + the calendar it’s easy to see men are the issue here."
And the series of tweets received widespread praise at the time. One commenter wrote, "Arguably the greatest thread I’ve seen on any subject. That good. Required reading."
Another Twitter user added, "This is by far the best series of tweets I have read on Twitter. It steers clear of any insecurities that it may harbour, doesn't get polemic, doesn't pontificate or indulge in pedantic. You are absolutely right 100%"
There's no doubt that abortion is a contentious issue.
Many women around the world are fighting for their right to chose whether or not they can terminate a pregnancy, and the activists who are struggling for this are both lauded and criticized from either side.
But there is an emotional toll to the procedure that is often left unexpressed - which is why it is so important to listen to the women who shared their personal stories on social media.
For example, in a video recently posted to TikTok, 19-year-old Kaylyn Weston spoke about how she coped with the after-effects of terminating a pregnancy.
In her TikTok video, Weston states: "On the right side, you're labeled a sinner. On the left, you're expected to only gain relief and an open future.
"When in reality, it feels like all my doors have been closed. No one wants to hear about the negative effects an abortion can have without it getting political."
The video has clearly resonated with other TikTok users, and accrued over 966,000 views, 202,000 reactions, and a further 8,000 comments as of the time of writing.
Indeed, many other women subsequently came out of the woodwork to share their experiences too.
Credit TikTok
For instance, one TikTok user wrote: "Honestly it's probably the hardest choice we make. No one is 'happy' after getting one. It's still a sore spot for me."
Credit TikTok
A second stated: "The mother's day guilt is the worst. But I was in NO place mentally or financially to be taking care of a baby."
Credit TikTok
Someone else stated: "It's been 7 years since mine... I still carry the ultrasound in my wallet."
Credit TikTok
Another person wrote: "As far as being labeled a sinner: only God knows what you went through. He understood your situation and understands your pain. God loves you."
Credit TikTok
Finally, someone else added: "Took me 10 years and every now and then, I see a kid that would have been the same age and [...] sadness overwhelms."
Commenting on her experiences in a later interview with Buzzfeed, Weston stated: "To me, forbidden grief is the grief that a woman may endure after having an abortion. It is isolating, heavy, and difficult to process."
She added: "It’s referred to as forbidden because we feel we shouldn’t experience grief of any kind, as it was our choice to terminate the pregnancy.
"However, a loss is a loss, and just because a woman decides to end her pregnancy does not mean that she will not regret or feel any negative emotions towards it.
"I feel the biggest misconception with abortion is that women are 'happy' to do it and feel free afterwards, when the reality can be the complete opposite."
Featured Image Credit: Pexels/Viktoria Slowikowska
In 1973, the US Supreme Court rejected the notion that a fetus is a person and ruled that the constitutional "right to privacy" protects a woman's choice to have an abortion. However, recently several states have passed draconian laws making it more difficult for women to access abortion. These measures include cumbersome restrictions on abortion providers that force them to shut down, and so-called "heartbeat bills" that outlaw abortions after the six week mark; at that point, the embryo is the size of a pomegranate seed and many women do not even know they are pregnant yet.
Following passage of Georgia's "heartbeat bill", late night talk show host Busy Philipps shared her emotional story about getting an abortion at age 15. "No bill that criminalizes abortion will stop anyone from making this incredibly personal choice, but these laws will put more women at risk," she said. "Every woman deserves compassion and care, not judgment and interference when it comes to their own bodies... Women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them. Nobody else, nobody."
Watch actress Busy Philipps speak out against Georgia's six-week abortion ban here:
"One in four women will have an abortion before age 45," Philipps continued. "That statistic sometimes surprises people, and maybe you’re sitting there thinking, ‘I don’t know a woman who would have an abortion.’” “Well, you know me,” she continued. “I had an abortion when I was 15 years old and I’m telling you this because I’m genuinely really scared for women and girls all over the country."
Earlier today, the Republican governor of Alabama signed the most restrictive abortion law in United State history. House Bill 314, the 'Human Life Protection Act,' makes it a class A felony for a doctor to perform an abortion in the state, punishable by 10 to 99 years in prison. Women are allowed to terminate their pregnancy when their health is at serious risk, but there are no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. While the governor is female, the 25 state senators who voted for the bill were all white men.
The new Alabama law sparked a firestorm of outrage from abortion rights supporters, including Busy Philipps. "1 in 4 women have had an abortion," she tweeted. "Many people think they don't know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let's do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let's share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth."
The hashtag #youknowme started trending, as hundreds of women opened up about their decision to have an abortion. Their reasons were various and often heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, other women asserted that they don't have to explain to the world why they got an abortion. They had the right to do so. In addition, some people pointed out that Medicaid pays for Viagra, and if men could get pregnant, abortion laws might not be so strict.
The Alabama law is set to take effect in six months, but is expected to face several legal battles, which could go all the way to the US Supreme Court to challenge Roe v. Wade.
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