by the Feminist Action Team
Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to abortion, the fight for reproductive rights has intensified. Women in red states have faced devastating challenges, including tragic stories of those bleeding out in hospital parking lots and long waitlists in blue states for those needing to travel for care if they are able.
In Massachusetts, we can point to many actions — and successes — in protecting reproductive rights; and Indivisible Mass Coalition’s Feminist Action Team has been in the forefront of those efforts. Working to protect reproductive rights here in MA by taking on unregulated “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” and informing the public of their dangers, the Team connects with public agencies and elected officials to educate the public and gain support for statewide legislation to protect women.
The IMC Feminist Action Team meets every Friday from 4 to 5 PM. We’re a team of women and men who like to take action. Join us!
How the Team Works
The IMC Feminist Action Team operates without formal hierarchy, with participation and size varying based on member availability and interest. The de facto leaders encourage team members to identify issues to tackle and collaborate on strategies. Team members bring news, ideas, and actions forward, setting goals, strategies, and assigning roles. The Team strengthens its impact by collaborating with other grassroots organizations, and as a part of IMC, has members and connections from across Massachusetts.
Actions and Successes
We coordinated rallies in 13 locations statewide, with more than 700 participants during Indivisible’s National Week of Action around the Dobbs Decision anniversary. The “Bigger Than Dobbs” rallies’ theme, “Abortion Is the Tip of the Iceberg,” stressed that Project 2025 intended far more than abortion bans. We provided organizing guidance as well as banners, signs, buttons, press releases, and to-do kits to present a unified message.
We screened the award-winning documentary Preconceived, about women misled by unregulated CPCs, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and experts. It drew more than 500 sign-ups from states as far away as TX and SC.
The most satisfying accomplishment for many team members was supporting Attleboro’s reproductive health care clinic Four Women Health Services. We stood with the clinic’s director during standouts and learned about the deceptive tactics of the nearby CPC and religious protesters. The Team:
- Connected the clinic with Massachusetts State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, who secured a grant for a security system from the MA Department of Public Health.
- Increased the number of patient escorts. We connected one local woman with others willing to help. Through our networks, we found more than 25 new volunteer escorts from the Attleboro area. They developed a training guide which we hope to use at other locations.
- Raised awareness about Attleboro’s needs by partnering with nearby Democratic Town Committees and leaders of the “Bigger Than Dobbs” rallies. We promoted and tabled at an event featuring speakers and a screening of the documentary “The Deciding Vote” about legalizing abortion in NY in 1970.
- Connected with local municipal leaders about the need for local ordinances curbing the deceptive practices of CPCs, using materials developed by our friends at Abortion Truth Campaign.
Other Work
The Team organized standouts outside women’s health clinics in Boston, Worcester, Attleboro, Beverly, and Springfield, which were targeted by anti-abortion protesters. They also conducted counter-protests during the religious right’s “40 Days Campaign,” raising awareness and gaining support in local communities.
The Team was featured in an award-winning documentary called America After Roe. The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism’s AZ News 21 traveled to MA to document the CPC industry here and our efforts to expose it.
We alerted state officials and newspapers to the new anti-abortion mobile ultrasound van driving around Cape Cod sponsored by a corporate CPC, “Your Options Medical.” We also met with DPH officials along with ATC to discuss state policy regarding CPCs and attended the launch of a statewide education campaign alerting the public to the dangers of CPCs.
The Team backed Massachusetts State Senator Becca Rausch’s Abortion Access Act and organized testimony for its legislative hearing. We also supported the ACLU’s Location Shield Act, which aimed to protect against the sale of cell phone data. Neither bill passed in 2024.
The Team also forged alliances with multiple reproductive health groups across Massachusetts to increase our effectiveness.
Online Resources and Collaborations
The Team developed two essential online resources:
- Life in a Post-Roe America Toolkit , which helps individuals connect with organizations, support abortion funding, and stay informed on reproductive rights issues.
- The Anti-Abortion Center Resources, featuring media coverage of the Team’s events and relevant news stories.
Since November 6
We organized and hand delivered letters to Governor Healey, Attorney General Campbell, and DPH Commissioner Goldstein, signed by six other organizations. Our letter urged a special legislative session before the year’s end and asked for plans to protect reproductive rights in MA from the incoming administration. Discussion is underway to prepare and help mitigate the harms from Project 2025 and the new administration.
