Want More Quality Reporting on Abortion Rights? Partner With Clinic Stories

Clinic Stories: Every clinic has a story Photo courtesy of Robin Marty

By Rachel Walden — July 14, 2014

If you’re a regular reader of U.S. news on reproductive rights, you’ve likely read stories by Robin Marty.

A freelance writer and activist, Robin is co-author of “Crow After Roe: How ‘Separate But Equal’ Has Become the New Standard in Women’s Health And How We Can Change That,” and her smart writing and analysis has appeared in RH Reality Check, Rolling Stone and Bitch Magazine, among other outlets.

Now she has an exciting new project in the works: Clinic Stories. With support from donors — who will become partners in the project — Robin intends to research specific abortion clinics, detailing their history, the challenges they faced, and their role within the abortion rights movement.

From the project website:

What is the link between parental consent laws and the Army of God? Why do some anti-abortion activists believe that abortions are being performed on people who aren’t pregnant? Which state has the most pro-life advocacy groups and what does the Personhood movement have in common with the failed Albuquerque fetal pain ban?

These are the questions Clinic Stories hopes to answer. Clinic Stories is a 12 part series that will look at 12 different clinics or cities in the country, telling the history of legal abortion through location and the people inside and outside it.

In an interview for The Mamafesto, Robin explains her frustrations with working up important stories on reproductive rights only to have publications either mark them as not “national” enough to publish or hold them until they are not useful for inspiring action. Clinic Stories will allow her to bypass the gatekeepers.

“The outpouring of support and resources so far has been amazing,” Robin told me via email, adding that it’s made her realize “both how much people want a way to stand up to these threats on reproductive rights, and how they also feel they aren’t getting the stories that they want from the mainstream media.

“These are local threats and local issues, and if we ignore them until the media thinks they’ve hit a crisis point that will appeal to a national audience, then it’s already too late to effect change,” she added.

Donors will get to vote on which stories Robin pursues and which clinic she covers next. They also will get to provide input on possible side projects, such as interviews or coverage of special protests.

Visit Rally.org/ClinicStories to become a reporting partner and kick in for this cause!

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