In 1973, a landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, legalized abortion in the United States. The ruling established that the U.S. Constitution protects a person’s right to privacy, which included the right to control pregnancy. Prior to that, real life horror stories were not uncommon: women being forced to bring pregnancies to term even in cases of incest, rape or medical harm to the mother while others found painful, unregulated and dangerous remedies.
Oftentimes, those remedies meant traveling states away from where they lived to have an unsanitary procedure performed in the basement or kitchen of a layperson. In the best cases, women avoided legal prosecution, social persecution and later carried unplanned pregnancies to term. In the worst cases, women died from hemorrhaging and botched procedures.
Recent legislation has threatened to return us to a pre-Roe v. Wade era, with seemingly little to no recourse. The Roe v. Wade overturn in 2022 gave the government back control over women’s right to choose how to handle pregnancies and their own bodies. However, just like the years prior to 1973, community members and organizations who believe in the right of all women to make decisions about their reproductive health while having access to necessary health care have taken up the charge to help.
One such organization in the Carolinas is the Reproductive Rights Coalition.
RRC (The Reproductive Rights Coalition) is a nonprofit organization based in Charlotte, and almost completely staffed by volunteers. Founded in 2017, RRC has a goal of supporting, protecting and serving people who need reproductive health related services. Though that may already seem lofty, what the organization does (providing transportation, gas cards and other resources) is even greater.
Alexandria Carbone is the organization’s Executive Director. Originally from Pennsylvania, Carbone relocated to Charlotte about eight years ago. Initially, and upon her arrival in the Queen City she managed restaurants before transitioning to working for nonprofits. In 2019 she became involved with RRC as a volunteer – prompted by someone she met at a UNC-Charlotte Event.
Carbone tells the story of what prompted the relationship with RRC: “I attended UNCC’s ‘Black Mommas in Danger’ event. It was a storytelling event focusing on the absolute inadequacies of Black maternal healthcare in our county.
“It was different – Black women telling stories of pregnancy and child birthing experiences. At the event I met Carol, a founding member of RRC. She was tabling at the event. She asked me if I was tired of just bitching [about these issues] or did I want to do something. With that motivation, shortly after I became an escort for women at clinics [and] Planned Parenthood.”
Carbone emphasized the role and necessity for escorts at clinics offering reproductive services.
“At abortion clinics where antis [protestors] will stand outside and yell at folks, block access to entry and create a chaotic and confusing experience – an escort helps people safely get from the parking lot and to the door.”
Yes, that is still a thing and one many of us have witnessed on the news, but not necessarily first hand.
To that Carbone added, “Let’s get real about the south. The south has [traditionally] been post Roe. There’s a difference between abortion being legal and abortion being accessible. Those are two very different things and I think overall, abortion organizations have changed to adopt a Reproductive Justice model – a term coined by black women in 1994. Some of those women went on to form SisterSong, an Atlanta based organization, which still functions today and continues to provide RRC with profound inspiration.
As for what challenges the RRC might be concerned about as a result of the current administration’s efforts to dismantle years of progress in the areas of civil rights and its companion, DEI – Cardone stated:
“We have to take this administration seriously. Though they know banning abortion is not a popular idea, numbers show Americans support abortion access, they will use junk science and different language. They won’t say “abortion ban” they will call it a “standard.” And we’ve seen the [that] with medications like Mifepristone and Misoprostol (aka: the abortion pills). They won’t ban them, [but] they will put in the work to frame these medications as dangerous to women. That’s the approach to everything: LGBTQ folk, trans folk, undocumented immigrants, all ‘dangers to women.’ And we know when they say women they mean white women. It’s the same play book that we saw in the civil rights era, the protection of white women.”
Acknowledging the impact of the many recent directives, legislation and initiatives and Cardone expressed the importance of strategizing and planning for a future geared towards providing reproductive resources for those in need. As with most advocacy efforts, the battle can feel uphill. “South Carolina just introduced a bill that would make our work illegal there,” she offered.
As for the future of the organization and any dreams Cardone might have, her position as Executive Director ends in June. “But that won’t stop my passion or dedication to the work. I still see myself being part of RRC and am diligently seeking funding to assist our volunteers in continuing the work.”
As the organization’s only paid staff member she emphasized the importance of supporting those who work so tirelessly [as volunteers] to assist others. “If you’re a progressive organization and your goal is to change the world, if you are not supporting your volunteers or the people who work for you – you’ve already lost.
“How can you change the world if you cannot change your approach to the people who work so hard for you?” She asked.
“For us, with such a small operating budget that means offering mileage and meal reimbursements. Through grants we’ve been awarded we’ve been able to offer our drivers, doula training and that is an investment in our community in general.”
With this mindset Cardone hopes to see RRC continue to grow and acquire a Repro Van, a vehicle “that empowers people to take control of their own healthcare, learn about their bodies and provide support for people who need it; and more robust funding to hire more and expand our reach.” In the meantime, she’s working on practicing the self-care we all need while wading through the madness that has become our lives.
RRC’s Executive Director describes that as follows: “Walking, moving my body and cooking at home. Engaging cool clients person to person is also how I maintain my sanity – changing lives in magnificent massive ways while ignoring the stuff I can’t control. I can’t control what executive order is coming down the pipeline but I can help a family get diapers or drive someone to get food.”
