Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Abortion access is now limited, if not impossible, across large swaths of this country, and the dominoes of this decision will continue to fall – including in the states many of our community members call home.
In Ohio, the “heartbeat bill” is law, banning abortion after 6 weeks, regardless of whether or not there is any cardiac activity detectable, in spite of the fact that 6 weeks pregnant is only 2 weeks after a missed period.
In West Virginia, where SpiralHeart holds WitchCamp, they are on the precipice of an archaic statute from the late 1800s that would not only outlaw abortion for any reason, but will make it punishable by up to 10 years. There is one clinic in WV. They are not taking patients at this time.
In Pennsylvania, abortion rights are safe…for now. Governor Tom Wolf will have served his term come January of next year, and this November’s election will make or break reproductive choice for thousands. This will affect people you know, or you yourself directly. It is just a matter of when.
For that reason, SpiralHeart’s bower, the Temple of the Sacred Harlot, has crafted a fundraiser for the Western Pennsylvania Fund for Choice. Allegheny Reproductive Health Center in Pittsburgh, one of two full-service providers in the city, has already long been the only independent clinic close enough for so many patients in Ohio and West Virginia to access. Now with the overturn, they are experiencing an unprecedented level of calls from desperate and terrified neighbors. The Fund supports anyone seeking abortion services at ARHC by helping to relieve the costs of travel, lodging, food, and childcare. Without help and even before the reversal, travel out-of-state for abortion access could average nearly $2000. Those costs are rapidly rising with inflation. This is, in every way, life or death.Should you have the means and will to donate ahead of camp, you may sign up for a one-time, monthly, or annual donation at the following link: https://www.wpafundforchoice.org/donate
At camp this year, attendees will have multiple opportunities to lend their energy, whether financial or spiritual, towards this work and the immediate impact it will make on the lives of ARHC clients, staff, and volunteers. All proceeds will go to ARHC, and receipts will be provided for accountability and the calculation of total camp funds received. For this reason, when you have the option to dedicate the donation in the honor or memory of someone, please enter “SH Bower” and send the notification email to thewritwitch@gmail.com.Sacred harlots, ancient priestexxes of sacred sex, were also intimately acquainted with the abortifacient plants of their world. Now that we have more options, safer options, such risks must be the last resort and done only with the guidance of a skilled professional. They are not always easy to find. These bodies are our temples; we decide who enters, we decide what stays. For that same declaration of Sovereignty and autonomy and pleasure for pleasure’s sake, the Bower calls for action. For more information on WVA’s trigger abortion law: https://www.axios.com/2022/06/29/abortion-ban-west-virginia-sue-providers Ad pondus omnium, ad libitum, ab imo pectore,Jynx Bower Priestess of the Temple of the Sacred Harlot BIPOC Mentor Full-spectrum Doula Rootworker/Herbalist-in-training *She called for it, she called for it, she called for the bed!She called for the bed that rejoices the heart.She called for the bed that sweetens the loins…* ~The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi
Spiralheart Witchcamp 