Dismantling the Deception: How to Stop Anti-Abortion Centers
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Friday, Aug. 19 11:00 AM (Eastern)
Ends: Friday, Aug. 19 12:00 PM (Eastern)
States are limiting access to abortion, but anti-abortion centers (also known as crisis pregnancy centers) are proliferating. Under the guise of support for pregnant people, they serve as little more than propaganda centers for the anti-abortion movement, providing minuscule support and diverting millions away from programs that provide actual health care and support. Public funding for these kinds of programs originated in Pennsylvania. Hear from local and national advocates who are dismantling the lies and how to apply the same tactics in your home state.
Moderator
Mary Alice Carter
Mary Alice Carter (she/her) has nearly three decades of experience in reproductive rights and health movements, designing and managing effective earned and paid media campaigns and serving as a national spokesperson, appearing on TV from MSNBC to Fox News and in print from CNN.com to The Washington Post. She is currently Vice President at ConwayStrategic, a boutique public relations firm using innovative communication strategies to change policy, mobilize the public, and transform culture for progressive causes. Clients include Equity Forward, a watchdog project that runs research-driven campaigns to hold anti-reproductive health forces accountable where she served as founding director. Mary Alice previously served as the vice president for communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She has also worked for Physicians for Reproductive Health, the National Institute for Reproductive Health and NARAL Pro-Choice New York. Originally from Pittsburgh, with a stint along the way in Colorado, Mary Alice now lives in New Jersey with her fiancee, Marcy, two teenage kids and two dogs and a cat.
Panelists
Moji Alawode-El
One of Moji Alawode-El’s treasured childhood memories is being told derisively that she was a female chauvinist by a boy in elementary school. While she now understands that that is not a thing, it sparked true anarchist joy at the time. To simplify things she now declares she’s an intersectional feminist and leaves it to the ignorant to sort it out for themselves. Prior to joining AAF Moji worked in fashion advertising for several years, steering packaging and advertising campaigns for beauty brands you know and love. In that role she managed international teams, collaborated with talented designers and often saw her work in print and on shelves. But while fashion remained a passion, Moji made the decision to bring her collaborative and creative vision to a place where she could make change, so in 2015, she joined Abortion Access Front. For the past 6 years, Moji has used her team building expertise to help organize and grow AAF’s fight against the patriarchy and abortion extremism. She is currently boot-on-the-ground at AAF; speaking at rallies, podcast hosting, counter-protesting, volunteering at clinics and out on the road with the team raising hell. Moji loves yoga, reading sci-fi by femme people & people of color, roller skates and talking really loudly about her own abortion and reproductive rights in public spaces. Moji is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and is currently having too much fun raising an adorable-assed feminist in Harlem. Moji’s on the ground experience working closely with clinics, and her wealth of knowledge on legislative trends brings to FBK Live the much needed perspective of just how relentless these legislative attacks are and how they emotionally and practically affect clinics and their ability to provide care. Her social media handle is @mojilocks everywhere.
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Ashley Underwood
Ashley Underwood (she/her) is the director at Equity Forward. She is a reproductive justice and public health advocate with an extensive background in working to improve maternal and sexual health outcomes through program implementation and development. Ashley was previously a research associate and senior researcher at Equity Forward; before that, she worked as a research and program manager at NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. Ashley holds a master’s degree in public health from Case Western Reserve University.