Why I Joined the National Network of Abortion Funds

And why you should delete your period tracking app.

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

LET US NOT ENACT TYRANNY ON OURSELVES.

Personal information, lists, and data.

Yesterday, I signed up to be a member of the National Network of Abortion Funds. That put my name on a list. I paused as I was signing up and asked myself: is it safe to have my name on that list? Do I want that?

History is rife with stories about the dangers of having your name on certain lists. About what happens when those lists get into dangerous hands. About how those lists can be used against people.

And then we’ve got the urgent “Delete your period apps!” message going around, because we know that personal data can be used against us.

What’s the difference between having my name on the National Network of Abortion Funds member list, and sending my personal menstrual cycle data to a company I don’t trust?

The answer is: they’re both risky. But one puts me in a group of PEOPLE WITH A SPECIFIC MISSION. The bigger that group is, the more powerful it is, and the less likely we are to get messed with. It’s a lot harder to arrest a million people than a thousand people.