Hot Take: Aimee Arrambide, of Avow Texas, with Abortion Resources and Why Sports Teams Need to Stand Up for the Right to Abortion
In this episode, Jessica Luther talks with Aimee Arrambide, Executive Director of Avow Texas, an abortion advocacy organization committed to shifting the stigmatizing culture surrounding abortion. Aimee provides information and abortion resources related to the overturning of Roe V. Wade. They also discuss ways in which sports organizations need to be showing up to support abortion rights in this moment, and the devastating impacts when they don't.
This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our social media and website specialist. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire podcast network.
Links to all the abortion resources that Aimee mentioned:
Avow’s Let's Talk About Abortion toolkit
Transcript
Jessica: Welcome to Burn It All Down, the feminist sports podcast you need. Jessica here. Last Friday, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade with a case titled Dobbs V. Jackson Women's Health Organization, most often referred to simply as Dobbs. In short, this stripped away federal protections over a person's right to get an abortion in the US, sending the authority over that right back down to the states, plenty of which were and are ready to strip that right from millions of citizens. Today, I'm joined by Aimee Arrambide. Aimee was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and her father was an abortion provider in the state. She's got a JD from New York Law School and has spent years fighting for reproductive justice. She has been the executive director at Avow since 2018. Avow was an organization that does “unapologetic, abortion advocacy. Through community building, education, and political advocacy, Avow is securing unrestricted abortion care and reproductive rights for every Texan.” Thank you, Aimee, for the work that you do. Aimee, like Amira and me, is also a big Austin FC supporter. And so we brought her here today to talk about all of this together. Welcome to Burn It All Down, Aimee.
Aimee: Thank you all so much for having me.
Jessica: So, I thought we would just start with Dobbs in general. Can you tell our listeners more, not just about what the ruling is on paper, but like, what does it mean in practice? Like in real life for hundreds of thousands, eventually millions of Americans, who will seek abortion care in this country under Dobbs?
Aimee: Sure. So, Dobbs basically overturned Roe V. Wade and has allowed for trigger bans, which are laws that have been introduced and enacted in states that basically anticipated this coming, and in the case that Roe was overturned, would ban abortion in the states. Or it has allowed pre-Roe bans that were already in statute but never repealed to go back into effect. And so essentially what that means is about 26 states in this country will most likely ban abortion. In Texas specifically, it's a little complicated.
Jessica: Yeah.
Aimee: There's a trigger ban passed last summer that goes into effect 30 days after the judgment is issued. So the judgment hasn't been issued, they've just given us the opinion. And then the judgment will come out in a couple of weeks. And then 30 days after that, the trigger ban goes into effect, effectively banning abortion. However, there are some laws on the books that were never repealed that are pre-Roe bans. And right now, there are legal scholars trying to analyze whether or not that means they can go into effect immediately. Our attorney general, indicted Ken Paxton, issued kind of guidance the other day when this happened, saying that absolutely people could start prosecuting for providing abortion care, like, in accordance to the pre-Roe bans. And so there's also a court case that is going through the system that granted a restraining order yesterday that would allow for abortion providers to provide abortion care while they figure out what the pre-Roe ban actually means in this landscape.
So it's a little confusing and it's all over the place, but what it boils down to is people may be able to access abortion care up until six weeks for the next few days or weeks while this case is making its way through the court system, because there is a restraining order in place. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna be easy. There's also abortion funds that are trying to figure out where their role is and what that means in light of all of these laws. But yeah, abortion is…If it's not gonna be banned in the next couple weeks, it will be banned 30 days after the judgment.
Jessica: Yeah. And that's just here in Texas. So like, depending on what state you're in, you have your own sort of labyrinth of stuff to navigate at this point if you're seeking abortion care, which…Oh man, like, have you heard any stories so far? Like, here in Texas. I mean, I assume people just cannot have abortions.
Aimee: Absolutely. I've heard from abortion clinics who had to call all their clients with scheduled appointments to cancel them. I've heard from abortion funds who've had to do the same thing with anyone calling seeking funding. Very similar kind of legal back and forths are happening in other states like Louisiana and some of our neighboring states. So there's just a lot of confusion. A lot of people are not able to access the care they need in their communities, which has been the case in Texas for the past 10 months. But it's kind of, you know, spreading across the country. And pretty devastating. And then there are clinics that are just trying to figure out if they need to move into a different state. There's an abortion clinic in North Dakota that's trying to move to provide abortion.
Jessica: Yeah. Like into Minnesota, right?
Aimee: Exactly.
Jessica: Oh, goodness gracious. What should someone do right now if they want or need an abortion? Like, what are what are the recommendations at this point?
Aimee: At this point, there are a lot of websites that people can access to try to get as up to date as possible information. So, ineedana.com is one of them, needabortion.org is one that we host with the Lilith Fund that we're currently updating to be as accurate as possible. Abortion Finder is another one, and those should have as up to date information as possible, basically dependent on us and how quickly we can gather it and update it. So we're working on that right now. They can still contact the National Network of Abortion Funds to talk to abortion funds who can help provide financial services and financial assistance for people needing to pay for their procedure, and they can also be connected to practical support funds across the country to get access to funding for like the logistical needs – so, travel, accommodations. Currently in Texas, a lot of the funds are kind of taking a pause while they figure out what exactly the laws mean in regard to their work, but there are funds across the country that will pay for Texans to access the care. For example, some Colorado funds – the National Abortion Federation will pay for people from Texas. So, it's still possible. It's just, it's kind of an upheaval right now, the information, and we're trying to update it as fast as possible.
Jessica: Man. My heart goes out to people who are in this moment trying to seek this care. It just breaks my heart. What can our listeners do who want to support people in the reproductive health field, in the reproductive justice movement at large, in this moment? I've heard all kinds of things, certainly. I assume you're gonna tell us to donate. I mean, how important is it to get out into the streets and protest? Like, what should people…What makes the most sense for their energy right now? Where should they direct it?
Aimee: Sure. So, I have a lot of ideas.
Jessica: Okay, awesome.
Aimee: I think first and foremost, talking about abortion within your communities, using the word “abortion,” talking about why you support it, kind of normalizing and humanizing the fact that abortion is necessary healthcare that anyone should be able to access within their communities is such an easy lift, but sometimes is difficult for people. We have a resource at Avow called Let's Talk About Abortion. We've got a little toolkit and we can also do trainings, but it helps people get comfortable talking about abortion, because I think one of the things that has led to the situation is the stigma surrounding abortion care. Despite the fact that the majority of Americans and the majority of Texan support care, it's still so highly stigmatized. Like, sometimes we even have a hard time convincing candidates to say the word “abortion,” because it there's just so much stigma. So, that's one of the easiest lists I think to ask of people, is just to talk about why you support abortion care.
The second thing would be to donate or volunteer for organizations at the local or state level. That includes abortion funds. That includes abortion clinics. If you have the means, donating to abortion funds, donating to independent clinics. There's a great organization called Abortion Care Network that is basically a network of all the independent clinics. And while many people think that Planned Parenthood provides the majority of the abortions, that's not actually not the case. It's small, independent abortion providers with not a lot of revenue that provide the care. So, donating to them is really helpful. There's a website called Keep Our Clinics, which will disseminate the money to independent abortion clinics. Donating to abortion funds, you can do it for your local abortion funds or the National Network of Abortion Funds. Those are the organizations that try to fill the gap financially for people accessing the care.
Then I want people to get involved politically. I think that it is imperative that we demand of our candidates running for office and any elected official that they are unapologetic abortion advocates, because I think that abortion gets thrown under the bus, you know, session after session, election cycle after election cycle. And we know that the majority support abortion care, and they can't throw it under the bus. And that when, you know, abortion rights are decimated at the Supreme Court level, a lot of other human rights are gonna follow. So like, we need to demand of candidates running, of people already elected, like, what are you gonna do to secure my rights? And like, prove it. Do it. And we need to hold them accountable. So, one of the things we do at Avow is we work on the political side and we try to elect champions and, you know, it's hard, but it's really important.Voting, getting out the vote, taking people to go vote. Those are other things that I would suggest doing.
Jessica: That was wonderful. Thank you. That was a hell of a checklist. I hope that our listeners will do at least some of that, if not all of it in some way. So, I'm just gonna pivot right into soccer, [laughs] which feels strange. But you are a fan. Are you a season ticket holder for Austin FC?
Aimee: Yes. I love Austin FC.
Jessica: Had you been a sports fan before?
Aimee: Quite honestly, not so much, I've always been a soccer fan. Soccer is the only sport I really played as a young person through high school and college. So I understand soccer and I like soccer, but I never had like a sports team to cheer for. I'm from San Antonio, so I like the Spurs kind of by default and community. And basketball I think is great, but soccer is really the sport that I love. So having a team in Austin has been just so amazing.
Jessica: And I know that you're part of at least one of the supporters groups.
Aimee: I love Los Verdes. Los Verdes is a supporters group that is just so community focused and just committed to making our community a better place. And I love them so much.
Jessica: And I recently went to an event that you hosted with friend of the show Brad Stuver, goalkeeper for Austin FC, doing his allyship as he does. That was for Equality Texas, which supports LGBTQ Texans, and then also Avow. And that was a lot of fun. Tell us what you asked Brad to do for that event.
Aimee: Sure. So, Brad and I are both on the board of Equality Texas. So this is one of the issue areas that we both feel passionately about. And what happened was, as part of being on the board, we were invited to first go on a tour of Q2 stadium. And I brought my kids, who are really big soccer fans. And Brad was there, and as we were walking around, basically my kid, who is a goalkeeper, was talking a lot of smack to Brad about how he could totally score on Brad, and then also could save any shots Brad would attempt on him. So, the parent that I am, I'm like, how can I connect my passions and our sports fandom and give my kid a chance to shoot on Brad Stuver? So, I brainstormed and I thought, why don't we have a fundraiser? And that way we can give people the opportunity to shoot on Brad. My child will get the opportunity. We'll raise awareness, not only about LGBTQIA+ rights, but also abortion rights and why people need to pay attention. And I asked him and he so graciously said yes. So, that's kind of how it came about. It was like mixing all my passions into one.
Jessica: Did they score on Brad?
Aimee: Yeah. So, my littlest one, the goalkeeper, was able to not only score on Brad but save one of Brad's shots. And like, I kind of think Brad was being really nice about it, but also like, it made his whole year, and he's been able to have bragging rights to everyone he knows that he was able to not only save a shot that Brad took, but also shoot on him. So it's pretty awesome.
Jessica: I love that. And at this moment, Brad was actually nominated yesterday for an Espy for his humanitarian work within the Austin community, which was very exciting. So, let's do the thing where we're gonna marry these two topics now. We have seen plenty of athletes in women's sports, women's sports teams and even leagues release statements in the wake of Dobbs in supportive reproductive rights. We've seen some men's leagues and teams and athletes as well. We have seen in particular MLS teams like LAFC, Orlando City and the Seattle Sounders release statements. Our team, Austin FC, has not. I want to point out that the team as an entity, you know, like on social media and sort of the voice of the team, has been very vocal about gun violence following the tragedy at Uvalde. So it's clear that they're willing to be political in certain ways. So first I just wanna hear from you. I’ve been waiting and checking and sad that the team has been silent here. So I wanted to see like how you're feeling about this. And second, I just wanna ask, like, why should we expect or even demand that our sports teams and orgs step up in these moments? Like, does Austin FC have an obligation?
Aimee: Yeah, absolutely. So, I think that I have been really disappointed in the fact that they haven't issued a statement yet. Los Verdes, one of the supporter groups, Austin Anthem, one of the supporter groups, immediately made statements in support of abortion rights. And, you know, I think that it's demonstrative of the community and our fans and the Austin FC fans that they didn't even hesitate. They just did it. And I think that sports organizations and also just corporations in general have a duty to make sure that they're uplifting the community in which they live in and thrive in and, you know, do business in, and to lift up human rights that are necessary. And I get a lot of pushback when I advocate for this, because they're like, it's a sports team. Like, why do they have to have a political voice? And the fact of the matter is, they're not only comprised of employees who have to exist in this world and need their human rights protected, but their fans, like, the people that actually fund the organizational activities.
And if you're gonna participate in your community, you have to be willing to speak up on their behalf, especially when you have a large enough platform like Austin FC does, especially when tens of thousands of people pay attention to what you're saying. If you don't, then you're dismissing the integrity of individual people, and it's just not okay. And I think that when people dismiss that corporations or sports teams should have a voice or like they argue against it, it just doesn't make any sense to me. You've got corporations, you've got sports organizations participating in capitalism when they sell shirts. They donate a lot of money to candidates. So like, they should speak up, especially if this is something that affects not only their employees, but their fans. And so the fact that Austin FC has not spoken up, but for example, our, you know, rivals have, the Houston Dynamo has spoken up, FC Dallas has spoken up. Like, I’m really disappointed that Austin FC hasn’t, especially since it's been clear from our community that this is something we believe in and that we want them to do. And yeah, I'm just devastated, actually.
Jessica: Yeah, me too. I am like you very proud of the supporter community and the fan community around this, and their voices. And I've said this before, I think I said it on the Moontower podcast when I was on there talking about a player on the team who was suspended for domestic violence and sort of like how we should all feel about those things. Like, one of the things that's exciting about this team and this moment is that it's new. It's like brand new. Like, we can build it in whatever way we want to right now. And I think we should be pushing really hard to ask this team to step up for us. Like, you and I count too. And they feel complicit in Dobbs when they are silent, is how I feel.
Aimee: I agree. I think that they're doing themselves a disservice and they're doing their community a disservice, and it's really disappointing. I don't do the work that I've been doing for this long, and I've encountered so much abortion stigma from people that are like, I totally support you, but I just can't be vocal about it, or I can support you behind the scenes, but never out loud. And I get it, like, that's a thing, and that's something that's been perpetuated. But like, we're at the point where we've completely lost the right. Like, half of the United States is banning abortion in the next couple of weeks. The time to be silent is over. Like, it's been over for a while, but like, you need to step up now. And if you don't care about abortion rights, if they don't care about abortion rights, they should care about all the other human rights that are about to be impacted because this decision has created this precedent that is going to overturn things like interracial marriage and, you know, marriage equality, and just like what happens in your bedroom. It’s bananas to me. And if they don't see the slippery slope and at least care about the other rights affected, like, I don't know. I'm just so disappointed.
Jessica: Yeah. It's interesting. Clarence Thomas's concurrence just laid it all out for us in a way that was useful, at least to like, we don't have to wonder where they're going next. Because the underlying principle here is the right to privacy. That was what Roe was built on. And so now Thomas and a bunch of people like him are advocating to go after other rights, as you said. And so there is this sort of irony of seeing our players on the pitch with rainbow numbers and silence from the club on Dobbs, when all these things are actually related. Like, you can't unwind these things. So, that is such a good point, Aimee, that like, it isn't just Dobbs at this point. It is all the other stuff that’s tangled up with it that the club has been very vocal about. I was at a pride event for queer people of color in Austin on Saturday, and there was an Austin FC person there filming, and I assume it will show up in some video at some point of them talking about their support of the LGBTQ community in Austin. And I don't know. They've gotta do better here. They can't just make videos. [laughs]
Aimee: Absolutely. They can’t. Like, I don't even know what to say, but like, I think that people tend to look at these issues as siloed and they don't actually acknowledge that humans experience the intersection of many issues throughout their lifetime. And that, like, if you're gonna support LGBTQIA rights, you need to also support abortion rights and reproductive rights. And you also need to support, you know, voting rights and immigrant rights. Like, they're all connected. You can't just silo them out because you can't give a person a portion of their human rights and that's how they're supposed to live. Like, it just doesn't work that way. Like, I'm willing to offer up a let's talk about abortion training to their whole staff so they can talk about it in a more comfortable way. Like, we can give them resources.
I just love the community so much that I just really wanna enable them to feel comfortable being out loud about abortion and make it happen, because I also think that what they've done for the sports fan community is just amazing. And they have a platform that could reach so many people and that could actually encourage people to speak up and encourage people to become active if they see this community member, this large community just be active, you know?
Jessica: Aimee, thank you so much for taking the time, especially in this particular moment to come on Burn It All Down and talk to us about what is happening and what we can do and what the soccer community, what Austin FC should be doing, and all the other teams out there. I just really appreciate everything that you have done. I've known Aimee for many years now, and I know that you're out there doing very hard work on a daily basis for me. And it means a lot to me. So thank you.
Aimee: Thank you for having me. I've just admired you since 2013, and everything you do, connecting sports to real lives and holding sports people accountable is so important. And I just really appreciate that, because I think that sometimes there's just a tendency to separate them, and that's not how we live our lives. They're absolutely connected.
Jessica: That's it for this episode of Burn It All Down. This episode was produced by Tressa Versteeg. Shelby Weldon is our web and social media wizard. Burn It All Down is part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Listen, subscribe and rate the show wherever you listen to podcasts. You can follow Burn It All Down on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For show links and transcripts, check out our website, burnitalldownpod.com. You'll also find a link to our merch at our Bonfire store. And as always, thank you to our patrons. Your support means the world. If you want to become a sustaining donor to our show, visit patreon.com/burnitalldown. To all of our flamethrowers out there, burn on and not out.