the only way out is through, together
#5SmartReads - June 18, 2025
#5SmartReads is a Webby-honored weekly news digest that amplifies underreported news and underrepresented perspectives. My goal is to help you stay informed without being overwhelmed, and to embrace nuance and reflection over picking a side.
A Day With One Abortion Pill Prescriber (New York Times)
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Motherhood has changed me.
It’s softened me, made me stronger and more flexible, and and has brought a chaotic joy into my life.
It’s also made me more ardently pro-choice.
There is nothing easy or simple about trying to conceive, pregnancy (a wanted or an undesired one), postpartum, or parenthood. Abortion bans don’t protect babies or mothers - they do the opposite, as we’re seeing in the states that have banned them.
Women are dying. Sepsis rates are on the rise. And maternity wards are closing down in these states, with OB-GYNs moving to states where they can practice medicine fully. The women who live in these states have virtually no options when they need to terminate a pregnancy.
But that’s where Debra Lynch comes in.
Her Safe Harbor is Lynch’s service that offers medication abortion, contraceptive pills, and gynecological infection treatment over the phone, and primarily focused on women who live in states with abortion bans.
The medication is mailed to the address of the recipient’s choice, in an unmarked box with a thoughtfully vague note enclosed. Lynch retains all the records in her office, exclusively on paper. She and the other three providers are available to their patients to answer questions or help quell concerns.
Every abortion story is different. But it was one of Lynch’s patients in Texas - her husband, actually - that I want the lawmakers banning abortion to hear from.
“The man said they were devout Christians who considered themselves “pro-life” but found themselves in circumstances where abortion was right for them. “It’s not very common that some grew-up-in-the-country Republican from Texas who loves guns changes his mind on things,” he said on one call. “But here we are.”
His wife has endometriosis and had been advised that pregnancy could be dangerous for her, he said. They worried that Texas’ abortion ban made hospitals so afraid that if she miscarried or had pregnancy complications, doctors would have to wait to intervene until her condition became life-threatening.
“If you’re a woman in Texas, and you’re going through complications and a miscarriage,” he said, “it’s going to be difficult for you to find treatment, and that’s not OK. And as a Christian, I understand that these laws stem from Christian values. But the one thing that we never really discuss is a woman’s health.””
Comprehensive obstetric care should be a given, not a rare exception. I’m beyond grateful of Debra Lynch and her team’s bravery and relentless hard work - and I’m heartbroken that it has to be this way.
No Kings - Now What? Here’s Exactly What to Do Next (Emily In Your Phone)
“Do something about it, and don’t do it half-assed” is one of my favorite chapters and quotes from We’re Speaking.
The advice is simple enough. But in times like these, and on the heels of the massive No Kings protests, sustained action is what will steer the ship away from this autocratic mess and towards something resembling the liberty and justice that we pledged to every morning in elementary school.
When I feel lost in what to do next, there are a few folks I always turn to.
and are two of them.Emily’s recommendations are attainable and, more importantly, sustainable. Here’s what I’m doing and recommitting to:
getting involved with Moms Against Media Addiction in NYC. The more I study screen time + behavioral development in our kids, the more it terrifies me.
has quickly mobilized a group that’s made progress in stronger safety policies around phone and smart devices in schools. You can join a local chapter, or start your own.I need to do a better job of keeping up with my civic pod. I also think I need to narrow it to a particular issue so I can sustain this work - likely in healthcare.
I need to do a better job of calling my representatives, especially since my Member of Congress is one of the rare moderate-ish Republicans left in the House.
Right now, offline engagement matters more to me than online engagement. Emily, Shannon,
, , , , and create and guide these conversations so well, and I’d rather amplify their work online.For longer form news, I love how
has built , and and ’s Substacks. You’re likely already subscribed to or are following and .Have the offline conversations. Invest your time, energy, and the money you can into the specific causes that matter most to you.
And if you still need some support on getting started, you can start with reading Democracy in Retrograde and Fired Up.
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