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Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes. She was thought to live in the crater of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii. She is said to have a terrible temper and will throw lava at anyone who angers her.

Abortion rights are under relentless attack across the country, and there’s no sign of the fight abating: Three states have passed extreme six-week bans in just the past three months, and then earlier this week, Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed into law the most restrictive bill in the nation. Though none of the bills have yet to take effect — as of now, abortion is still legal in every state — many have responded to the harsh legislation with appropriate fear and outrage, and have been eager to find ways to help.

A great way to start is by donating to grassroots reproductive-rights organizations, but if you’re looking for a tangible way to fight back, consider volunteering to be an abortion-clinic escort. What that entails is pretty self-explanatory: You accompany women seeking reproductive care on the walk from their transportation to the clinic, during which it’s likely the women will encounter anti-abortion protesters who attempt to shame or dissuade them from going through with the procedure. To find your local clinics, visit the websites for the National Abortion Federation and Abortion Care Network, both of which have maps that will show you all the abortion-providing clinics in each state. Then, once you’ve decided on a place or two where you’d like to volunteer, reach out to the clinics to inquire about their needs.

“While anti-abortion extremists attempt to make it more difficult or impossible to access abortion, escorts support patients in accessing the care they need,” Nikki Madsen, executive director at Abortion Care Network, told the Cut. “Clinic escorts contribute to creating welcoming, supportive environments for patients, and play an essential role in de-stigmatizing abortion — a normal part of healthcare. These volunteers live the values of our movement everyday by showing up and following the lead of those working in the clinics.”

Alternatively, you could join Planned Parenthood’s broader Clinic Defender program, where they will ask you “to bring national attention to local fights, empowering local organizers and activists to make a real impact.” Either way, you’ll be helping women get the care they need.

May 16,2019

On Wednesday, Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed into law the most restrictive abortion bill in the country: a near-full ban on the procedure, with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Under the measure, abortion would be classified as a felony, and doctors who perform the procedure could face up to 99 years in prison. (The only exception is for cases where the mother’s health is at serious risk.)

The past year has seen the worrying rise of extreme anti-abortion legislation across the country, from the recent ban in Alabama, to the three states that have passed six-week bans in the last three months: Georgia, Mississippi, and Ohio. And, just hours after Ivey signed Alabama’s bill, the Missouri state senate passed a near-full ban on the medical procedure. The lawmakers behind the bills don’t even attempt to conceal their true intention — to directly attack Roe v. Wade, which they hope to see overturned by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court. (As of now, though, none of the bills have been enacted.

Here’s how to fight back against extreme abortion bans across the country and advocate for the people they could potentially impact.

Donate to local, grassroots organizations.

Aside from nationwide organization like Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the ACLU, there are many smaller reproductive-rights organizations that provide support and resources to people seeking abortion in their states. A few good places to give:

• Access Reproductive Care - Southeast: ARC is a volunteer organization that helps families in 12 states across the southeast access reproductive care.

• National Network of Abortion Funds: NNAF is a network of more than 80 funds in at least 38 states that seeks to eliminate economic barriers for low-income individuals seeking an abortion.

• The Yellowhammer Fund: Based in Alabama, Yellowhammer not only provides funding for abortions at one of the city’s three clinics, but also helps with other barriers to access patients may face, such as travel or lodging. (Yellowhammer is part of NNAF.)

• Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund: Run entirely by volunteers, the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund helps people access abortion, and provides both support and resources to parents.

• Women Have Options: This Ohio-based organization provides financial assistance and support to low-income patients seeking reproductive care, abortion included.

• National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum: NAPAWF is a multi-issue community-organizing and policy-advocacy organization that fights for policy changes that would benefit women, transgender, and non-binary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

• Gateway Women’s Access Fund: Based in Missouri, Gateway provides both educational and financial support to people in the state who can’t afford the full cost of an abortion.

Volunteer as a clinic escort.

If you live in a state with a restrictive abortion ban — or nearby one — one tangible way to support abortion rights is to become a clinic escort. Find out more here.

Or, you can always see if one of the above organizations are seeking volunteers.

Speak out about the potential repercussions of extreme abortion bans, because they’re not going anywhere.

If you can’t donate to organizations or volunteer, you can still vocally condemn attacks on abortion rights, and speak to those around you who may not fully grasp the chilling effect these laws have.

“Have the critical conversations with your family members and friends to activate them in the fight for abortion access and reproductive justice,” Quita Tinsley, the deputy director of ARC, told the Cut. “Being clear about our beliefs not only challenges stigma, but it also shows the people that have had abortions that they have allies and supporters in their community.”

NAPAWF executive editor Sung Yeon Choimorrow echoed Tinsley’s sentiments, stressing that the fight against six-week bans is far from over.

“These restrictions are being copied across several states and this is part of a coordinated outside agenda to restrict our rights nationwide,” Choimorrow told the Cut. “Abortion bans and other attacks on the agency of pregnant people are inextricably linked and cannot be separated from the effort to jail pregnant immigrants at the border, or raid the workplaces of communities of color … This is not the first ban of this type, and it will not be the last attempt.”

The lesbian strength march in Leeds today was so amazing! It felt so cathartic to be with my people and have room to show my pride openly. I have felt so alienated by Pride parades in the past because they did not represent me. Today I finally found my community; Strong, kind, passionate, creative, funny, intelligent, lesbian women!

Although our banners were purely expressing lesbian pride (with slogans such as “lesbian love is beautiful”, “same sex attracted” and “lesbian is not a bad word”) and had nothing to do with trans people, we faced backlash from trans activists. They followed behind us, chanting, and at one point incited some onlookers to shout a homophobic slur at us :) so that was nice lol. We did get a lot of cheers from passers by though which was lovely and a massive show of solidarity from the Labour party’s anti-fascist protest as we passed it.

She's always been strong; when she arrived in Sparta, she was a strong symbol of war and strength, as well as love and sexuality. She is the Lady who Lays Upon the Graves, the Killer of Men, of War, born of Blood, Death and the Sea.

She is not only the goddess of love and sex, she's also the goddess of passion. Not just romantic passion, but also what those care about. Whether it be passionate anger, passion about what you do, what you feel, what you believe in.

She's always had a rose in her hand, and a bloodied sword in the other.