Avow Presents: Your Pro-Abortion Playbook
Strategies and tools to meet this moment—and build a better future
In the face of coordinated chaos intended to sow fear, we are called to know the strategies that are our inheritance as collaborators in the fight for liberation -- and to know where we come from so we can fight for where we’re going.
This pro-abotion playbook has tools, tips, and strategies for being soft with ourselves and each other and hard against fascists and their campaigns of harm. Because knowledge is power, and we are actively in the struggle for the power to define what comes next – not just for Texas, but for the world.
And that’s why I opened this playbook with a quote about the power of memory as a portal for hope: the most powerful tool our opposition has is their ability to convince us that it has always been this way.
As Texans, we see it all the time: extremist officials act like small-minded, hateful, cruelty has always been the Texas tradition. But that’s just not true. And in our history – in our collective memory – we see that the past is proof that something better is possible.
My challenge to you as you dig into this playbook is simple: to commit to holding that memory with us — to reaching back to the lessons of the past as strategies in the playbook for a better future.
At every moment in history that we can now see as a turning point towards liberation, there were people in that moment who chose to push back against despair, lean in to hope, and play on.
Now, it’s our turn.
See you on the field –
Raven
TOOL
Articulating the vision — you have to know what you’re playing for.
This moment was not inevitable.
Before the 2010 Tea Party wave, and before Dan Patrick threw the two-thirds rule out the window of the Texas Senate chamber, almost nothing could pass without bipartisan support. An abortion ban would have been considered radically extreme, and it never would have passed.
That’s only fifteen years ago. These extremists want to brainwash us into believing it has always been this way — but it hasn’t.
So how did we get here? And — more importantly — how do we get out?
Extremists treat Texas as their testing ground, rigging the game and changing the rules to cling onto power using abortion as a litmus test for the right wing power grab.
But culture is our power. When more Texans unite around abortion rights, it doesn’t just challenge their policies, it challenges their power. We’re not afraid of a bigger table. We’re building it with Texans across this state.
It might be hard to imagine right now, but we are only limited by our ability to dream. It will take time, but if we can come together around a clear vision for our future, we, too, can create a new reality that seems impossible today.
STRATEGY
You have the vision—start living NOW as if that future is real.
No matter how far your vision is from today’s reality, YOU have the power to bring that dream even closer to reality in your life, today.
We’re not talking about manifestation. We’re talking about turning the lens of your vision back towards yourself. How would you be moving in your community if the world of your dreams were here? Where can you find opportunities to start doing that, even in the tiniest of ways, right now?
After the devastating floods in central Texas last July, Avow’s team was confronted with one of those opportunities.
Our incredible movement power team immediately mobilized a text bank to reach out to our members in the affected area. A text message after a devastating flood might seem small, but connection is how we build community.
And Texans know it best — after a disaster, knowing that you aren’t alone and that people care about you? That isn’t small at all.
Reproductive justice is not only about abortion rights — its tenants call on us to make it our business if our neighbors have lost their homes and need help. We’re committed to finding ways to address the material conditions our neighbors face. And by texting them to check in and reach out, we took a step in the direction of our dream.
This is how we start living in a better Texas today.
STRATEGY
Flexibility — as long as it moves in service of your vision, don’t be afraid to pivot to what makes sense for your community in a given moment.
Our outreach and organizing team had a dynamic plan for using games — including an escape room — as tools to teach young people about the realities of abortion access in Texas.
But then, our Houston organizing and outreach manager tabled at a homecoming game at a local university. And while she was there, she started noticing something: What these students really needed — and what they kept coming to our table to ask for — was emergency contraception.
She had brought about 200 boxes that we received as a donation. Within the first thirty minutes, they were all gone. And the need was still there.
With all of the other organizations there — including health care providers — Avow was the one place where these college students could immediately access the resources they truly needed.
She started asking questions. Who is making sure Houstonians have access to things like emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, and condoms? The surprising answer was: no one.
Pivot: The outreach games went back on the shelf, and the Repro Kits program was born.
Working with local coffee shops and bars, Avow put discreet packages containing emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, condoms, ovulation tests, lubricant, and information about preventing pregnancy in their bathrooms. And as soon as they were stocked, the overwhelming demand for this resource became abundantly clear.
Repro Kits weren’t on our radar or in our plans — not anywhere close.
But what Houston needed — and still needs — is a way to get these things into the hands of people who need them. Making sure Texans can prevent unplanned pregnancy is absolutely a part of our vision. The courage to be flexible with our programming plans allows us to be firm in our commitment to our community.
TOOL
Your Toolbox of Rest
If you’re like most people these days, you’ve likely told yourself some version of “now is not the time to rest.” But when you are running on fumes, no amount of tools or strategies can cover that gap.
Dr. Shauna Pollard defines rest as anything that makes you feel “grounded, relaxed, calm, [and] centered.” And that’s going to look different for everyone.The most important thing you can do is define what is restful for you.
Avow closes quarterly for a week of rest, so our team can show up throughout the rest of the year to meet this moment. While we’re out of the office, here are some things we do to recharge:
“I love a good walk in the woods, preferably with the sound of a babbling creek nearby.”
“I wake up right before the sun rises to walk my dog. Nothing feels better than the cool breeze in the morning and the smell of morning dew as the air shifts into the warmth of the sun setting into your bones and the animals waking up to greet the day.”
“It’s community for me: spending time just having fun and finding joy with other people. Cooking. Napping. Yapping.”
“Touching grass. Literally. I go outside in my backyard and make sure some part of my body is touching the grass — even if it’s just my bare feet. Cloud watching optional, sunshine preferred.”
“I love to get lost in a good book!”
These strategies and tools we’ve shared in your playbook aren’t just hypothetical. At Avow, we’re putting them into practice every day.
The dream: A better Texas — one where every person is trusted, thriving, and free to pursue the life they want.
The north star: In Texas, where abortion rights are under relentless attack, this work is about more than healthcare. It’s about confronting systems of white supremacy, patriarchy, and political control, and fighting for bodily autonomy, dignity, and justice for all Texans.
The strategies:
Building pro-abortion agendas shaped by and for our communities. Our approach is unapologetically abortion-forward, rooted in the belief that reproductive justice is not just a human right, but a foundational part of just governance. By using abortion as an entry point, we connect issues across movements and illuminate the broader struggle for equity, locally and globally.
Linking grassroots resistance with institutional transformation. We’re cultivating assemblies of pro-abortion leaders and allies, bridging the gap between grassroots power and decision-making spaces, and working for cultural change that lasts beyond any single election or policy win.
Building long-term movement infrastructure grounded in community, interdependence, and liberation. We know Texas can lead the way in reimagining what’s possible. Together, we are growing a statewide, community-led movement that defends abortion access and transforms systems — so every person can live a joyful, self-determined life.
