April Newsletter
It's official! We've Rebranded!
As many of you know, we rebranded on Wednesday, April 10th and completed our disaffiliation from the national Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). When the national RCRC decided to split from their state affiliates in 2022, it gave us an opportunity to take a step back and consider our organization, the mission, vision, and how it can best meet this moment of crisis. In April 2023, we embarked on a rebranding process and launched a year later on April 10th, 2024. New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is now Faith Roots Reproductive Action and Faith Roots Abortion Fund.
The Process
The rebranding strategy included evaluating the organization’s name and ties to the national affiliate, brand, and messaging. NMRCRC engaged in research, held regular meetings with staff, worked to reorganize and update the organization’s website, hosted two focus group interviews with stakeholders to inform our process, and distributed a survey to stakeholders, including staff, board members, donors, funders, and partners.
What We Heard
In the interviews and meetings, staff and stakeholders shared their vision of a world in which NMRCRC’s work to support access to abortion is no longer needed; a world in which reproductive rights and abortion access are a given rather than something to fight for. The rebranding process centered on this vision of hope.
What are our values rooted in?
Service
Compassion
Values
Faith in action
Respite and care - pre and post abortion
Spiritual and practical support
Judgment free space for healing, especially for those seeking care who have been wounded by religion.
Working to do better for community, including our staff and partners
We heard from staff and stakeholders that NM RCRC’s work is rooted in faith and healing from religious trauma, rather than in any one specific religion.
Stakeholders recognize that the color purple in NM RCRC’s current brand is ingrained in the identity of the organization. Purple was incorporated to enshrine that level of recognition - important for any organization - and chose a complementary color that conveys a sense of calm. The new logos leverage that ingrained identity by featuring the colors and plant lavender. The lavender plant is used, along with sage, in our recovery spaces for healing and comfort.
Lastly, stakeholders and the staff shared their deep commitment and ties to New Mexico. New Mexicans are often spiritual and religious, tied to our land, and community-minded.
Results
As a reflection of this process, we adopted the following new logos and organization name Faith Roots Reproductive Action and abortion fund name Faith Roots Abortion Fund.
New Logos
The names Faith Roots Reproductive Action and Faith Roots Abortion Fund reflect the organization’s core commitment to providing abortion access and care as faith in action.
New Vision Statement
We envision a New Mexico where we recognize, affirm, and honor every person’s power to fiercely defend their bodily autonomy and access to reproductive healthcare including abortion.
New Mission Statement
Faith Roots Reproductive Action advocates for bodily autonomy by shifting religious and spiritual narratives and engaging in collaborative partnerships. We demand access to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including abortion, for all persons.
Our new social media handles & communications info are listed below:
Website: faithrootsrepro.org
Facebook: faithrootsrepro
Twitter: faithrootsrepro
Instagram: faithrootsrepro
TikTok: faithrootsrepro
A few words from our partners and supporters
"I am excited about the growth and refocus of the former New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice who has rebranded themselves as Faith Roots Reproductive Action and Faith Roots Abortion Fund! Rebranding is more than an aesthetic change, but also, a shift in approach and intention. I am rooting for great things to come and am happy to be in partnership with Faith Roots! - Cherisse Scott, CEO & Founder, SisterReach.
“It's taken me a while to ponder the new name. From the beginning, in 1978, the name was the NM Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights (RCAR), then changed in the 90’s to the NM Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). Faith Roots implies a "deeper" meaning for those of us with religious beliefs. "Roots" are the beginning of growth and is descriptive of the stability and strength of faith and its healing power, and isn't that what we desire?,”-Marilyn Stoops, Faith Roots Reproductive Action, Founder and Former Board President.
"We've been working with NM RCRC, now Faith Roots Reproductive Action, for a few years, and I'm really excited to see their new branding. The message I immediately get from their new logo is one of nurturing support that is grounded and deep-rooted in faith and upholding dignity and rights that belong to all of us when making informed decisions about our reproductive lives,"- Jackie Aguirre, ProgressNow New Mexico, Reproductive Justice Manager
“Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion access hangs in the balance like never before. Our team remains steadfast in our commitment to educate and mobilize people of faith across New Mexico to advocate for religious and reproductive freedom,”-Joan Lamunyon Sanford, Faith Roots Reproductive Action, Executive Director.
Faith Roots Open House
Thank you for joining us at our Las Cruces Open House celebrating our rebrand and our new era of advocacy. We had a great time connecting with all of you and learning more about each other. We invite you to join us at our Albuquerque Open House on Wednesday, May 1st at 6pm at our Albuquerque office. We can't wait to see you there!
We will have special pop-up shares that will present ideas on what reproductive freedom is and how it affects us all. We invite you to connect with our staff who have been on the ground working diligently with clients through some of the most challenging times in the history of reproductive freedom. You will have a chance to hear stories of courage and justice that are taking place every single day in the work that our staff is doing. Get a chance to learn more about how reproductive justice is working in real life, right now but most of all we invite you to come and get re-energized for reproductive justice.
RSVP below if you haven't already to receive the open house address.
Latest News on Mifepristone
As many of you know, Mifepristone has been challenged throughout the United States for over a year now. On April 7th, 2023 a federal judge in Texas issued an early ruling in the AHM v. FDA lawsuit invalidating the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, one of two most commonly used abortion medications in the United States since its approval by the FDA in 2000. The judge gave the federal government 7 days to appeal this decision, but shortly after a federal judge in Washington State issued a conflicting injunction that prevented federal regulators from altering access to the same abortion drug.
On April 21st, 2023 the Supreme Court ruled Mifepristone to remain widely available, putting a hold on the restrictions previously placed. Mifepristone's FDA approval will remain unchanged as the case proceeds through the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.
On August 16th, 2023 The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Mifepristone to remain legal, but with significant restrictions to its accessibility. This ruling prevents Mifepristone from being mailed, from being prescribed through Telemedicine, and it prevents healthcare providers who are not doctors including nurse midwives from prescribing it. Patients would need to make three visits to a doctor before obtaining the pill.
On March 26th, 2024 the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about Mifepristone. We are currently awaiting the Supreme Court's decision on whether or not Mifepristone should remain widely available and accessible. In the meantime, Mifepristone remains available online and for up to 10 weeks of pregnancy while the Supreme Court makes a decision.
Mifepristone is essential to our cause. It has allowed patients to make private medical decisions in the comfort of their home and expanded access for reproductive health care. Medication abortion has a safety record of over 99% and there has only been 0.32% complications with Mifepristone in every 50,000 patients. Mifepristone has been proven to be safe and effective and has been used by more than 5 million people in the United States since the FDA approved it more than 20 years ago. Keeping mifepristone easily accessible is crucial to low-income patients and people living in rural communities who already struggle to access abortion care.
In times like these, it's important to continue advocacy and activism for abortion access. Being an election year, your advocacy and donations are more important now than ever! We invite you to become a monthly donor to help us further our mission and continue advocating for reproductive justice.
Arizona's Abortion Ban Ruling- What we know so far
The Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old abortion ban on Tuesday, April 9th, making abortion illegal except to save the pregnant person's life. This law makes abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison for providers who perform an abortion or help someone obtain one. This law dates back to a time before Arizona was a state, when the age of consent was ten years old, a person of color was not allowed to testify against a white person, and women were not allowed to vote.
On Wednesday, April 24th the Arizona State House voted to repeal the 1864 abortion ban, which will now be going to the State Senate on Wednesday, May 1st. The abortion ban is set to go into effect on June 8th of this year if the 1864 law is not repealed.
This law could result in abortion clinics shutting down in Arizona, forcing patients to travel out of state to receive abortion care. Bans like these disproportionately impact people of color making abortion even more inaccessible to them. No matter the outcome, we will continue to support abortion seekers access abortion care and continue to advocate for reproductive justice.
"Whether it's people coming from Texas, Oklahoma or potentially Arizona, those numbers aren't as high as they should be. There is still significant numbers of people that no matter what the resources provided just still do not have the privilege - they have too many responsibilities in their life - to be able to take the time off from work or family responsibilities and travel for a day or two or four to get healthcare, to get an abortion", says our Executive Director, Joan Lamunyon Sanford in an interview with Jessica Onsurez from Las Cruces Sun-News. Click below to read the article.
Practical Support at Faith Roots Abortion Fund
By the Numbers: This illustrates how many folks we’ve helped from each state this quarter!
Despite the national challenges surrounding abortion, Faith Roots Abortion Fund remains committed to supporting abortion seekers access abortion in New Mexico. We are committed to providing practical, financial and emotional support to abortion seekers in a time where abortion has been challenged like never before.
In the first quarter of this year we helped 217 individuals from 10 different states. We assisted 179 individuals from Texas, 16 from New Mexico, 10 from Oklahoma, 5 from Arizona, 2 from Louisiana, 1 from Colorado, 1 from Mississippi, 1 Tennessee, 1 from Arkansas, and 1 from Hawaii.
We need your help now more than ever to help us continue of our mission rooted in compassion, solitude, and faith in action. We invite you to take a stance for abortion by becoming a monthly donor. Any donation of any amount is truly appreciated, but monthly recurring donations are what enable us to do our work and help those in need and the most impacted by abortion bans. As always, thank you for your continued support and contributions! We couldn’t do this without you.
Family Friendly Awards
We had a great time at the New Mexico Family Friendly Business Awards 2024, where we were awarded with a Platinum Level Business Award for the second year in a row. The platinum level is the highest award level awarded for meeting at least two family friendly policies in each of these categories; paid leave, health support, work schedules, and economic support, plus one policy in each of the three Platinum level categories; pay equity, diversity & inclusion, and community investment.
In 2021 and 2022, we were awarded with a Gold Level Business Award. The Gold level is the second-highest award level awarded for meeting at least one family friendly policy in the categories above.
We are proud to say we are always working towards creating a reproductive-justice-aligned organizational culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We put family friendly policies at the center of our work.
Family Friendly New Mexico is a nonprofit initiative that recognizes New Mexico businesses with family friendly policies and serves as a resource for businesses to increase and improve the policies they offer their employees.