Cops and prosecutors are constantly locking people up and hoping that we will be too daunted to show up for them.
This is not new for the Repro Legal Defense Fund. We've been paying bail and covered legal defense costs for people targeted for abortion or miscarriage and those that care and assist them. We support people with cases in criminal, family, and immigration courts across the country.
The need for bail funds is increasing rapidly. With more bans going into effect, more money pouring into cops, ICE, and state surveillance, and higher bail amounts, it is harder than ever to free people.
Donate now to help us meet this urgent moment and get people out of jail and support their defense.
Pre-trial detention punishes people before they even get a chance to defend themselves in court.
A recent example: a midwife in Texas was arrested for allegedly providing abortion care and her bail was set at $1.4 million dollars, even though the average bail for the same level of charges in her county is $36,000. Even though she was arrested, and is now out on bail, she has yet to be charged.
High bail is a tactic to intimidate bail funds from supporting people facing the brunt of state violence in jails and detention centers.
Our Repro Legal Defense Fund Director Rafa Kidvai spoke to the Huffington Post about how the system weaponizes bail: "This sort of cruelty by procedure that happens is exactly what we need to be talking about. If you lose all your financial support or your income, how do you fight the case? Attorneys cost money, going to court costs money, childcare costs money, therapy costs money. Criminal cases are inordinately expensive for people to take on themselves."
High bail blocks people from their outside support network that they rely on to fight their case. It separates families and communities, draining people financially and emotionally even before they have any chance to assert their dignity.
You can directly support getting people out of cages and back home. Give $15 to the Repro Legal Defense Fund.
No one should feel like they will disappear behind bars. Together, we can shore up the support people need when under investigation, arrest, or incarceration for abortion or pregnancy loss. That's how we reject isolation and build collective safety.
In solidarity,
Repro Legal Defense Fund, a project of If/When/How
P.S. Whether you give or not, please share the Repro Legal Defense Fund far and wide. The more people know we exist, the more we can be a resource to respond when someone faces criminalization for their abortion or pregnancy outcomes.
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