Dear readers,

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court, whose conservative supermajority was made possible by a twice-impeached President credibly accused of sexual assault, decided that the Constitution of the United States does not confer the right to an abortion, and overruled both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. We hope it goes without saying that Ash Wellness is a place where we believe strongly in a person’s right to choose. 

We started Ash Wellness to make healthcare more inclusive and accessible for marginalized people, especially our own LGBTQ+ community. Indeed, access to abortion is a queer health issue. It is a women’s health issue. It is a basic human rights issue. Our solution supports public health HIV and STI testing initiatives, women’s health companies, and university hospital systems — to name a few. It is not in our DNA to sit idle while healthcare access is stripped from so many fellow Americans. 

We are fortunate that the vast majority of our teammates reside in states that protect a person’s right to choose. None of our team members are in states where trigger laws will endanger immediate abortion access. However, we will cover costs associated with travel, lodging, and care for any team member now or in the future who needs to access abortion care. We hope to share more in the coming weeks. 

The Ash Wellness founders — David Stein, Mio Akasako, Kyle Waters, and Nick Sempere — have discussed next steps. We are in the process of seeking ways to partner with organizations who make abortion accessible, and are hoping to do something more than just give money. Our team welcomes any and all suggestions on ways that Ash Wellness can support abortion access efforts. 

In solidarity, 

The Ash Wellness team

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