By Louise “Lou” Fischer–
Even though we saw it coming, the Supreme Court’s recent shameful ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that made abortions a constitutional right nearly 50 years ago, is a major setback for women’s reproductive health and freedom. This decision takes away the rights of women to make choices about their own bodies and hands it over to anti-abortion state politicians who will gleefully force women to remain pregnant and have children against their will. I’m very troubled by the whole situation, but per the instructions of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “Don’t agonize, organize.”
Shannon Olivieri Hovis, the State of California Director of NARAL Pro-Choice America, is an expert and leader in the abortion rights movement. She agreed to give me, for the San Francisco Bay Times, an exclusive interview on what the hell happened and what we all need to do now.
I met Shannon a few years ago when she started dating her now husband, Victor, one of my political activist buddies and a Commissioner on the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Commission. Shannon, 36, who identifies as a bisexual female and member of the LGBTQ+ community, was born in San Francisco, grew up in Mill Valley, and currently lives in San Francisco with Victor and their adorable 7-month-old baby girl Catalina. Her hobbies include performing at the SF Oasis as a member of the musical theater group “Drunk Drag Broadway,” singing with the GLIDE Memorial Church choir, and dancing with the ODC/Dance Company.
Lou Fischer: What is NARAL and what is their focus?
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: NARAL Pro-Choice America is the political arm of the reproductive freedom movement; it is the oldest and largest abortion rights advocacy organization in the country that fights for reproductive freedom including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave. NARAL Pro-Choice California is dedicated to protecting and expanding the ability to make personal decisions about our reproductive lives without government interference. NARAL, with 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, and more than 370,000 members in California, represents the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion. NARAL has designations as both a 501c3 (educational and charitable functions) and a 501c4 (political activity).
Lou Fischer: What is your role at NARAL and what was your educational and career path in getting there?
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: I am the Director of NARAL Pro-Choice California. I got involved with sexual and reproductive health in high school as a peer health educator with the Marin AIDS Project and continued in college by providing sexual and reproductive counseling for students. I attended USC as an undergrad and double majored in Theater and Social Sciences with an emphasis in Psychology. I joined Teach for America and taught 5th grade Special Education in a transitional bilingual classroom in New York City where I earned a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University. I became frustrated by the educational policies impacting my classroom and came back to California to earn a Master of Public Policy degree at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
After grad school, I worked in policy and political strategy in various roles including the Civil Rights section of the California Department of Justice under then Attorneys General Xavier Becerra and Kamala Harris. I have worked on policy related to police practices and profiling, criminal and juvenile justice, child welfare policies, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigration. As a bisexual woman, I have always known that reproductive freedom is essential for gender and LGBTQ+ equality, racial, and economic justice. Coming to NARAL to work at the intersection of these issues is a homecoming for me.
Lou Fischer: To be blunt, what the f–k happened? Supreme Court justices who pledged to uphold “settled precedent” screwed us over. In your wildest nightmare did you see this coming?
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: Donald Trump happened, and yes, I saw this coming. The extreme anti-choice minority has been working to overturn Roe v. Wade for nearly 50 years and Trump gave them a 6–3 majority on the Supreme Court. Overturning Roe was a litmus test for Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh; their lip service to uphold precedent was, as President Biden would say, “a bunch of malarkey.” Since then, the Supreme Court decided to take up Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban [Dobbs v. Jackson], which was unconstitutional under the protections of Roe. Then, the Court allowed Texas’ vigilante-enforced 6-week abortion ban to go into effect, allowing Roe to fall in Texas. Finally, the leaked draft opinion confirmed our worst fears—that the Supreme Court would end the constitutional right to abortion.
Lou Fischer: What actions is NARAL taking, now that the nightmare is real? Is there any chance of going back to Roe v Wade or is it truly f–king over now and the best we can do is keep as many states as possible?
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: The fight has been at the state level for a long time. Even with Roe, states could restrict abortion access. In some states, only a single clinic provided abortion care. With this recent ruling, access becomes exponentially more severe. NARAL has been ready for a long time; the fight is in the states where we need to flip state legislatures, governorships, and attorneys general to win as many states as possible. We have to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act in Congress to enshrine a federal right to abortion. It has passed the House; we must gain seats in the Senate and hold the House to give this legislation a fighting chance.
The attacks on reproductive freedom are a coordinated, last gasp effort of the white male patriarchy to maintain existing power structures and are, in fact, connected to the attacks on transgender youth and voting rights. However, there is not a single state in the country where bans on abortion are popular, so public opinion is on our side. Things will get worse before they get better, but just as those of us who are LGBTQ+ aren’t going back into the closet, people with uteruses aren’t going back into the 1950s; you can’t turn back the clock.
Lou Fischer: What can California do to help women in other states?
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: California, a designated Reproductive Freedom State with more than a quarter of the nation’s abortion care facilities, will have an outsized role in serving out-of-state patients. NARAL Pro-Choice California and our allies formed the California Future of Abortion Council (CA FAB Council), to create a blueprint to safeguard abortion access. This year we’re running a legislative package of 16 bills, including a constitutional amendment, to specifically enshrine the right to abortion in California. We must use our political power and bully pulpit to protect the fundamental freedoms of all Americans.
Lou Fischer: How can the general public help in the fight for reproductive rights?
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: Get involved! Become a NARAL activist and volunteer to help us pass critical legislation in the upcoming election; reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights are on the ballot. Contribute to NARAL and organizations such as the National Network of Abortion Funds to remove financial and logistical barriers for women seeking abortion access across the country. Sign up to be a clinic escort and guarantee that all people can safely access care.
Lou Fischer: Thanks for meeting with me. I think I hear the baby crying.
Shannon Olivieri Hovis: It was my pleasure. I appreciate the San Francisco Bay Times for spreading our message. The baby is fine—Victor’s on diaper duty!
For More information and to Get Involved
NARAL Pro-Choice California: https://prochoicecalifornia.org/
NARAL Pro-Choice America: https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/
National Network of Abortion Funds: https://abortionfunds.org/
By the Numbers:
Where States Currently Stand on Abortion Rights (source: The Washington Post, July 7, 2022)
16 -States where abortion is banned or mostly banned;
3 – States where abortion will be banned imminently;
3 – Likely to ban abortion;
8 – States where abortion is legal for now (Florida and Kansas are on this list, so who knows?);
21 – States (including District of Columbia) where abortion is legal and likely to be protected.
Louise (Lou) Fischer is a Former Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and has served as an appointed and elected Delegate for the State Democratic Party. She is a proud graduate of the Emerge California Women’s Democratic Leadership program, was a San Francisco Commissioner, and has served in leadership positions in multiple nonprofit and community-based organizations.
Published on July 14, 2022
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