Web3 and the fight for reproductive rights

Use CasesNFTsPhilanthropy
Written By Drew Simon

On June 24th, in a devastating blow to women’s rights, the US Supreme Court struck down 50 years of precedent established in Roe V. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. As a result, it is likely that about half of US states will ban abortion, impacting the lives of millions of women, and their right to choose what to do with their bodies.

Not only does it take away a women’s right to choose, but it will no doubt also result in preventable deaths. According to one study, if abortion were to be banned nationwide in the U.S., pregnancy-related deaths would increase by an estimated 7% in the first year, and 21% in subsequent years.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s decision further exacerbates racial inequality in the United States, as abortion bans disproportionately impact women of color, with 60% of those seeking abortions being people of color.

Urgent action is needed to fight back against the unjust and politically motivated action taken by the US Supreme Court. So, what role can web3 play in the fight for reproductive rights?

 

Community Organizing

One of the greatest benefits of web3, is how it provides individuals and communities with new ways to organize and engage in movements of change. Shortly after the news was released confirming the overturning of Roe v. Wade, ChoiceDAO launched, with a goal of raising $1M+ in 26 days to support the fight for reproductive rights. ChoiceDAO is led by a coalition of pioneering web3 women, with 100% of proceeds going to organizations supporting reproductive rights, as voted on by the community.

Being able to organize around a cause, rally the community, and almost immediately start raising funds via crypto, demonstrates the true power of DAOs as a tool to drive community change.

We saw a similar approach with UkraineDAO, which was formed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and raised a whopping $7M is USD in just five days. What was also amazing about UkraineDAO, however, was how it brought the community together, and railed a global network of individuals in support of Ukraine.

ChoiceDAO is just the beginning and certainly won’t be the last DAO that emerges in the fight for reproductive rights. DAOs have so many use cases that could be of benefit in this fight, and we could see DAOs emerge that provide direct support to women seeking a safe abortion, act as an organizing platform for protests and rallies, or help facilitate research into reproductive health, among many other things.

Crypto Fundraising

One of the most obvious ways that web3 can help in the fight for reproductive rights is through cryptocurrency donations. Cryptocurrency donations have gained incredible momentum in recent years and have played a prominent role in responding to a number of crises including the war in Ukraine, natural disasters, and COVID-19. In response to the recent Supreme Court decision, many web3 organizations have been working to drive donations to charitable organizations fighting for reproductive rights.

One example is Endaoment’s Protect Reproductive Rights Fund, which, to date, has received over $87,000 in donations in support of the Centre for Reproductive Rights, Fund Texas Choice, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collection, NARAL, Fòs Feminista, Planned Parenthood, and URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity.

UnicornDAO, a collector’s DAO for women in the NFT space Co-Founded by members of the famous Russian protest group Pussy Riot, has also partnered with Endaoment to raise funds. UnicornDAO created a wallet, LegalAbortion.eth, to encourage and facilitate crypto donations to organizations supporting reproductive rights via Endaoment.

We have also seen a number of NFT projects emerge that aim to raise awareness and funding for organizations supporting reproductive rights. One great example is CowgirlDAO, which recently launched the “10k FUCK YOU collection” which is broken down into three editions: “My Mom Said You’re Not Supreme, Alito,” “Kick Rocks, Kavanaugh,” and “Never Heard of you, Coney Barrett.” Proceeds from sales of the NFTs will be donated to charities via Endaoment, under the advisement of CowgirlDAO. This campaign, although early, has already garnered incredible momentum, and has been supported by fundraisers led by thehugxyz, among others.

Another example of the NFT community coming together to fight is the “Mobilizing for Reproductive Rights” campaign led by Indigenous Women Fighters. For this campaign, over 20 NFT artists/projects came together to help raise funds in support of Planned Parenthood.

Crypto Boy, an NFT music drop and collaboration between Pussy Riot and musician Salem Ilese, is another example, which, to date, has raised over $100K for Centre for Reproductive Rights.

When it comes to NFTs, it is really about much more than just raising funds, which in and of itself is very important. It’s also about raising awareness, mobilizing movements, and getting the community engaged. There are few spaces that seem to be able to accomplish all of this at once as well as the NFT community.

 

Conclusion

It’s been less than a week since the horrific ruling from the US Supreme Court, but so much has already happened. This past week has shown the power of web3 to be able to quickly bring people together to organize, facilitate movements of change, and fight back against injustice. Hopefully it’s only the beginning.

Drew Simon
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