The Freedom to Choose
In the wake of the SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24th, ending the right to abortion upheld for decades, the Fourth of July carried particular weight. What does it mean to live in a country where your reproductive freedom and privacy are no longer yours? In the same country where we are incapable of mandating gun safety to protect children, the elderly and our neighbors?
Below is a list of benefits we offer on the Oyster Sunday Benefits Program as well as additional resources we hope will be helpful for your team.
How to protect our teams
It has taken me several weeks to listen and absorb the true implications of the Roe v. Wade rollback and understand the implications it has on women’s agency over their bodies and access to healthcare across the United States. At Oyster Sunday, the majority of our team is made up of women of reproductive age. Built as a remote company, we live throughout the country in states such as New York, Louisiana, Colorado and California. Although many things bind us as a community, this ruling is a stark reminder that access to healthcare is not equitable and will leave so many in our community vulnerable and at risk—disproportionately impacting women of color. It is not lost on me that, as the ACLU said, “our right to control our own bodies and futures will depend on where we live and who we are.”
So, where do we go from here?
We have been working for years to build the Oyster Sunday Benefits Program, which among other benefits provides access to fertility resources and women's health telemedicine for the insured, underinsured and uninsured. Below is a list of our current reproductive health and childcare partners as well as a list of additional resources.
In addition to our current offerings, we are actively aggregating details about reproductive freedom and finding resources across the U.S.—like access to prescriptions and ovulation trackers—so no matter their location, a woman has the right to choose what happens to their body, and the right to privacy. Privacy protection is a key component of this, particularly for residents in states that have banned abortion.
Now it's time to take action. Vote. Vote in your local, state and national elections. With the 2022 midterms around the corner, exercising our right to vote—to protect our rights—has never been more critical.
Take care of one another.
Elizabeth Tilton
Founder + CEO
Oyster Sunday
Women's Health + Family Planning Resources
The Oyster Sunday Benefits Program offers 15% - 50% off goods and services ranging from preventative care, mental and physical wellness, continuing education, and family planning, ensuring your teams have perks that meet the needs. Any operator in the U.S. can purchase a membership, and it covers your entire team—front-of-house, back-of-house, full-time and part-time.
→ Sesame
Women's Health, Telemedicine + In-Person Care
A direct-to-patient telehealth marketplace for doctor appointments, specialist visits, and other medical services designed to serve uninsured or underinsured individuals nationwide. This includes women's health with access to prescription birth control, STI screenings, and more.
→ Spora Health
Women's Health + In-Person Care
Spora Health is a radically inclusive telemedicine provider focused on health equity and culture-centered care that is changing the way People of Color access primary care and get well. This includes women's health with access to prescription birth control, family planning, and referrals for mammogram screenings.
→ Mira
Personalize Fertility + Ovulation
Mira Fertility is an easy-to-use smart hormone tracker that provides accurate and personalized ovulation analysis. This lab-quality tracker measures key fertility hormones (LH, E3G and PdG) and provides their easy-to-understand numerical values.
→ UrbanSitter
Childcare + Caregiving
UrbanSitter provides families with a nationwide network of trusted caregivers through an easy-to-use app and website. From hiring a full-time/part-time sitter, to booking backup care in minutes, find the childcare you need quickly and efficiently.
→ Tinyhood
Parenting Education
Tinyhood has reimagined parenting education, with online courses taught by leading experts covering breastfeeding, childbirth, sleep, CPR, and more. The flexible online format allows parents to watch and learn at their own time and pace, from the comfort of home.
→ Mindful Return
Parenting Education
4-week online courses for new moms and dads to provide the tools and guidance needed to confidently navigate a return to work after having a baby.
Additional Resources
Beyond the Oyster Sunday Benefits Program, there are many ways to get involved and informed about the path forward as it evolves. Below, we compiled a few resources in education, advocacy, and access.
→ Lets Talk About Abortion Toolkit: Support for difficult conversations.
→ Social Tools for Abortion Advocacy: Sample language to speak out.
→ How Will Abortion Access Change?: Answers to some of the fundamental questions about how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will impact a person’s ability to obtain an abortion.
→ National Network of Abortion Funds: A network of organizations working to remove barriers to abortion access.
→ Guttmacher Institute: A comprehensive overview of abortion laws, state by state.
→ Donate to Governors protecting Abortion across America.
→ Plan C: Up-to-date information on how to access abortion pills online.
→ Repro Legal Helpline: Free legal advice.
→ Abortion Finder
Disclaimer: The consolidated resources are here for your consideration. The information provided above is not legal advice. We recommend talking to your lawyer to ensure all state + federal compliance is maintained. If you do not have legal representation, we would be happy to connect you with legal counsel. We understand that circumstances are changing quickly and we are updating content as it is available.
