Goals and Values of writing to incarcerated Rescuers:

• Strengthen our connection to criminalized Rescuers and collectively resist their disappearance;

• Strengthen and guide the Pro-life movement by gathering and sharing information on how Rescue is criminalized;

• Respect and promote the leadership of incarcerated Rescuers by responding to requests for information and by asking for their input in all matters of their survival and release;

• Connect incarcerated Rescuers with information, resources and support;

• Monitor and resist abusive prison conditions;

• Inform us of upcoming release possibilities for incarcerated Rescuers, including parole hearings and commutation processes, so that we can advocate with Rescuers for their release;

• Resist the isolation that incarceration of all forms creates

• Express our solidarity with incarcerated Rescuers with incarcerated Rescuers through vigils, financial aid, letters, amplifying their content, and advocating for them with State and National legislators.

Other things to consider when writing incarcerated Rescuers:

• Please be aware of the scarcity of resources for incarcerated Rescuers and the power differential that creates — do not make commitments or promises that you cannot keep.

• Please keep in mind the mixed literacy levels among incarcerated people and try to respond appropriately — ask questions to help assess what the Rescuer needs and what is the most accessible way for them to receive support.

• Remember that letters will be opened by prison staff — ask Rescuers to let you know what they are comfortable sharing and discussing by mail.

For more information on letter writing, check out some of these sources!":

Bloc Party: Everything You Need to Know About Writing to Prisoners | It's Going Down (itsgoingdown.org)

How to Write a Letter to an Incarcerated Person - Innocence Project

Correspondence | Bureau of Prisons (bop.gov)

Prison Letters Project

Guide to Writing Letters to Incarcerated Survivors | Survived + Punished (survivedandpunished.org)

"Jail support" refers to providing assistance to individuals who have been arrested or imprisoned, particularly within the context of political activism. This includes immediate help such as legal advice, bail funds, and logistical support, as well as emotional and psychological support for detainees and their families. Material support is also offered, ensuring that those in jail or prison have access to necessities like food and clothing.

Additionally, jail support involves advocacy and raising public awareness about the cases of detained individuals to pressure authorities for their release. This includes organizing protests, social media campaigns, and engaging with the media. Long-term support is also crucial, helping individuals reintegrate into society after their release with assistance in finding housing, employment, and continued legal and psychological support. Jail support for incarcerated Rescuers is community support. When we support each other, we defy laws non-violently.

How to Support Imprisoned Rescuers

1) Rescuer's Support Fund

Want to build solidarity with Incarcerated Rescuers? Financial support helps Rescuers access vital necessities like medication, food, hygiene, and clothing that the prison/jail system DOES NOT provide for free. This support also makes sure that Rescuers can stay connected to loved ones and buy stamps to send mail.

2) Pregnant and Incarcerated 

People who are pregnant and incarcerated face increased pressure to abort their children. Finding these moms behind bars and getting funds to their commissaries (so they can access prenatal care) is vital in creating a culture of life. The incarcerated pro-lifer acts as a bridge between those in need and those who can provide support. PAAU has seen direct evidence in the federal system of BOP pushing abortion and Planned Parenthood referrals. We need to reach them first with love and direct care. 

Here are some additional sources on the topic of “Jail Support”:

Support and Solidarity- Blog Post

Survivor Solidarity | Survived and Punished

Jail Support & Solidarity | Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change

For more information send us an email at: JailSupport@paaunow.org

“What is a “Rescue?”, you may be asking after perusing this website. Rescue is a form of non-violent direct action meant to stop abortion procedures, radically love the parents and children, and return the safety of our community members who are facing death and exploitation back into the community’s hands. Rescue is firmly rooted in the long tradition of civil disobedience and breaking unjust laws to achieve positive social and political change.

Here are some links that could help you learn more about nonviolent direct action against abortion harm:

Progressive Anti-Abortion Rescue Stance- Rescue — Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (paaunow.org)

Red Rose Rescue Homepage- About | Mysite (redroserescue.com)

Free Heather Idoni- Free Heather Idoni | Free Heather Idoni

Red Rose Rescue Facebook Live- Facebook Live | Facebook

Life Advocate Magazine article, “Rescue Lives— In Ireland”- Life Advocate Magazine Cover Story

Pro-Lifer Lauren Handy Jailed For “Rescue”- News Article

Progressive Pro-Lifers Perform Rescues- News Article

The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice is a grassroots coalition started by 15 organizations across New York State that works to promote fair and meaningful release opportunities for incarcerated people in New York State prisons. The primary goals of our campaign are decarceration and family reunification.”- People’s Campaign for Parole Justice.

How can the supporters of our movement learn from this one? Many Rescuers who are released are also released on parole. That campaign teaches us that striving for equitable practices for inmates doesn’t end when incarceration stops. This campaign utilized and amplified the voices of former detainees to humanize people struggling with injustices in the parole system. Similarly, it created a community to bring lawsuits and objections when the parole system was not treating a former inmate properly. Likewise, we should do the same for our Rescuers.

Read more about this movement and the political action they are taking here: People's Campaign for Parole Justice (parolejusticeny.com)

Non-Rescue Campaign Example: Naomi Freeman 10 Day Fundraiser

Naomi Freedman was a pregnant Black woman accused and held in police custody, over an act of self-defense that resulted in ending her abuser’s life. Over 10 days there was a successful campaign to raise $35,000 in bail. Naomi hoped to get comprehensive and adequate prenatal care as well as reunite with her children before Christmas. Thanks to this campaign her freedom was achieved.

This campaign is a great example of mutual aid, planned and targeted fundraising, and the persuasiveness of matching donations. The event emphasized. that donations were taking care of a community member. The goal and purpose were extremely specific, giving people clarity of exactly where their donations were going. A community fund also provided much of the amount needed, and the rest of the money was raised by crowdfunding.

Read more about the campaign here: #FreeNaomiFreeman | Chicago Community Bond Fund (chicagobond.org)

Support Incarcerated Rescuers

This money will go directly towards supporting abortion Rescuers who are currently incarcerated across the country. Funding is needed for them to be able to make phone calls to loved ones and buy items from commissary to gain proper nutrition. Any amount helps and will be invested directly into a Rescuer.

Want to support a specific Rescuer with your donation? Add a note and we will be sure they get that money! Want to organize a fundraiser to sponsor a Rescuer? Set a goal raising $360 to support a Rescuer for one month.

Non-Rescue Example Campaign

The Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) Campaign is an advocacy group focused on addressing the issues faced by aging incarcerated individuals within the U.S. Prison Industrial Complex. Founded in 2013, RAPP promotes the release of elderly prisoners who have often served long sentences and pose little to no threat to public safety. The campaign highlights the excessive costs and moral implications of keeping aging people imprisoned, emphasizing the importance of compassionate release, parole reform, and improved policies for elderly and infirm inmates.

We can learn from RAPP's efforts, organizing public awareness campaigns, lobbying for legislative changes, and supporting individual cases of elderly prisoners seeking release. By advocating for the humane treatment and release of aging prisoners, RAPP seeks to transform the criminal justice system.

We can defend our aging Rescuers who are most vulnerable to many of the challenges of incarceration.

RAPP Campaign – Release Aging People in Prison Campaign

Guides, How To’s & Toolkits for Supporting Incarcerated Rescuers

• Clemency & Parole Guides, by Survived & Punished NY and California Coalition for Women Prisoners

• How People on the Outside can Support the Political Work of People on the Inside, by Critical Resistance

• Survived and Punished Toolkit for Defense Campaigns

• Survived & Punished Guide to Writing Letters to Incarcerated Survivors

• ​How to Organize a Book Drive for Incarcerated Girls & Women, #FreeBresha Campaign

• Prisoner's Rights Guide, the American Civil Liberties Union