Sometimes a nonprofit is not, technically speaking, a nonprofit…and yet…

We chose the Moab Abortion and Reproductive Rights Network (MARRN) for that very reason – its uniqueness, fierce venturesome spirit, and, most importantly, for this column, its accent on building community.

What is a nonprofit, we ask, if not an organization dedicated to fulfill a need that others are not addressing…?

To date MARRN has fulfilled this mission by fundraising for other nonprofits with similar values.

Backtrack two and a half years, and it’s the summer of 2022. The Supreme Court has overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, meaning the Federal government is no longer able to determine whether individual states do or do not allow the procedure.

Not surprisingly, the state of Utah, as well as several others, immediately enacted provisions that had been waiting in the wings, rulings that aimed to influence the rights that had been adjudicated by Roe v. Wade.

Enter MARRN in the aftermath of this historic moment – mission optimistically possible – to make reproductive rights accessible to everyone in Moab’s Grand County. The mission envelops education, advocacy, compassion, and community building.

And fundraising: Since the beginning of the summer of ’22, for example, MARRN has raised $11,000 through fundraising events like chili cook-offs to benefit the Utah Abortion Fund.

“One of the reasons we’re not a nonprofit,” says MARRN member Carolyn Conant “is it gives us flexibility and nimbleness. With less reporting, and red tape, we take on more roles and responsibilities and offer what we can.”

“We’ve got about six core members who have been with us from the beginning, as well as a rotating cast of 20 people and we reach about 500 people across our social media and email list serv combined. No official positions! It’s been amazing and I have been blown away by the people who show up.”

Abortion is still legal in Utah up to 18 weeks. However, there is increasing pressure in the state house to pass more restrictive laws. Additionally, there have been attempts to curtail the work of groups like Planned Parenthood, which recently was barred from contributing to sexual education in Utah schools.

Enter Planned Parenthood’s Reproductive Rights Road Show. It is planned as a touring Utah event expanding Planned Parenthood’s reach beyond the Wasatch Front to more rural areas like Moab, and, Conant tells me, “We’re the first stop.”

On the agenda for the event, which will be held the evening of Saturday, June 14th at Moab’s Arts and Recreation Center (the MARC), is the Road Show presentation - an informative discussion on the state of abortion access in Utah, the rundown on what is legal, and looking ahead, pathways on how to proceed. The road show is followed by a panel discussion and a story-telling workshop, wherein participants share their experiences.

MARRN members meet monthly and are eager to accept new people to help out. Most members have other jobs, so the schedule is bound to be free-wheeling in nature. “You’re encouraged to plug in when you can,” says Conant.

MARRN can be found on Facebook (Moab Abortion and Reproductive Rights Network) and Instagram (@moababortionrights), and you can email moabarrn@gmail.com to get in touch or be added to the list serv.

And be sure to mention you read about it in Moab Happenings.