Abortion Rights

[tassosss]

via wendelah1

We Won't Go Back

When I was in college, I was a volunteer with Planned Parenthood. While I was a nurse at UCLA Medical Center, for 14 years I took care of women who were having second trimester abortions. My AmazonSmile has been set up to donate to Planned Parenthood Los Angeles since AmazonSmile was created. I make a monthly contribution to Planned Parenthood. A few years back, I even sent money to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas to help keep their clinics open. This issue is important to me.

Since the landmark Roe v. Wade in 1973, I have witnessed a slow erosion of women's right to choose. I shudder to think what Vice-President-elect Mike Pence and his buddies in the Republican-controlled Congress have in store for the women of America.

The Nation: The War on Planned Parenthood Is Also an Assault on Poor Women of Color.

The youngest woman we took care of was twelve-years-old. She'd been molested by a family member beginning at the age of eight. But this young woman could easily have been one of my patients, too, and her story is more typical. I had an abortion at age 14 and I don't regret it. For eight years I let society shame me for my decision. But I'm not ashamed—and I believe no woman should be.

It's hard for me to believe that there are people in this world who would force a woman to carry a hopeless pregnancy to term, or punish her for deciding on an abortion. I took care of many women who had to make this impossible choice.

Interview With a Woman Who Recently Had an Abortion at 32 Weeks. Elizabeth* is 35. She grew up in the South, currently lives in Brooklyn, and has been married for two years. After a previous miscarriage at 10 weeks, she was overjoyed to find herself pregnant for a second time. At 31 weeks, she found out that the baby boy she was carrying wouldn’t be able to breathe outside the womb and would not survive. And at 32 weeks, she flew to Colorado to get a shot that would start the process of a third-trimester abortion; she then flew back to New York to finish the delivery. We talked on the phone two weeks into her recovery.

This was written by the physician who operates the clinic described in the above article. Stat: An abortion doctor on Trump’s win: ‘I fear for my life. I fear for my patients.’

You can support Dr. Hern's clinic: BOULDER ABORTION CLINIC RENOVATIONS AND SECURITY UPGRADES.

Quartz: Two case studies show what could happen in the U.S. if abortion were outlawed.

Here's another wrinkle. Abortion Clinics in Blue States Are Closing Too.

Last but not least: The Handmaiden's Tale: A Warning About Patriarchy and Power by Gloria Steinem. Let’s just say this novel is not exactly fiction.

If abortion rights mean as much to you as they do to me, here are some ways you can make a difference:

New York Magazine: How to become an abortion clinic escort.

The National Network of Abortion Funds. Abortion funds are nonprofit organizations that raise money specifically to help women and girls pay for their abortions.

From 2013 but still relevant: I'm a Case Manager for My Local Abortion Fund: Here's What Happens When You Call For Help

Planned Parenthood. There have already been 40,000+ donations made to PP in honor of Mike Pence. Finally, an internet meme that accomplishes something.

NARAL Pro-Choice America. I know Mike Pence would be pleased to hear that you were supporting NARAL.

National Abortion Federation. Hey, Mike's a big fan of theirs, too.

reposted with permission

Comments

Re: argh!!!! (icon aimed towards Republicans.)

[tassosss]

My guess is that it's because not many people know about it. This is not something I knew. Thank you for sharing because that sounds really scary.

Do you have links to more info?

Re: argh!!!! (icon aimed towards Republicans.)

[worlds_of_smoke]

This is just my hunch. If you want to see what type of bills and amendments have been attempted, just google "personhood amendment" or "heartbeat bill".

It really does seem to be their go-to method. And, to me, this seems to be the best way to get rid of abortion. If they get their way and this sort of thing becomes an amendment, abortion and contraception would be outlawed for generations, if not forever. Why go for something that could be potentially overturned if the Supreme Court turns liberal when you can enshrine something in the Constitution? It's much more difficult to repeal amendments.

Re: argh!!!! (icon aimed towards Republicans.)

[tassosss]

Will do. I'll pull together a post about it. Probably won't go up till next week, but we'll bring it into the discussion here.