On the 36th Anniversary of Roe, there is really no way to articulate all the gratitude that women feel across this nation. It seems most appropriate to try to thank the unseen, the folks who day in, day out, do what must be done to ensure that women are able to make the best choices about their own reproductive health.
We want to thank the abortion providers, the Planned Parenthood nurses, the lawyers who continue to defend our right to choice on the state and national levels day in and day out, the older sisters and aunts who make sure we get the care we need, the strangers who offer their homes as refuge, the policy makers and politicians who have us in mind, the executive directors of nonprofits and community organizations, the partners who support us through our reproductive health choices, the scientists who continue to fine tune contraception, the parents who understand, the pastors who understand, the organizers of the March for Women's Lives, the fundraisers who make sure that abortions are funded for those who can't afford them, the writers and filmmakers and artists who raise awareness about this issue, and on and on and on...
On a personal note, I just want to give thanks for the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood. When I went there as a high school student so that a friend of mine could get an abortion, we were scared, but we were safe. I also want to thank my mom for helping us afterwards. I'll never forget what it was like to know that my friend had a choice. It was a profound feeling, a knowing that though the world consistently told us otherwise, our bodies were our own, our destinies were our own, and only we could know--intimately--what was right.
Feel free to share your thanks--political, personal, or otherwise--in comments.
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I want to thank the National Abortion Federation for helping to afford the abortion I desperately needed but couldn't afford on my own.
I also want to thank Bread and Roses in Tampa for taking care of me and being so understanding and gentle.
I want to thank Bread and Roses in Gainesville, for letting me know that either way, it was my CHOICE, and I wasn't a traitor to feminists everywhere for CHOOSING.
I also want to thank Planned Parenthood of Gainesville for taking such good care of me and many of my other sisters during highschool and college, when we didn't quite know where to turn. Everything from pregnancy/STI scares to general information, the office in GVL has always been kind, supportive, and gone above and beyond.
Gainesville, Florida? I went there too. Wonderful people there, unfortunately I couldn't go through with the procedure there because I simply couldn't calm down enough. I needed to go under general anesthetic. The nurses there were completely understanding. Those same nurses took care of my mother when she had her procedure done.
Yes ma'am, Gainesville, FL. Too funny - I hadn't even read the comments when I posted mine. I see you're down in Tampa.
I've always been very outspokenly pro-choice and pro-abortion. I sat in their office and sobbed for almost two hours because I felt like such a bastard of a traitor because I just couldn't bring myself to go forth with the abortion I had scheduled. The entire staff talked to me at one point or another, as it was clear to them that I was unsafe to drive myself home and I REALLY didn't need to be alone, as emotional as I was.
They were wonderful. They told me I wasn't a hypocrite for *Choosing* not to have an abortion. As long as I held fast that every woman (and including myself) deserves a *choice* - then I'm still doing what's right for womankind and what's right for me.
Actually, I'm in Ocala. I had to travel to Tampa (about 2.5 hours) to go to Bread and Roses because they were the closest clinic to offer the general anesthetic and accept NAF funding.