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Blog Post #10

**Works Cited on page three

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Civic Action Assessment of Issue

we are very fortunate within our town and i feel that it is best for us to reach out to those in our community who have less opportunities or even less than we have. We should use our resources and help those who don’t have the time, money, or capability in certain areas of life. I have learned that there are a lot of problems in the US, snd many of us don't have that means to support all issues. I have learned that, unfortunately, most people stick by and support only one issue as much as they can to benefit the cause and make a difference. I feel very attached to my issue and I feel that as a modern and developed world leader, the US should have the best and most advanced support of reproductive and abortion rights. I often post news articles about unfair events in our nation and laws that make impacts on reproductive rights. Mostly, I post on Facebook and on my twitter accounts. My mom and I often discuss current legislation at home. I have not been active as I would hope to be but maybe when I have more free time in the summer I will take my support to the streets(or the real, non-internet world). I would love to volunteer my time with Planned Parenthood and other supportive organizations. It would also be great to be more educated on current legislation and news, so watching more interviews with politicians and watching closely bills that are being supported by my local and state governments. Perhaps by the next election I will be campaigning for a bill to become a law. 

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Interest Groups and PACs

a.       Planned Parenthood Action Fund

b.       women have the right to have accessable information and rights in order to lead string and healthy lives.

c.        Contacts for state and local represtentatives to call in their voice, information on new proposed healthcare, reports on state news about Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights in general, calls for citiens to fight back against Trump’s recent reinforcement of the “global gag rule”, explains current laws and legislation looking to be passed that is either pro-choice or pro-life for Americans and on a global level.

d.       They endorsed Hillary for the Presidency. The also support the ACA and Title X

e.        There is an office in walnut creek. May 25 meet up in SF

f.        Are there volunteer opportunities? If so, what are they?  yes, one example is working directly providing sexual and reproductive health and education services to an area or one of the national locations.

g.       They have an article about how to protest the replacement of the ACA.

·         Return to http://votesmart.org/interest-groups . Under the state tab, choose California.

2.      Identify one state interest group that represents your issue. Include:

a.     NARAL Pro-Choice California  

b.      Their goal is to educate voters about reproductive rights in California and they provide resources and information for voters who want to support pro-choice legislation and elect pro-choice legislators.

c.         They want to make sex education a larger part of the knowledge we teach in the US, they want to reduce the need for abortions in the US too, the NARAL has started a voting design contest for a “California trusts women” license plate, they aim to separate facts from myths, they have a page that honors “ champions of choice” which consists of politicians and groups such as Kamala Harris and Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker. 

d.       SB 71, requiring all public California schools whom already teach sex ed to have it be  medically accurate and age appropriate. CA students have seen a 50% birth rate decrease. 

e.        Where is this interest group located? Are there any local meetings you could attend? When? July 20, in SF. they're located in San Fransisco. 

f.          yes, it wasn't completely clear but it seems like fighting and campaigning for CA legislation to keep abortions and services/ materials available 

g.       NARAL Pro-Choice California, Courage Campaign and UltraViolet gathered more than 27,000 petition signatures urging local officials to stand up to anti-choice bullying and enforce the Reproductive FACT Act

3.       Next, research an interest group that has an opposing (different) perspective on your issue.  For example, if your issue is the legalization of marijuana, research an interest group that supports the criminalization of marijuana. Include:

a.       Democrats for Life of America 

b.       representing the other group of democrats who don’t believe in abortion.

c.        Visit the interest group’s website.  Spend a few minutes exploring and reading about what this group believes, what it wants to happen in Washington, and how it seeks to influence politicians. List five important pieces of information which gives a picture of what this interest group believes. They don’t object to sex ed or contraception, they want a bipartisan approach to decrease the number of abortions in the country, those who are on their national advisory board are all from the south(either north or south), they want to defund Planned Parenthood entirely because of the few abortions that occur, they want to better represented by the DNC at in congress,  

d.       Pregnancy Assistance fund;promoting abstinence, personal responsibility, adoptions and support for women and families who are facing unplanned pregnancy. 

e.         Washington DC. their events are either located in Pennsylvania or DC

f.        volunteer to lead state chapters and help lobby for Pregnant Women Support Act

g.       they are very against assisted suicide, calling it “bad law”

4.       Finally, compare the three interest groups.  Which one seems more organized? More successful?  Who is their target audience? Supporters?  Additional thoughts, concerns, observations welcome. Be sure to follow them on twitter. Planned parenthood is a nation-wide organization so their interest groups would get more attention. their target audience seems to be geared towards Democrats but its for pro-choice supporters and those who support women’s reproductive rights. 

·      Please go to: www.opensecrets.org/pacs. On the left side, choose Industry Breakdown and pick the industry that best matches your issue.  Be sure to also check single issue and other.

5.      Choose one PAC or Super PAC that pertains to your civic action issue.  Include:

a.      NARAL pro-choice America 

b.       uses political action and advocacy efforts to oppose restrictions on abortion and expand access to abortion

c.       $977,110. it appears they have spent their money, some for democrats but mostly against republicans. 

d.       How much of their budget is spent on: Republicans? $896,712 Democrats?$21,272

e.        Click Donor. Who are some of their donors? How does this reflect the PAC? it states that there were $0 large donations ($200+)  by individuals. this shows that there may not be a large following or financial gain from this group. It seemed like a citizen run and funded PAC only. 

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Political Party Action

A. GOP: while it was hard to find, there is a brief nod towards abortion in the healthcare section where they state they support to cut “state and federal funding or entities that endanger women’s health by performing abortions in a manner inconsistent with federal or state law.” I don’t quiet understand the endangerment of women’s health through abortions, and while their party’s written views are fairly moderate and can be supported by many groups, members of the party give a totally radical and often offensive or uninformed opinions against abortion totally.B I don’t like their opinions at all. 

Democrats: women’s reproductive health, rights and justice was easy to find. they believe that like any American, women should have access to safe and legal abortion and other services. they will defend the ACA and work to halt republican efforts to stop, limit or abolish certain services; including planned parenthood and abortion across the country. B HELL YES I AGREE, THE DEMO-CATS HAVE MY IDEALS IN MIND. 

Libertarian: they have a short statement; that it is a sensitive issue and that the government should be kept out of the process, to leave each person to their own “conscientious consideration”. Their phrasing is very fancy but I think that they should have more written on the subject but B I agree that the government shouldn’t have a say or dictate rights or limits on abortion. 

Green Party: they want to protect and expand reproductive rights; they want abortion covered in health insurance plans, they stress the importance of the morning after pill and argue for it to remain affordable and attainable, they have very set views that abortion should be forever available all over the country, and interestingly enough add in the importance of education and knowledge about sexual interactions as well as bodily functions. B I agree with them and they have very in depth opinions and I value heavily all of the points they emphasize.

Peace and Freedom: they very clearly state that they demand “free abortion on demand” and “no forced abortions or sterilizations”. they are very straight forward and don’t have much to add other than convenient supply of birth control information and materials at all times to men and women etc. B I agree with this platform but I wish they had more detail or flare as to ignite passion for the cause.

C. I am 100% with the democrats. I love their professional and cordial phrasing of their opinions, they represent my views, and give a lot of detail (including specific actions they will take to support me). As Hillary was the candidate I did vote for her, and would do so in another election if there were one.  GO DEMOCATS 

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Executive Action Assessment of Issue

(there wasn’t a healthcare or women’s issue tab on the White House website so I used another source) 1. trump is pro-life and very against Planned Parenthood. he has changed his views on the topic since the 90s and is very vocal about his stance. he likes to follow the conservative (more radical side) thought pattern on abortion. He would like to defund Planned Parenthood entirely just because some view the organization only as a abortion clinic and he doesn’t believe the 3% average rate of abortion services.http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Donald_Trump_Abortion.htm

2. I whole-heartedly do not agree with Trump. it is unjust do eradicate an organization for one service they offer. while he has the right to change his opinion, he has chosen to side with his desired “fanbase” of Americans.

The Cabinet https://www.hhs.gov/ 

1. the health and human services department

2.”to enhance the health and well-being of Americans by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.” this relates in that abortions are currently a social service. more often than not the health of a person is not the purpose for an abortion, but more the well-being.

3. health rights- if PP is defunded there isn’t a place for those rights to be cared for. health insurance- some insurance plans through work or personal providers offer or require that contraceptives and abortion services be offered. public health and safety- PP and other such organizations offer so many affordable and useful services that it would be a disservice to eliminate them.

 4. there are a lot more general services for people and there isn’t debate whether these practices are legal/ethical or morally responsible.trump wants to dramatically cut this department. With less funding, PP would disappear

5.S- republican healthcare bill. A- New York Times. C- 13 male senators writing a new healthcare bill without having a single woman involved. A- Americans. P- the NYT is a known liberal sided news organization who is heavily anti-trump. S- this shows the blatant disregard for women and our opinions in major, life-altering national legislation. it shows there is a problem within the majority party with an equal and fair system in the senate particularly in this case. I agree with the article that there is a problem in the system that should be better controlled or prevented. Women are in the senate to represent the 51% of the population who would otherwise be disadvantaged with lack of representation. 

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The Legislative Branch

1) a. all the representatives support women’s care under the ACA and healthcare plans. 

b. paycheck fairness act, healthy families act

2) c. yes; At least 2 

d. HR 36

e. it will make abortions after 20 weeks illegal, this is brought on by new discoveries in child development. 

f. this impacts women, hospitals, activist groups, medicare, healthcare providers with abortion services, and hospitals that offer prenatal care 

g. i would vote nay because we shouldn’t be limiting the right to abortions to only women with health risks, rape and incest cases. while this new version of this bill makes does not require rape victims to come forward to authorities within 48 hours; such is an improvement upon this bill yet I would still not vote yes. 

h. this is a bill from the house of representatives. committee of judiciary, subcommittee of  constitutional and civil justice. it has passed the house and has moved on to the senate

i. because of 1974′s Roe v Wade abortion is legal nationally but restrictions left up to the states. several states deem it illegal to abort after 24 weeks(when the fetus is viable outside the womb). I think leaving restrictions up to the states is very questionable whether that allows for law breaking/evading. I think that certain standards are upheld by all states and for that I have hope that for those who most desperately need them they are available ( FOR NOW)

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State Action

. #1    a) Baker wants to work on healthcare costs and supports a woman’s right to chose, wanting to keep it safe and legal.  Glazer supports every woman’s right to safe and legal abortion under the terms set out in the Roe vs. Wade decision,  public funding for abortion services for low-income women and opposes targeted restrictions on abortion access, including to teenagers.

b) yes I agree with Baker, we should work on healthcare plans and costs and support the right to chose. I also agree with Glazer that many groups of women are and should remain protected under Roe v Wade. 

c) Baker: (SB 999) doctors provide 12 months of contraception for patients, Supported a resolution recognizing the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade (HR 32), and supported a resolution urging congress to continue funding of women's reproductive healthcare facilities (SJR 12)

Glazer: Medi-cal, services under ACA, and the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment program.

http://www.bakerforassembly.com/issues/ http://www.glazerforsenate.com/issues#reproductive

#2    a) SB-320

b) 2-13-17

c) requiring all Cal State and California Community College campuses to have abortion covered in student health insurance plans; require UC campuses to offer coverage of abortion as part of the student health insurance plans. It also requires campuses to have “an on-campus health center to offer abortion by medication techniques and scientifically accurate abortion counseling services to its students”

d) I fully support this bill; it’s a great option for students who may not otherwise have been able to afford abortions. It’s also a great advancement for college campuses to begin to recognize the reasons for those abortions. I would definitely ask that my representatives support and endorse this bill, it is a small yet meaningful step for women’s reproductive rights. 

https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2017/04/12/while-washington-fiddles-california-leaders-forge-ideas-for-universal-health-care/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter S- Californian healthcare

A- Pauline Bartolone and Carrie Fiebel

c- Republican’s call for “repeal and replace” 

A- Americans, Healthcare users, Californians

P- making a universal healthcare plan for CA would be hard but well worth the attempt, keeping and advancing current policies, coverage and plans is more beneficial to the american people than “repeal and replace”.

s- there could be a nationwide lack of healthcare  or an effective healthcare system and CA residents want to ensure they keep and improve current programs. I agree that we need to protect national healthcare and also that trying to implement such a forward and complex healthcare system for CA is very difficult but something to consider.  

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Constitutional Issues

Burwell v Hobby Lobby

2. Decided June 30, 2014

3. The Hobby Lobby company is run based on Christian principles; principles which deem contraception immoral. Based on the Affordable Care Act, employment based healthcare must include some form of preventive care. Non-profits are exempt from this rule, while for-profit organizations such as Hobby Lobby are required by law to provide care. Representatives from Hobby Lobby argued that the requirement violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.  https://www.oyez.org/cases/2013/13-354  

4. Does the Religious Freedom Restoration Act allow for-profit companies to deny employees contraceptives in their health care they would otherwise be entitled to?

5. the First amendment

6. The court could not force for-profit companies to provide contraceptions. 

7. This establishes that corporations are allowed to deny or have public bias towards contraception and women’s rights. 

8. I disagree because this case argued that corporations have religious beliefs that grant them rights. 

S-A judge keeping the last abortion clinic in Kentucky open. 

A-Sarah Jorgensen for CNN

C- Recent politics regarding women’s rights and abortion laws

A- CNN readers/viewers, Americans

P- That closing the last clinic in Kentucky is hastily, wrongfully, and recklessly brought on. 

S- Abortion clinics should not be closed across the country and that these rights need to be discussed longer and more in depth. I very much agree with the article’ abortions should be safe and legal and readily available in all US states. There should be ample opportunities for contraception in all states.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/us/supreme-court-texas-abortion.html?_r=0 

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Questions for Trump and his administration

There is a lot of here-say and reports coming out about new bills and changing laws. One bill states that the only reasons for LEGAL abortion is rape, incest or life threatening conditions(HR 354 and 147). My question to Trump and the creators of this bill is what about the 2/3 of women whose rape goes unreported? And what about a statistic that says only 6% of rapists are incarcerated? How will this law aid/protect the women who need abortion services when their rapist faces no jail time? I sincerely hope that there is a clause that allows all accusations of rape to be taken seriously and offer abortions. This would not, however, benefit those not willing to come forward. 

Can the executive branch answer these questions? Will they even be asked when considering passing these and all other bills similar?

for more info on these specific bills:  https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/354    https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/354  https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Faljazeera%2Fvideos%2F10155321830593690%2F&show_text=0&width=560 

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Economic Assessment of Issue

1.The group most affected by reproductive rights, specifically abortions, are individuals. Reproductive rights are a huge factor in our population, if we don’t have effective birth control and safe, legal abortion options our population would skyrocket. Many women chose to have abortions due to economic instability, they don’t want to have a child when they can barely support themselves. Some businesses are also affected; the major group would be planned parenthood. Without their presence millions of women would be without birth control, safe havens, abortion services,medicaid services, screening services and more. Hospitals would see major increases in births without clinics. 

2. I would argue that reproductive rights are a significant need in this country. developing countries do not have the means and/or funds to provide healthcare services like the ones provided in the US. This affects millions of Americans and without it lives would be lost of some and made overly difficult for others. 

3. To deal with this issue we need planned parenthood and ALL of the services they offer, birth control, contraceptives and sex education. 

4. labor: time and effort to teach and deal with reproductive issues, and the talent used to make birth control and teach sex ed. 

5.Economic incentives would be keeping the cost of healthcare down, preventing the growth of the lower class, and preventing a debt crisis. Political incentives would be to ultimately to keep Americans from rioting(hint hint watch the news). I agree with all of the incentives to keep reproductive rights at the forefront of American politics because the benefits are so numerous; similarly, the negative results of cutting these programs and their funding would cause unnecessary turmoil. 

6. One opportunity cost of defunding planned parenthood would be the overwhelming of other clinics throughout the nation. Another would be the opportunity cost of less babies is less consumerism ( baby clothes, minivans, baby products, food and educational materials).

7. 

8. Planned parenthood would benefit from funding, visits and donations.

9. There isn’t a set solution to this issue, but with regards to reproductive rights and abortion there are ways to help solve the issues of lacking support and gain a permanent place in the US.

10. We are able to have birth control and other modern preventative measures due to our advanced place in the world. we are able to invest and research more into this issue as well as other medical needs of the people due to our boost in the Industrial Rev.

11. If the gov gave more subsidies to clinics and healthcare, we could more easily aid Americans in need of services and or products. We then would stop trying to stop planned parenthood and stop cutting healthcare benefits and clinics. 

12. S: needs of reproductive services in the US. A(s): Americanprogress.org C: Ensuring all Americans that need access to Clinics and services, and showing what real data can tell us about how effective our system is today. A: Americans, women, Low income families. P: this shows only women’s use of clinic services, many in the LGBTQ community use clinics and as well as men sometimes.  

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The Women Of Hamilton Sing And Rap Feminism Quotes on TheScene... so impressive! powerful women in today’s spotlight shining light on inspirational and relevant quotes from women of our past. 

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Planned Parenthood patients and providers are taking over the Capitol today to let Congress know who they’ll harm if they block us from care.

Have their backs→www.istandwithpp.org/supporters

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We won’t stop fighting to keep our doors open.  

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it’s the little things ;)

-sam

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GETTING STARTED: 

The subject of this blog is abortion. The author is an american citizen. She is writing to she her personal experience with abortions. She is biased because her experience getting an abortion was terrifying, she also wrote how before becoming pregnant she was pro-life. Her perspective is that abortions should stay legal because it allows for safer and easier access for not only abortion services but health/sex education, testings and screenings, and birth control. The significance is that Trump wants to de-fund and or eliminate planned parenthood and legal abortions. Abortions are A RIGHT and we need to PROTECT all rights of the people. I very much agree with this blog post and I support the author in her honesty and bravery. It’s important to share experiences and knowledge for others, not only to help support them but to show the injustice of our situation. 

My Backwoods Abortion/The Scariest Day of my Life

When I was in high school I knew a girl who had an abortion at age 17. I remember thinking to myself ‘I will never do that’. What’s that saying? We make plans and God laughs? God must have been howling.

In the early fall of 2009 I was 18. I was a freshman at Reinhardt College in North Georgia, which is affiliated with the Methodist church. I was an Psychology major with plans to become a therapist (again, God laughs). I lived on campus and was still working on making friends. I had been in a committed relationship with my boyfriend for a little over a year and I was head over heels in love. We were sexually active and I was on birth control. Things were, overall, pretty good. I was struggling a little with my mental illness, but it was generally under control. And then it happened. On a clear day in September I realized I was 3 weeks late.

I called my best friend at the time in an all out panic. There’s no way, right?! I’m on birth control! So, I bought a 2 pack of pregnancy tests all while trying to convince myself that I was overreacting. I peed on the first stick and awaited the results for 5 minutes (longest 5 minutes of my life) and then I looked. 2 pink horizontal lines. I was in the doorway to my bathroom and I collapsed. I sat there in shock for a few minutes before I began sobbing. I called my best friend and took the second test while on the phone with her. Again, same result. In that moment on the dirty, cold, tile, bathroom floor I thought to myself “I can’t do this”. It was a defining moment in my life. On that beautiful fall day I went from being “pro life” to “pro choice”.

I called my boyfriend and gave him the news. He was shocked. “So, what do we do?” he asked. “I’m going to have an abortion” I responded. But first I was going to talk to the school nurse. I went to my SUPER LIBERAL RA and delivered the news. She went downstairs with me to talk to the nurse. With tears in my eyes and a shaky voice I told the nurse my dilemma. She listened to me and my decision, handed me some tissues, and then placed a little box in my hands. Inside the box was a tiny 1 inch baby on a bed of cotton balls. “This is what your baby looks like” she said. To which my RA responded “No. Her FETUS looks more like a semicolon” and then we walked out. I sobbed for a bit in my RAs room before heading back to mine.

Again, I called my best friend. She helped me find a clinic. There were only 2 options that we could find anywhere near my area and I called up the closest one, 45 minutes away. 2 hours after finding out I was pregnant I had an abortion scheduled for 3 days later. Some might view my decision as “hasty”, but I knew what was best for me. I was not emotionally, mentally, or financially stable enough to have a child. I was on life saving medications that would most likely cause serious birth defects or miscarriage. I didn’t want to drop out of college. When you know, you know. I have no regrets.

Three days later, on a murky and cool Friday, my boyfriend drove up to take me to the clinic. I signed in at the front desk. We paid up front and in cash so it wouldn’t show up on my insurance because I didn’t want my parents to know. We waited for roughly an hour before my name was called. I cannot stress this enough- it was the most terrifying experience of my life.

In the back, I was given a handful of pills to take before the procedure. I was given little explanation as to what the pills were, but MY GOD did they take effect quickly. I was then given forms to sign and, in my state, I could hardly hold the pen let alone read what was written. But, I signed them nonetheless. The nurse (or whoever the hell she was) told me to strip down and gave me one of those blue medical sheets to wrap myself in. She led me into the next room and sat me down on a red COUCH along with 3 other women. For the life of me I can’t remember what the other ladies were talking about, but I listened to them converse for 20 minutes before a different nurse ushered me into the procedure room. I was instructed to removed the sheet and lie on my back on the table. The nurse conducted an ultrasound and I can still hear her say “Do you want to see the baby”? I promptly slurred “NO!”. Moments later the doctor entered the room and the nurse put an IV in my arm. I don’t remember anything after that.

I don’t know how much time passed, but I woke up to my boyfriend rubbing my right shoulder. It was over. I was HEAVILY sedated so he had to help me put on my sweats and shoes. Upon leaving I was given a bottle of pain pills with a scrap of paper with dosage instructions. No number to call. No follow up appointment. My boyfriend more or less carried me to the car. He told me later there were protestors present. For some unknown reason I told him I wanted chicken nuggets so we drove to McDonalds. We were waiting in the drive thru line when I was overcome with pain and nausea. I opened the car door and leaned out as quickly as I could before throwing up bile for the next 10 minutes. I felt like my insides were falling out. It was completely terrifying. It is the most pain I’ve ever been in in my life and I had brain cancer as a kid so I’m no stranger to pain.

My saint of an RA let my boyfriend stay in my dorm room for the weekend (I had a private room), which was 100% unacceptable at Reinhardt. He heaved me up onto my lofted twin sized bed and I quickly fell asleep for a few hours. When I woke up I thought I was dying. I took some pain medication and then made my way to the bathroom to throw it all up. Slumped down beside the toilet, I beat my knuckles bloody against the white cinderblock wall. I was in complete agony and petrified. As I was given little information at the clinic, I did not know what to expect. But, I was sure that something had gone terribly wrong.

My boyfriend and RA took care of me while I recovered and by Monday afternoon I was myself again. I remember eating a lot of Easy Mac and chewy chocolate chip granola bars during that time. Life went back to normal and my boyfriend and I never really brought it up again. But, you remember how I said I thought something must have gone wrong? For 2 years after the abortion I refused to have a vaginal exam. I was convinced I was “broken”. Thankfully, I can tell you that I eventually did have an examination and everything is in working order.

About 2 months after my abortion that clinic was shut down due to unsafe conditions and expired licenses of both nurses and doctors. There were multiple arrests.

I tell you my story because there is a president in the White House who is trying to make abortion illegal. He wants to take away a woman’s right to abortion which is considered by the UN to be a basic human right. Outlawing abortion will not stop it, but it will make it unsafe. My backwoods and unsanitary abortion will, in many ways, become a fairytale story. Do you know how abortions were preformed before Roe V Wade was passed? Women shoved coat hangers and sewing needles up their vaginas. They used bleach or turpentine douches. While it may not go back to those extremes, the procedures will not be regulated. Any random Joe who puts “Dr.” in front of his name could perform an abortion.

Our president wants to defund Planned Parenthood because PP assists women with abortion. Fun fact: Under Title X, PLANNED PARENTHOOD RECEIVES NO FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ABORTION SERVICES. What will happen is women and men will lose access to a myriad of healthcare services including affordable prescribed birth control and other contraceptives, cancer screenings, assistance with rape and sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and other STD testing, high blood pressure screenings, thyroid screenings, anemia screenings, pap tests, and more. Only 3% of women who go to PP are seeking abortion services.

Having access to affordable birth control and honest sexual education (enough of that abstinence nonsense) reduces the rate of abortions. As access to these services has increased, the abortion rate has decreased. The rate of abortions has decreased drastically since the 1980s.

If you have religious concerns regarding abortion, I completely respect that. That is you right as an American. But, America is not a religious entity. That whole separation of church and State thing is a thing (although it’s gotten completely out of hand). While I am not a Christian, I am a daughter of a Lutheran minister. I was raised to believe in the love and compassion of a savior with the authority to absolve all sins. I was taught that I was saved my God’s grace and His grace alone. I was taught to hate the sin and not the sinner. If you believe abortion is a sin, OK. But, spreading hatred based on your religious convictions just adds fuel to the Devil’s fire. Jesus broke bread and drank wine with the untouchables of the world and instructed His followers to love our neighbor as we love ourself. If you are a Christian, you believe that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, rose again, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Through his struggle we are forgiven of all sins. We are loved unconditionally. What’s that slogan? What would Jesus do? Remember that the next time you judge others that “sin” differently than you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

So, that’s it. That’s the story of the scariest day of my life. I invite you to share your own stories because it’s time to speak up if you can. In the meantime, I will continue to be open about my experiences and struggles because I know there are people out there who share my pain in silence. I will not go out without a fight and I’ve got enough passion to last me till the bitter end.

Thanks for reading!

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A friendly reminder for everyone who participated in the March For Life today.

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Focusing on reproductive rights: with an unpaid maternity, being a force in the workplace becomes limiting if one becomes pregnant. Taxing our basic sanitary needs is wildly unfair, we were forced to have periods with symptoms. Not to mention the lack of respect for nursing mothers; its a normal bodily function and we should not be made to feel criminal or sexualized.

where is the fairness? Justice? HUMANITY?

The United States ranks at 45 for women’s equality. Behind Rwanda, Cuba, Philippines, Jamaica.

You are not equal. Even if you feel like you are. You still make less than a man for doing the same work. You make less as a CEO, as an athlete, as an actress, as a doctor. You make less in government, in the tech industry, in healthcare.

You still don’t have full rights over your own body. Men are still debating over your uterus. Over your prenatal care. Over your choices.

You still have to pay taxes for your basic sanitary needs.

You still have to carry mace when walking alone at night. You still have to prove to the court why you were drunk on the night you were raped. You still have to justify your behavior when a man forces himself on you.

You still don’t have paid (or even unpaid) maternity leave. You still have to go back to work while your body is broken. While you silently suffer from postpartum depression.

You still have to fight to breastfeed in public. You still have to prove to other women it’s your right to do so. You still offend others with your breasts.

You are still objectified. You are still catcalled. You are still sexualized. You are still told you’re too skinny or you’re too fat. You’re still told you’re too old or too young. You’re applauded when you “age gracefully.” You’re still told men age “better.” You’re still told to dress like a lady. You are still judged on your outfit instead of what’s in your head. What brand bag you have still matters more than your college degree.

You are still being abused by your husband, by your boyfriend. You’re still being murdered by your partners. Being beaten by your soulmate.

You are still worse off if you are a woman of color, a gay woman, a transgender woman. You are still harassed, belittled, dehumanized.

Our equality is an illusion. A feel-good sleight of hand. A trick of the mind. I’m sorry to tell you, but you are not equal. And neither are your daughters.