Monday, November 8, 2010

These roots were made for abortioneering





I was born into abortion. And yes, that statement is logical.

My earliest memory of being exposed to abortion was when my sister told me “We don’t get pizza from Domino’s, they are pro-life”. I didn’t know back then what pro-life meant, but I knew I didn’t want to be it (because I eagerly mimicked everything my sister did including ice skating, gymnastics, and playing with Barbies).

Years later I ended up working at an abortion clinic and I was fortunate to have the support and approval and encouragement of my entire family. I have met many abortioneers over the years that hid their profession from their loved ones and I luckily never had to be quiet about my work and passion.

Am I a direct product of my pro-choice upbringing? I often wonder if I would have been born into a pro-life family would I have ended up pro-life? Well thankfully that is a scenario I was never faced with. So here’s the rundown on my family tree:

Dad is a pro-choice neonatologist, and yes that is also extremely logical. He has spent his life taking care of babies who were born premature or ill. Oftentimes these babies were not wanted and he sees the direct result of women who were denied access to abortion and how an unwanted child impacts their health. He understands how women and girls don’t have access to family planning and he understands rape and incest. He is an advocate for women and for what they choose and that is ultimately the best kind of medicine. My dad was the first person I would call after a heartbreaking case at work. I needed someone to vent to and I knew he would understand the hard things I was constantly dealing with at the clinic.

Mom was a nurse midwife for years. One of her first jobs out of school was at an abortion clinic right after abortion was legalized. She is the first person I go to any time I am fundraising for pro-choice causes because she is such an incredible supporter. She is the epitome of pro-choice and would never question the choice of a woman or pass judgment.

My aunt is currently a prison nurse but worked in an abortion clinic years ago. She is also a no-questions-asked advocate for women.

My half-cousin who is a generation older than me is a nurse practitioner who has worked at Planned Parenthoods all across this great nation of ours. Once when I was babysitting her daughters I ordered pizza from the above-mentioned Domino’s (they were the only number I knew to call for delivery)…when she got home she promptly threw out the leftover pizza. I have never ordered from Domino’s since!

So those are my roots…I look forward to passing on my own abortioneering to the next generation.

6 comments:

  1. While I have no family ties to abortioneering, I do have professional experience with the care of women in a reproductive health care setting, both as a labor & delivery nurse and as an advocate for abortion. I want to pass on what I know, what I experienced and what women experienced. And, as far as Domino's pizza, that was once true but is now a past issue. Besides, pizza is small potatoes compared to the corporate dollars that the supreme court allows. We need to fight bigger fish like ignorance, apathy, malicious media and lack of critical thinking in the masses.

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  2. Loved this post! I also "learned" my pro-choice ways from my mom. I think it's just on the maternal side of the family tree though. And believe me, as a mom to a girl, it's awesome to pass this on. She's just 7, so we haven't gotten to abortion yet, but do remind her that "it's her body."

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  3. *I was born into abortion. And yes, that is a logical statement.* Classic. Truly classic, VV. Your bloom makes my heart go pitter patter.

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  4. I love this! A lot of my family is anti-choice. That makes this kind of difficult for me, especially considering the fact that I plan on becoming an abortion provider. I'm sure it will all work out, though.

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  5. I too learned it from my mom and have tried to pass it on to my children. I get my pap smears at the local clinic to try to be supportive of them (I have to pay someone for it I may as well pay them.)I have debated the topic from the pro-choice side since my high school debate team days. I married pro-choice, dated pro-choice and wouldn't have had it any other way. Actually come to think of it my debate teacher was pro-choice, too. I recall her instruction to refer to women "ladies" as opposed to "women" because the war was fought in the terminology. Still is if you ask me. I never thought we'd still have to be arguing this stuff these days. Anyway, love the post.

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  6. Pro-life Domino's owner sold his interest in '98 -- here's Snopes summary:
    http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/dominos.asp

    But this is often irrelevant because so many cities have yummier local options for pizza.

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This is not a debate forum -- there are hundreds of other sites for that. This is a safe space for abortion care providers and one that respects the full spectrum of reproductive choices; comments that are not in that spirit will either wind up in the spam filter or languish in the moderation queue.