With all the bad stuff going down in politics so far this year, I have begun to question a number of things, including but not limited to: my sanity, the nature of reality, exactly how crazy are Republicans, and will abortion ever not be a big deal here? Will this ever stop?
You can almost laugh, reading that sentence. Abortion as an issue is so far from any type of general acceptance that it is laughable. By "acceptance," I mean: a woman can go to the doctor, and get an abortion, and have that be that. That's it. No 72 hour "cooling off periods," no laws requiring her to go to a CPC, no laws requiring the doctor to read information that is not true, not feeling like she had to lie to her mother and say she went to the doctor for a UTI. No unnecessary guilt and shame spirals afterwards, for choosing to have a legal medical procedure performed.
Isn't it 2011? It is, right? Wasn't Roe v. Wade decided 38 years ago? I thought society was progressing?
Instead of just lamenting the state of affairs here, I was thinking about stuff I could do that might help make a difference.
And, behold:
Stuff You Can Do To Help The State of Abortion in the US
-Call and/or write your representative to let him/her know you support abortion.
-Donate to any number of wonderful organizations, including:
-Planned Parenthood
-DCAF
-NNAF
-Participate in a local fundraiser -- NNAF's bowl-a-thon, have a bake sale, etc. Donate the proceeds to your favorite abortion fund.
-TALK about it. Openness and honesty, in my opinion, are two gifts the world needs more of. Communicating your thoughts and experiences with abortion in an intelligent, respectful manner can broaden another's view and perspective.
-Volunteer. Local clinics/Planned Parenthoods/Rape Crisis Centers could probably use an extra set of hands. Maybe yours.
-Become an abortion provider. (KIDDING! Unless you want to, in which case you are awesome.)
What else am I forgetting??? Doing a little something here and there can really add up and that is what I am resolving to do in the face of this ridiculousness.
Thanks for the Bowl-a-Thon shoutout! I just want to do a little more cheerleading, because the Bowl-a-Thon is such a great way to DO SOMETHING even if you are broke or don't live in a city with an abortion fund.
ReplyDeleteYou--you, yourself--can raise funds so that someone you have never met can get an abortion. You can do it. You can raise that $100 and know that you've made a huge difference.
Put yourself in the shoes of the woman who needs $100 by the end of the week. Could you send an email to 15 friends who might have a few bucks each to add to your $10? If you put an appeal on Facebook, would at least a few friends chip in, if you ask on behalf of women like Leila and Darcy?
Why not just give it a try?
Register with the National Network of Abortion Funds' Virtual Bowl-a-Thon and see if you can raise $100 by the end of the month. You can participate individually or as part of a team--the Abortion Gang has an open invitation to join theirs (this is my page, for an example.)
You can use a pseudonym if you want. You can set your goal as low or as high as you want. There is nothing to lose and so much to gain.
Here is the link to the Virtual Bowl-a-Thon: http://bowlathon.nnaf.org/nnafbowl/fundevent.asp?nnaffundid=30&eventid=42
Here's the link to the Abortion Gang team: http://bit.ly/BowlGang