Happy Roe Day!

Roe Day is a celebration of a woman's right to choose. It's a day when we should reflect on the sacrifices made by those who came before us. Remember those who died or risked their lives to have control over their bodies and to ensure that the generations that came after would have the same right.

For 39 years we have had the right to choose. Many of us have grown up only ever knowing what this is like. It's pretty amazing to have grown up with this right, but let's not be complacent. All across the country, state legislatures are slowly chipping away at this right. The Republican contenders for President salivate at the opportunity to get rid of Roe.

We can't allow that to happen. We can't allow the sacrifices made by our predecessors to be in vain. Celebrate Roe today and continue the fight for future generations.

Happy Roe Day!

Yesterday was the 38th anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision. Though I was aware of this, I happened to forget yesterday, until I unwittingly stumbled into an anti-abortion rally.

I was surprised at the sheer volume of people present. They carried signs that read:
ABORTION HURTS WOMEN
WOMEN DESERVE BETTER THAN ABORTION
WOMEN REGRET ABORTION

I was struck by how much the rhetoric has changed over the years. Immediately post-Roe, women who had abortions were demonized as "sluts." They were attacking the women themselves. When they realized this type of demonization would never work and ended making themselves look unstable, they began to reframe the debate. They have done a pretty amazing job. Women are now the victims of abortion. Abortion is a big mean monster out to hurt them. They are no longer blaming women, and instead making a very emotionally evocative statements, however untrue they may be.

Abortion does NOT hurt women. What hurts women is decreased access to family planning, birth control, and other important types of medical care. It hurts women when legislation is passed that forces women to look at a sonogram even if she is a rape survivor. It hurts women when you allow pharmacists to deny said woman her emergency contraception. It hurts women when she cannot afford to feed her children and she cannot find a job and there are not enough social programs available to assist her.

Instead of "women deserving better than abortion," perhaps they deserve pregnancies that don't develop fatal abonormalities. Women deserve partners who do not rape and abuse them. Women deserve access to legal medical procedures without being harrassed on her way into the clinic.

Women don't regret abortion. The greatest indicator of a woman's mental health post-abortion is her health pre-abortion. Either way, relief is the most commonly reported emotion post-abortion.

Despite antis BS rhetoric, abortion is still safe and legal in the United States. I have an amazing network of colleagues and friends who help fight the battle to keep abortion legal with me. So, on that note, I'd like to say Happy Roe Day!

Holy Smokes!

We were so busy enjoying the 37^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade we (1) forgot to write about it and (2) forgot to celebrate our own birthday!

It’s true! The blog of the Abortioneers is one year old! 234 posts later, we are doing better than ever.

We cannot thank you all enough for your support and kind comments -- on the blog, via Twitter and Facebook, and in-person from our loved ones and even people who don't know that we are the writers.

We use this space to share our experiences and tell our stories. We are so proud to hear that our readers find this blog useful, comforting, and supportive.

Thanks for reading and sharing. Abortioneers do such incredible work every day all over the world. The work is not always appreciated, but it is always important.

Thank you again, and here's to another year!