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Plan C

5/6/2022

 
In September 2021, I finally went “public” about my own abortion story via this blog and social media because I knew that with the 3 appointments to the Supreme Court from the last administration the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed almost 50 years ago with Roe vs. Wade would be overturned. 

With the leaked opinion my fears became reality. I wasn’t shocked, I was outraged. When the ruling is officially released, my daughter will be living in a country that no longer believes she has a right to make decisions about her own body and that terrifies me. 

When I learned I was unexpectedly pregnant just days after a missed period I sought a medical abortion (a.k.a. medication abortion, RU-486, or the abortion pill). At the time (1998-1999) it was not officially an option for women because RU-486 hadn’t been approved by the FDA as a method of early medical abortion until September 28, 2000.

A few clinics still offered the medication via off-label use. I was lucky that I lived within driving distance to one of these clinics, that I had a partner who had a car and was willing to help me, and that I had the flexibility with my job to travel to my appointments. 


Over twenty years later, with the advancements in science and medicine, we now live in a time where the safety of the abortion pill has been well-documented and there is access to telemedicine and prescriptions by mail. In 2022, we must ensure that all women in every state have access to the abortion pill to manage their own health care. 

Since medication abortion is more effective early in a pregnancy, it’s a perfect option to help prevent late abortions (12+ weeks) yet Republicans in many states have still tried to limit access to the medication and to require unnecessary in-person visits for women who choose this option.   

We need to empower women to learn the facts about self-managed reproductive care including abortion. Polls show that many Americans don’t know about the abortion pill and this needs to change especially when Roe vs. Wade is overturned. 

Forced childbirth is already a horrifying reality for many women who live in states without access to a clinic or the financial means to travel for healthcare.

As a woman who’s had two children and a medication abortion I can speak about this right to choose from first-hand experience. The toll of pregnancy and labor/delivery on a woman’s mental and physical health can be damaging even when it’s planned. The effects of being required to carry a pregnancy to term against one’s will is something I can’t even imagine enduring. I will do everything I can to help girls and women learn more about how to maintain control over their reproductive lives.

We need compassion, empathy, as well as access to all contraception and medication that gives women control over their own bodies.
Resources
  • AidAccess
  • ​PLAN C: A Guide to Abortion Pills Online
  • ​The Availability and Use of Medication Abortion | KFF
  • Get the Facts About Medication Abortion (Planned Parenthood)
  • Find a Provider
  • AbortionFinder.org
Facts
Medication abortion in 2020 became the mostly commonly used form of abortion for the first time in the U.S. More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills, rather than surgery.
​
How effective is the abortion pill?
  • 8 weeks pregnant or less, it works about 94-98 out of 100 times.
  • 8-9 weeks pregnant, it works about 94-96 out of 100 times.
  • 9-10 weeks pregnant, it works about 91-93 out of 100 times.

Legislation
  • 32 states require clinicians who administer medication abortion to be physicians.​
  • 19 states require clinician providing a medication abortion to be physically present when the medication is administered, thereby prohibiting the use of telemedicine.
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On Wednesday, I spoke with PBS Newshour about my abortion story and the impact of overturning Roe vs. Wade for my teenaged daughter. They asked for a photo of me from the period in which I exercised my right to choice.

In the News
  • Demand for abortion pills will soar if Roe v. Wade is overturned, advocates say (WP)
  • Abortion Pills Will Be the Next Battleground in a Post-Roe America (NYT)
  • Next battle on abortion will focus on pills (AP)
  • Everything To Know About The Abortion Pill (Elle)
  • Abortion pill provider sees spike in U.S. interest after SCOTUS leak | Reuters
  • The Science Behind the “Abortion Pill” | Health & Medicine
  • Abortion pills by mail pose challenge for officials in red states (WP)
  • Abortion pills: A post-Roe game changer — and the next battleground
  • Abortion pill startup Hey Jane to seek new VC funds​
  • Abortion Pills, Once a Workaround, Are Now a Target
  • The Pill That Still Hasn’t Changed the Politics of Abortion (2016)
Research
  • Medical Compared With Surgical Abortion for Effective Pregnancy Termination in the First Trimester
  • FDA Response to ACOG April 2021 re: Medical Abortion (by mail dispensing)
  • Questions and Answers on Mifeprex (FDA)
Getting the abortion pill in the mail 
In some states, you can do your visit online (AKA telehealth) and get your abortion pills mailed to you. At this time, only some Planned Parenthood health centers are able to offer telehealth for the abortion pill (where the pills are mailed to you or you pick them up at your local pharmacy). The best way to learn about the services available in your area is to call your nearest Planned Parenthood health center. Below is a list of Planned Parenthood affiliates that currently offer virtual visits for the abortion pill. In order to have the pills mailed to you, you must have an address where you can receive the pills in one of the states listed below:
  • Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region - (IL)
  • Planned Parenthood Keystone - (PA)
  • Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC Inc. (DC, MD, VA)
  • Planned Parenthood of Montana
  • Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (MA)
  • Virginia League for Planned Parenthood (VA)
  • Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (VA)
  • Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (NV, NM, CO)
  • Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (WA, HI)
Contact your nearest Planned Parenthood health center to see if this is an option for you.

We Testify: My Abortion Story

9/4/2021

 
The 1973 t-shirt, designed by prinkshop, recognizes the freedom granted by Roe v. Wade to choose our own path. It represents the right to control our bodies, lives, and futures. 
$5 from the sale of every sweatshirt is donated to The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) to support their work protecting our right and keeping that promise of freedom alive. 

Benefits: The National Institute of Reproductive Health, an organization building power at the state and local level to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.

social-goods.com/products/1973-retro-womens-activist-tee-white
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Share Your Story
Sharing abortion stories brings us together. Sharing your story can be cathartic and help you prepare to share with your loved ones. Want to share your story on our website and see your star plotted on our abortion story map? Fill out this form.

Questions to ponder as you testify:
  • How do you feel the cultural environment and messages you received about abortion impacted your experience, both positive and negative?
  • Are there messages you learned about abortion in your family? How did they impact your experience?
  • Are there racial, ethnic, gender identity, class, sexuality, immigrant, ability, religious, or other identities that impacted your abortion experience?
  • How did your geographic location or community political climate impact your abortion experience?
  • What do you know now about your abortion experience that you would tell a younger version of yourself?
  • Were there barriers you faced? How did you navigate them?
  • How did you pay for your abortion? If you had insurance, were you able to use it, why or why not? Did you have to borrow money from someone or call an abortion fund? How did that experience make you feel?
  • Was there someone who helped you navigate barriers? How did they help you? What stands out about that person to you?
  • Was there a barrier that you were able to bypass because of your privilege? How did that impact your abortion experience?
  • What support did you or didn’t you have during your abortion? How do you think that impacted you?
​
https://www.wetestify.org/

20+ Years Ago

I've never gone public on social media about having had an abortion, but the new law in Texas has infuriated me so much I can't be silent any longer. 

When I was in my 20s I went on a trip to England with my then boyfriend (now husband) and I wasn't always careful with birth control. I knew almost immediately I probably made a huge mistake, but back then (1998) I don't think the morning after pill was an option or I didn't know about it. 

I knew I was pregnant within 2 weeks because of symptoms like extremely sore breasts. I don't remember where I got the test, but I remember after I took it and saw the results my first reactions was oh f**k. I decided what I wanted to do before I even told my boyfriend. I had just started a new job and was living in a studio apartment and couldn't even imagine having a kid at that point even though all I ever wanted growing up was to be a mom. 

I graduated with a major in Women's Studies at Penn State in 1993 and earned a Master's Degree in Women's Studies from the George Washington University in 1996. I had worked at the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues and Catholics for a Free Choice, so I knew a lot about women's health care and the options for non-surgical abortion. 

I did my research and found there was one clinic in Maryland that offered medical abortion. I knew that's what I wanted to do because it was the only option if you were less than 6 weeks pregnant. I think I found out at 4 weeks and got my appointment and 4.5 or 5 weeks. My insurance plan would have covered a surgical abortion 100%, but that would require waiting another 2-3 weeks. When I make a decision, I don't want to waste any time. I was lucky that I had the hundreds of dollars it cost to do the medical option. 

I've had two kids since, but back then I would say a medical abortion was the most painful thing I went through mostly because I threw up the pain medicine and I have a history of excruciating menstrual cramps.

Over the years I worried that I would be "punished" for having an abortion and would never be able to get pregnant. I was so scared that I even used fertility treatment (IUI) to conceive my son. My daughter, on the other hand, was not planned. Goes to show you, it only takes one sexual act to make a baby and sometimes it makes no sense when it happens. You can spend years and years of your life actively trying to avoid getting pregnant or years and years trying to conceive a child. Sometimes you can be stupid and get away with it. Other times you can do everything right and still nothing happens. 

I am terrified for my daughter. The thought that she could live in a state that bans abortion after 6 weeks or that requires waiting periods or parental consent just infuriates me. 

Whether it's legal or not, women will find a way to end a pregnancy. I had a friend who tied her best to induce a miscarriage with herbs. Sadly, it didn't work and she ended up needed to go through with a surgical procedure. I had another friend in college who was considering an abortion after an unexpected pregnancy and while she was still debating what to do she had a miscarriage. I thought that only happened on soap operas.

I'm strongly and vocally prochoice on social media and my website. My close friends know that I've had an abortion. My daughter knows. However, I have purposefully never announced publicly on social media or on my website that I have had an abortion myself. I have friends and colleagues who I know are antichoice and I didn't want to offend them or be judged by them. I can't stay silent any longer. I can't worry that people will unfriend me or unlike me or try to convince me that I made a horrible mistake and will go to hell if I don't confess my sin and ask for forgiveness from God.

I actually did the whole confession thing. I told the priest who officiated the Catholic wedding ceremony about my abortion and my penance was to do something life-affirming. I donated blood. 

If anyone would like to hear more about my story and what it's like to get a medical abortion, I am available online.

It's scary to be public about something so personal, but it's also vital that women who have had abortions tell their stories so others know they are not alone.

Thanks to "We Testify" for encouraging women to tell their stories.

Resources
  • Center for Reproductive Rights
  • National Abortion Federation
  • We Testify
  • Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
  • National Network of Abortion Funds
  • RHEDI
  • Catholics for Choice
  • ​Planned Parenthood
  • Guttmacher Institute​
  • Women on Web
  • FDA FAQ on Mifeprex
  • Butyric Acid by Consolidated (my fave song about reproductive choice!) 

    @leahcville

    1/2 of  @TwinsRun
    Wife of @SportingKyd
    Mom of 2 with James Joyce inspired names
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  • Home
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