This year, there has been an escalation in violence aimed at abortion providers. Clinics have been protested, vandalized, and burned, with the most recent and high-profile incident being the shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs last week. Then, adding insult to injury, many people use inflammatory and dangerous rhetoric to talk about this violence, once again falling into the crazy-making politically-driven conversation around abortion that has been getting more and more heated recently.
Reading the articles, watching the news, and hearing how other people talk about abortion can give you a knot in your chest. It can be scary and unsettling to hear people say that they support vigilantism. You might have questions or fears that you don’t always feel like you can safely ask.
If you are afraid of going to a clinic, confused about what’s going on, or just looking for a little validation, then please know that:
- Your organs do not define you. Just as how having lungs doesn’t define you as a person, neither does having a uterus or a vagina automatically make you a woman. Furthermore, what you do with your organs is entirely up to you! Why? Because they’re yours! You are more than the “sum of your parts,” and more than your ability to get pregnant (or not). Whether you use your stomach to digest a salad or five candy bars dipped in peanut butter is your decision as much as deciding whether to have an IUC, a baby, or nothing at all in your uterus.
- Consenting to sex does not mean consenting to parenthood. Having sex and being a parent are two radically different activities with vastly different responsibilities and considerations. Sure, many people become parents by having sex, but just because you have sex does not mean you want or have to become a parent. Having a sex life and reproducing are two different things.
- Safe, non-judgmental, and quality medical care is your right. As a fully fledged human being, one of your rights is to be able to access healthcare without fear or reprimand. You deserve to go to the doctor without being afraid. Accessing well-trained clinicians and all of their resources is something you should be able to rely on – no ifs, ands, or buts.
And lastly:
4. You are worth it. You are worth protecting, and supporting. You are worth loving, and listening to. Whatever you do, whoever you are – you are worth it.
We are proud to have people like you in our care, no matter where you are in your life or what you’re going through. We want to make sure that you can come to us and feel safe. We’ve already had the honor of serving many people who have been happy with their experience with us, and we plan on continuing that positive trend for as long as we’re in service.
