tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79222245759262948922024-03-12T19:38:31.358-07:00Abortion BlogThis is a blog about getting an abortion. I, the author, am pro-choice, a proud atheist, and am a bit of a biology nerd. This blog is for women and girls who need a chance to hear from someone about what its really like, and something I need to help me through this sort of scary experience that lots of women go through, but few talk about. I cannot claim that anyone else's experience will be like mine, but hey... at least now we can start comparing notes. Email: abortionblogger at gmail.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-78059270626992726792012-01-13T15:15:00.000-08:002012-01-13T15:21:15.429-08:00January 2012: Stand Up for Abortion and Birth ControlI was asked to pass on information about this event. Please check it out! Attend if you can. <br /><br />January 22 and 23, on the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision which legalized abortion, come to DC: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1170/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9086<br /><br /> Can't attend? Sign the petition: <br /><br />"ABORTION ON DEMAND AND WITHOUT APOLOGY! <br /><br />Fetuses are not babies. <br />Abortion is not murder. <br />Women are not incubators. <br /><br />A woman who cannot decide for herself when and whether to have a child is not free. Forced motherhood is female enslavement. And when women – half of humanity – are not free, then no one is free." <br /><br />http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1170/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9086AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-86428387348524365532009-11-21T09:35:00.000-08:002009-11-21T10:13:33.217-08:00We can't afford to lose our insurance coverage. Fight Stupak!When I had my abortion, it was covered by my insurance. My current insurance plan, which is different since I work somewhere else now, also covers abortion should I need it. The bureaucracy was a nightmare, but in the end everything worked out ok and it was covered. <br /><br />If the Stupak Amendment is included in the health care reform bill, I will not have that coverage again. Hopefully I will never need it, but they wouldn't call them "unplanned pregnancies" if we were expecting it to happen. Countless women will lose their abortion coverage, or be prevented from purchasing a plan that covers it in the future. If you don't know much about the Stupak Amendment yet, google it and learn more about it. This is important. And what we do now will determine whether this becomes law or ends up in the trash where it belongs. <br /><br />Abortion is not the kind of procedure you can save up for- it needs to be done right away. Due to the deep stigma in our society surrounding abortion, this is not the kind of thing many women would be able to ask family or friends to chip in for. This is a procedure that needs to be covered by health insurance. Anti-Choice activists are always looking for ways they can create barriers to care that limit women's access to reproductive health services they think we shouldn't have. The Stupak Amendment would be like plopping down a huge wall around the clinics where we need to go to for care- some will be able to climb it, but many more won't. The burden's of these barriers fall most heavily on those who already don't have much: women living in poverty, the uninsured, homeless women, etc. While some women can pay out of pocket for abortion, many cannot. <span style="font-weight:bold;">No woman should be forced to bear a child simply because she is poor. </span> Everyone deserves choice regardless of the amount in their bank account. Healthcare reform should fix that problem, not exacerbate it. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/healthreform/?gclid=COnlpPHQnJ4CFQk75QodVR5clw">Please get involved. Defend yourself. Protect the people you love, and the countless women who need your voice now. </a>AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-54394073157621087652009-10-08T15:43:00.000-07:002009-10-08T16:33:40.930-07:00I kind of forgot about this blog....... But am glad people are still finding it and appreciating it! <br /><br />Another woman is blogging about her upcoming abortion, which I hope you will check out and give her your support. "<a href="http://ieffedupmylife.blogspot.com/">I'm really having an abortion</a>?" <br /><br />Since I last posted, I've broken up with the fellow who knocked me up last year, for reasons I won't get into. Let it suffice to say that I'm so glad we don't have a child together and that I can cut ties. <br /><br />I've also started grad school, learned to wake board, gone to countless dance parties, swam all summer long, and am venturing into a new romance with lovely fellow. He is smart and kind and makes me smile... a lot. Yea, I'm pretty smitten. :D<br /><br />Life is good.<br /><br />Every once in a while I think about how different my life would have been if I didn't have access to a safe legal abortion, and I feel overwhelmed with gratitude to everyone out there who has fought for women's rights and freedom of choice. You all rock. Thanks.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-4265290514966019822009-03-10T15:47:00.000-07:002009-03-10T15:49:39.628-07:00Celebrate National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers!Celebrate National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers!<br />Crossposted From Planned Parenthood<br /><br /><br />Whew! It's been quite a week for Planned Parenthood and women's health, and I realize we've been asking a lot of you lately. It almost feels like our work is never done, and I want you to know that your support and actions are absolutely invaluable to defending choice and making sure women's health remains a priority to our leaders.<br /><br />A key component of women's health and reproductive freedom is the right to choose safe and legal abortion — a right that I, for one, am incredibly thankful to have. But this right means nothing if there's nobody to provide it. Along with the activists, the legal warriors, and all of us who vote, march, and fight to keep abortion legal, abortion providers themselves play a crucial role in protecting women's reproductive freedom.<br /><br />March 10 is the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. It's a time to reflect on the courage and compassion of abortion providers, as well as thank them for their service and attempt to turn what can be a hostile climate into a positive one. March 10 is also the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. David Gunn, the first abortion provider to be murdered by an anti-choice extremist. It is a stark reminder of the unique and dangerous risks abortion providers are willing to face to make sure women have a choice.<br /><br />Today, the number of abortion providers is shamefully inadequate. More than 85 percent of counties in the United States lack an abortion provider. In rural areas, it's 97 percent. A world without trained abortion providers is a world where safe abortion does not exist. Please join us in honoring those in the trenches: the doctors, nurses, and various medical staff who provide abortions — the very people who make choice possible.<br /><br />Leave your note of thanks and encouragement to the nation's abortion providers on our discussion board, and we'll deliver them: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=8934429638&topic=7907 You can also change your status update to say \"is thankful for choice and the abortion providers who make it possible: http://tinyurl.com/ch9gdf\" or \"is celebrating National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers: http://tinyurl.com/ch9gdf\" to raise awareness of the importance of safe and legal abortion and the heroic women and men who provide it.<br /><br />I am so thankful for abortion providers and the risks they take, the hardships they endure, and the harassment they face in order to allow me and all women to have reproductive freedom. Please join me in thanking them — and once again, thank YOU for all your support.<br /><br />Kendall at Planned Parenthood Action FundAbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-61304227469798152012009-01-27T15:22:00.000-08:002009-01-27T15:41:36.858-08:001 out of 3 ... is ME... and me!Another voice breaks the silence: <br /><br /><a href="http://1outof3.blogspot.com/">1 out of 3 ... is ME </a><br />"One out of three women in the United States has an abortion by the age of 45. Still the experience remains shrouded in silence, and for some women, shame. This is a pro-choice abortion blog based on my personal experience."<br /><br />"I'm a forty year old feminist who works to little every day to change the world."<br /><br />The author of 1 in 3 is having a second trimester abortion at 15 weeks, and is one of the few, if not only woman talking about her personal experience with this. Less than 5% of abortions take place at her gestational point. <br /><br />I applaud her bravery and wish her health and happiness. Her procedure is tomorrow, so please join me in sending her your support and good wishes.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-25074900158147873192009-01-23T14:13:00.000-08:002009-01-23T14:41:25.815-08:00Post Abortion updateI got my period in mid January, about 5 weeks after my abortion. It was a normal period. <br /><br />I still haven't sorted out the insurance mess, which is partially because I'm lazy and partially because it is so confusing and bureaucratic. Planned Parenthood sent me an invoice a few weeks ago, even though according to my insurance company they owe me money and not vice-versa. Still working on that one! Advice welcome!! <br /><br />All is generally going well for me, and I really appreciate the support of my friends, my boss, and my partner through all of this. <br /><br />It sometimes makes me sad that some people I care about would consider my decision immoral or think that women like me should not be allowed to make our own choices about our bodies. But I have no regrets. It upsets me to realize that some women are surrounded by only people who would judge them for making such a decision and don't have anyone to talk to about it. Considering that this is a procedure that nearly one in three women have, it should be easy to find someone to talk to. But stigma creates a silencing barrier. <br /><br />One group that is trying to fight this stigma is <a href="http://www.womenonwaves.org/">women on waves</a>, an awesome non-profit that you should check out. <a href="http://www.womenonweb.org/listpublish-162-en.html">Here is a place where you can read about many women's abortion experiences</a>. Some of them are even brave enough to share their face. I'm not that brave- sorry folks. <br /><br />Please know that I will continue to check my email address associated with this blog even if I do not keep posting regularly. Please feel free to contact me with questions or to vent about your experience. abortionblogger@gmail.comAbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-69268224175719290812009-01-02T11:38:00.000-08:002009-01-02T11:42:44.830-08:00Becoming Pro-choiceThis is a great story about one woman's discovery about why reproductive freedom is so important: <br /><br /><a href="After today, Only More Light">http://abortionclinicdays.blogs.com/abortionclinicdays/2008/12/after-today-only-more-light-.html</a><br /><br />It's great to see someone feel empowered and strong in a difficult situation.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-42412151609659791992008-12-31T07:06:00.000-08:002008-12-31T07:26:36.954-08:00O! I get it, the healthcare system is broken.Ok, I finally figured it out. Planned Parenthood sent them a bill for $1,000+, and my insurance company analysed it and decided that based on the agreements they have for huge discounts to insurance companies, that the bill should have been about $275, and that much money was applied to my deductible. Since I payed $525, they have to pay me back for the difference. But if I cant get that money back, I will still only have $275 applied to my deductible. They made this as unclear as possible in the weird letter they wrote me. I will be doubly screwed if I can't get that money back and end up needing to spend my entire deductible. <br /><br />An important thing to note here (that probably the whole world except me knew) is that the insurance system is based on these huge discounts for insurance companies and people with insurance. In other words, if I didnt have insurance... I would have paid quite a bit more for the same service. Basically, uninsured people are being totally fucked over- their medical care prices are absurdly high compared to other people's. Even a place like Planned Parenthood that does sliding scale based on income, has to accept lower payments from the insurance companies and insured then from their poorest uninsured clients. Ok, I'm not actually sure what their lowest sliding scale rate is for abortion, but I think I heard $300 once. I am not sure. But I bet it is not less than, say, $250. <br /><br />This is not really about abortion, it was exactly the same situation for my co-worker's daughter who was getting her appendix removed. The hospital could only get a little over half the money they would have been able to bill if she were uninsured. So, with insurance it was a $4,000 procedure counting co-payments and what the insurance company paid. If she were uninsured, it would have been a $7,000 procedure. Now that's what I call fair. Thanks, capitalism!AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-44068496454577739642008-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:002008-12-31T07:06:38.586-08:00Insurance is so confusing.So I talked to my insurance company, and they said lots of things in insurance language that made no sense. <br /><br />The gist of it (I think) was that the amount planned parenthood quoted me for the cost of the abortion was probably discounted based on my income(since they are a non-profit and do that kind of thing), but since I had insurance my insurance was charged the full cost (which was indeed over $1,000). <br /><br />Also- this thing they sent me that looks like a bill is not. It is telling me how much I should have owed to Planned Parenthood after my insurance paid their portion, which was $254.13. But, I paid $525. So Planned Parenthood owes me the difference and my insurance company could care less because it isn't their money that is in question. It's mine. So I have to sort it out myself. I've tried calling the billing phone number at planned parenthood for a while, and it reminds me of <a href="http://prochoiceabortionblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/making-appointment.html">this other time I was trying to reach them on the phone.... </a><br /><br />Ussually I would go to my parents to help me figure out this sort of insurance stuff, or to the person in my office who deals with insurance stuff. But my parents are prochoice politically but not personally, and I have no idea what my co-worker thinks on the topic and don't want deal with pity or condemnation in the workplace. It just wouldnt be pleasant. <br /><br />So I'm done trying to deal with this for today. I guess I will try again tomorrow.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-45648061596356157292008-12-27T20:54:00.000-08:002008-12-27T21:07:58.604-08:00Pseudo-science detectors!!I came across this blog entry about detecting pseudo-science, and thought "What a handy-dandy thing for women and girls trying to learn the facts about abortion!" <br /><br />This list seems more geared towards avoiding being sold miracle cures, but I still think a lot of this is relevant for identifying the propoganda of the prolife movement and their bajillions of pseudoscience-based lies. Get the full story <a href="http://www.defaithed.com/blog/defaithed/2008/12/here_be_dragons_and_red_flags_of_pseudoscience">here</a> or just read the summary I took from that blog. <br /><br />I thought about inserting a comment or email I have recieved from a pseudo-science flinging prolifer for each of these points, to demonstrate how they use each of these forms of deception, but don't want to make this post too long. The rest of this post is copied and pasted from the <a href="http://www.defaithed.com/">Defaithed </a>blog. <br /><br />Red flags warning of pseudoscience <br /><br />1. Appeal to Authority<br />Celebrity endorsements, lab coats, fancy degrees or certifications... all distractions that point to the impressiveness of the claimant, not the truth of the claim. <br /><br />2. Ancient Wisdom<br />Commonly seen attached to "alternative" medical therapies, and a pet peeve of mine – lots of "ancient wisdom" will get you killed! As Brian points out: all that matters is not the age of the "wisdom", but simply this: Does it work? <br /><br />3. Confirmation Bias <br />The tendency to remember events that coincide with beliefs, and ignore or forget those that don't. Confirmation bias is one of the worst sloppy-thinking offenders, in my opinion - and one of the hardest for us to overcome. <br /><br />4. Confusion of Correlation with Causation<br />Another common sticking point for many people. Brian's example: You'll find correlation between rice consumption and black hair, but not causation. <br /><br />5. Red Herrings<br />Irrelevant information that distracts without addressing facts. <br /><br />6. Proof by Verbosity<br />Information overload to create the appearance of comprehensiveness and thorough research. It's quantity over quality. <br /><br />7. Mystical Energy<br />"Chi", "negative energy", "positive energy"... Brian suggests that you replace any mention of "energy" with the word's actual meaning - "measurable work capability" - and ask whether the claim still makes sense. <br /><br />8. Suppressed by Authorities<br />Conspiracy! Beware! Yet... Why would pharmaceutical giants suppress miracle cures... or automakers squelch super-efficient engines... instead of embracing and profiting wildly from those discoveries? <br /><br />9. All Natural<br />Yes, a pseudoscience health supplement may be "all natural"... but so are poison oak, scorpion venom, lead, mercury, bubonic plague, black holes... Natural doesn't mean safe!<br /><br />10. Ideological Support<br />Causes that use courts, marches, campaigns, and so on to push a belief may be fueled more by indeology than by science. <br /><br />Make pseudoscience detectors part of your toolkit <br /><br />The above is hardly a complete list, as Brian takes pain to point out. But I'm going to memorize the list and, as he suggests, watch how often they turn up in daily life. Sounds like a great toolkit for tackling nonsense head-on! <br /><br />Incidentally, I highly recommend the Skeptoid podcast. Each episode plays like a mystery story, with a detective digging up the facts to lay some case of the unexplained to rest. Give it a listen!AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-53782756842213781052008-12-27T13:06:00.000-08:002008-12-27T14:44:35.504-08:00Follow up appointmentMy appointment was at 11, which is apparently around when the clinic escorts and protesters pack up their bags and go home. <br /><br />There were a few lingering protesters chitchatting with eachother but not really bothering anyone (or at least not bothering me). I was a little more intimidated about having to go past protesters since I was going by myself this time and I didnt see any of my orange-vested friends, but it wasn't really a problem. <br /><br />The clinic escort volunteers were inside, also chitchatting, and packing up their little orange vests for next time. <br /><br />When I signed in I tried to get help with the insurance issue: <br /><br />"Yea, you guys sent a $1,000+ bill to my insurance company even though I already payed for the abortion when I was here (and it was $525, not $1000+). Why? Can you un-do that?" but they pretty quickly let me know that this wasn't their problem, and gave me the number to the billing office. I'll tackle that problem later because I have a cold, and am just not feeling up for it. <br /><br />They called my name after a while, I peed in a cup, they pricked my finger to do some blood test, took my temperature and bloodpressure. <br /><br />I was really hoping I would get to keep my pants on for the whole appointment, but no, I had to get an ultrasound. Continuing the trend of stressing me out with ultrasounds, the lady who did the ultrasound had this conversation with me: <br /><br />"Do you have ovarian cysts or something?" she says with furrowed brow. <br /><br />"Um, I don't know. I don't know what that means." <br /><br />"Well, there is something on your ultrasound. It isnt a pregnancy, but there is something there. You may need to talk to your regular gynecologist about this." <br /><br />Ooooooookay. Then I was sent to the recovery room, which is the waiting room with the reclining chairs and heat pads for everyone. Very nice place, but one girl was puking every now and then into a red biohazard bag.<br /><br />I was there for about an hour, and then they sent me and the 3 other women who didnt need the fancy chairs and heating pads back to the regular waiting room which was jam packed. I waited there for another hour. <br /><br />An older woman was there with her daughter (I think), and was talking loudly about the importance of choice (amongst other things). She said when she was a teenager, she had friends getting abortions in back alleys and she was always scared for them, knowing what a huge risk it was. "Women have to have a choice, and I'm so glad it's safe now for women to make choices." I wanted to talk to her more and hear her stories, but I was feeling a little shy. <br /><br />While I sat in the waiting room, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was on my ultrasound. My "not-pregnancy". I texted my boyfriend about it, and he texted back, "what could it be? Is it a tumor?" I tried not to worry, because I have no idea what sorts of things can be floating around in or on wombs, and maybe there are some perfectly harmless things. But generally, I was pretty stressed out about it. <br /><br />Eventually my name was called (it had been about 2 hours since my ultrasound). Me and one other young woman were called back, and waited in the room where my blood was taken earlier. <br /><br />"Is this your follow up?" She asked, and I said yes. "Which kind did you have?" <br /><br />"The medical kind" I said. <br /><br />She said, "me too. Was it really bad?" <br /><br />"No," I said, "not too bad." <br /><br />"Oh, mine was kinda bad." <br /><br />"Did it hurt a lot?" I asked. <br /><br />"Yea, I mean, it wasn't sooo bad, but for the first few hours-" <br /><br />The nurse came in and interrupted her, and took me back to an exam room. I wanted to hear what this young woman had to say because I have no one else to compare abortion pill stories with at this point, and I bet she has no-one either. Typing into the void is somewhat helpful, but what I really want is to be able to talk. And I also really want to listen. I just want women to be able to talk to eachother, but I know for most of us we have to keep our lips sealed to protect us from other people's judgement. So chances for conversations like the one we almost had are rare, and I was genuinely sad to lose the chance to continue talking. <br /><br />The doctor came in and asked how it went, I said fine, and asked what was on my ultrasound. "Oh, nothing" he said. <br /><br />"Nothing? She said there was something there." The "she" I was referring to was in the room but said nothing. I don't know what her background is- if she is a nurse or what.<br /><br />"It looks fine to me. Sometimes they just look like that. What kind of birth control do you use or do you want to start using?" (Wait, look like what? huh?)<br /><br />"I want the NuvaRing," I said, instead of pushing for a better explanation of my ultrasound. <br /><br />"Ok," he said. Shook my hand, and left. <br /><br />A little while later I was given my prescription. <br /><br />I thought about my 2 minute doctor appointment that I had waited several hours for, and was generally dissatisfied. I had been given too much time to worry about my "not pregnancy" to just accept that all was fine. And I was still supremely cranky about the insurance mess up, and the combination made me feel generally distrustful of the clinic. So I asked for a copy of the ultrasound, filled out the necessary paperwork to get copies released to me, and left. <br /><br />I am not 100% sure what to do with the ultrasound photos. I think I will bring them to a different gyno when I go to get a papsmear, and just ask them to take a look and tell me what they think. I would normally go to planned parenthood for gyno appointments, but I wonder if I should find a different place to get my 2nd opinion. <br /><br />So that's it for now. Thanks for reading.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-87298897763538616202008-12-24T14:42:00.000-08:002008-12-24T14:47:12.606-08:00Now this is happening.I just got a bill from my insurance company. <br /><br />Planned Parenthood sent them a bill FOR OVER $1,000. They want me to pay $200. <br /><br />Since I already payed for my abortion, I believe this means they charged me once and my insurance company TWICE. <br /><br />Currently, my insurance company's customer service office is closed, because it's freaking Christmas Eve, and they just totally messed up my evening.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-69001317434112951542008-12-20T19:41:00.000-08:002008-12-20T20:17:03.209-08:00Follow up appt postponedI was supposed to have my followup appt today, at 11. But around 9, when I was still asleep, I got a phone call from planned parenthood telling me they had to cancel all appointments for that day because they didn't have a doctor in. It was rescheduled for next week. I was hoping to spend next weekend with my family, but I guess now I'll have to come back for the appointment early. Okay, thanks for messing up my holidays! <br /><br />I fell back asleep, and then the phone rang again. It was another person from planned parenthood telling me my appointment had been cancelled. She said, "hello, I'm calling to cancel your appointment." <br />"yea, someone already called," I said. <br />"Oh, ok," she said, and hung up. <br /><br />I think its weird that no one seemed to think an apology was in order... how can they just cancel people's appointments? I would have asked more questions, but I was half asleep. I briefly pondered the idea that this was some anti-choice nutjob calling pretending to be planned parenthood to mess with me, but I'm pretty sure they don't have my phone number or know when my dr.'s appointments are. <br /><br />I'm generally pretty annoyed about the whole thing, but feel worse for the women who were going for abortions today and were made to reschedule. That's just fucked up. We need women's clinics to be reliable, because it's our bodies and our health and it's just really pretty important. <br /><br />Planned Parenthood emailed me today asking for donations, and it just sort of pissed me off. I mean, obviously they need more money. And more women need access to their services, and we sure as hell need someone standing up for women against the anti-choicers. But also they obviously need to get their shit together. At least the location near me. I've been to a different one before for regular check ups, and they seemed much more one top of things. You know, answering the phone, making sure doctors show up for work, not cancelling people's appointments 2 hours before hand etc. I know they do their best with limited resources, but I really expect more from them.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-73080338496672564642008-12-18T19:20:00.000-08:002008-12-18T19:45:25.506-08:00The Girl Effect<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIvmE4_KMNw&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WIvmE4_KMNw&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />I don't know a lot about this group, but I like that they are investing in girl's and women. I'm glad someone is standing up for girls like Kidan. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5Cf83V86AsE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5Cf83V86AsE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />If you want to get me holiday gift or just make me smile, you should give them a donation.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-88592193461711211252008-12-16T14:19:00.000-08:002008-12-16T14:26:06.630-08:00Author of Un-Expecting in Choice USA<a href="http://www.choiceusa.org/index.php?option=com_jd-wp&Itemid=80&p=885">http://www.choiceusa.org/index.php?option=com_jd-wp&Itemid=80&p=</a><br /><br />I like this post so much, I'm copying a bunch of quotes here, but you should probably just read the whole thing. <br /><br />"When I started searching I wasn’t looking for political or religious discussions. All I wanted was to know where to go, what to do, and what it would feel like. I wanted to know that all these crazy symptoms and emotions that I’m experiencing are normal. I wanted to hear first-hand from girls who’ve had abortions, whether in the recent weeks or decades earlier. I wanted to know why they did it and how it went and what happened afterwards. I wanted to look up abortion the same exact way I would look up a hotel I’ve never stayed in or a diet I’m thinking of trying. I wanted to hear honest pros and cons. I wanted tips about things like what anesthesia option to pick or how to keep my morning sickness and mood swings from driving me (and my boyfriend) nuts in the weeks before the surgery." <br /><br />"There is such a taboo about this incredibly common surgery that keeps many of us from discussing it freely with even our closest of friends, but online I’ve found a new group of women to share with. Perhaps someday abortion will be no less polemic than getting ones wisdom teeth pulled, but until then I’m hoping that by putting my (admittedly nervous) voice out there I am in some tiny way helping to make that a reality. And maybe the next group of girls that type the word abortion into the search box will be a little more encouraged by the results."<br /><br />High fives to all the awesome pro-choice abortion bloggers out there!AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-70319760427658984102008-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:002008-12-16T12:04:19.661-08:00Post abortion updateAt this point I'm done with bleeding, my boobs are back to their normal size, and all is well. I'm done with the antibiotics, too. I took them for a week. <br />I have my followup appointment on Saturday- I will of course tell you all about it.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-62026538472098632632008-12-15T09:08:00.000-08:002008-12-15T09:37:56.539-08:00Prolifers: this is not your forum.Im trying to keep this blog as generally a resource for women who are planning to abort, and not a place for prolifers to debate me, or make jabs at my politics or personal choices. <br /><br /><strong>You can do that on your own blogs. </strong><br /><br />I will post prolife ranting if it is: <br /><br />a) Funny, and short. <br />b) Something I feel like commenting on. <br />c) Actually interesting or relevant in my opinion (but it probably isn't). <br /><br />I am more likely to post it if it is in response to this post, since hey, this post is about you guys. And also that would make it easy for people to avoid if they aren't interested.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-71422703600261469802008-12-15T08:01:00.000-08:002008-12-15T08:57:23.585-08:00Study on post-abortion mental healthThere's a lot of things I like about science. The search for truth and reason, the struggle to avoid personal bias, and the attention to detail in methodology. And the mind-bogglingly awesome things that are figured out through science. I mean, I really love science. <br /><br />Of course, science is really hard to do well, because you have to set your cultural values aside and have a thorough understanding of what your personal biases could be, and the excellent skills to keep them from affecting your study. That isn't so hard when you are studying something like... whether or not the 11-aminoacid long Tarsal-less peptides trigger a cell signal in Drosophila leg development (they do, FYI). <br /><br />But it is a little trickier when you are studying something socially charged- like women's mental health after abortion. But the fact that it is hard means we need good science even more. There is so much crap out there, and a huge misinformation campaign by the prolife movement. <br /><br />I wanted to share some information from a recent study by the American Psychological Association. <br /><br />This was a review of several studies in the last 20 years. They found: <br /><br />"A critical evaluation of the published literature revealed that the majority of studies suffered from methodological problems, often severe in nature." <br /><br />In other words, the prolife movement has produced a lot of pseudo-science to back up their beliefs, but close examination shows extensive problems with their methods. No shocker there, but the prolifers will use those studies to try and refute this thorough review which found: <br /><br /><strong>“The best scientific evidence published indicates that among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion than if they deliver that pregnancy.”</strong><br /><br />“The few published studies that examined women’s responses following an induced abortion due to fetal abnormality suggest that terminating a wanted pregnancy late in pregnancy due to fetal abnormality appears to be associated with negative psychological reactions equivalent to those experienced by women who miscarry a wanted pregnancy or who experience a stillbirth or death of a newborn, but less than those who deliver a child with life-threatening abnormalities.”<br /><br />“This review identified several factors that are predictive of more negative psychological responses following first-trimester abortion among women in the United States. Those factors included <strong>perceptions of stigma</strong>, <strong>need for secrecy, and low or anticipated social support for the abortion decision</strong>; a prior history of mental health problems; personality factors such as low self-esteem and use of avoidance and denial coping strategies; and characteristics of the particular pregnancy, including the extent to which the woman wanted and felt committed to it. Across studies, prior mental health emerged as the strongest predictor of post-abortion mental health. Many of these same factors also predict negative psychological reactions to other types of stressful life events, including childbirth, and, hence, are not uniquely predictive of psychological responses following abortion.”<br /><br /><br />There is so much fascinating stuff in this report, and I encourage you to <a href="http://www.apa.org/releases/abortion-report.html">peruse</a>. I haven't read the whole thing yet (it's pretty darn long) but am going to keep looking through it. <br /><br />As for my mental health, I'm pretty much in the same place I was before the abortion. I'm still insecure about the things I'm insecure about, but overall I'm generally happy with myself, and doing a-ok. I attribute the fact that I am not having post-abortion anxiety or depression to the fact that I am loved and supported by my community, and that I don't buy the prolife hype.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-40006643774219716322008-12-12T06:48:00.000-08:002008-12-12T07:09:44.583-08:00blood, boobs, etc.At this point, things are pretty much back to normal physically (almost). <br /><br />I am no longer feeling sluggish or tired all the time. I am back to my normal energy level, and am enjoying things like walking to work again. <br /><br />My boobs aren't as big as they were before the abortion, but are still bigger than normal. They still are a little sensitive, and hurt if someone hugs me too tight or something. <br /><br />This bleeding thing seems a bit unpredictable. When I get my period, it starts out heavy, and then gets lighter each day until it stops. Yesterday I didnt bleed for almost the whole day, and just when I thought I could stop wearing pads I started bleeding again. Not just spotting, it was a lot of blood, but then seemed to stop again after a couple hours. I have switched from the max absorbency pads to thinner ones, but still expect to be wearing pads of some kind for a while. <br /><br />Side note- I'm pretty sure that nausea thing the other day was from taking the antibiotics on an empty stomach, and not really directly related to the abortion. Apparently I have a bit of a senstive stomach.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-24302702197822774932008-12-11T11:13:00.000-08:002008-12-11T11:26:27.633-08:00Woot!!! I think I'm done. :)I've decided the worst part of having an abortion is the days of heavy bleeding afterwards. Not that it's painful, it's just annoying and constant. And I hate having to wear pads. I don't mind having my period in general- but it's ussually pretty light compared to what I've heard from other women, and its easy enough to manage with my keeper. It generally does not interfere with my life the way this post abortion blood thing does. I feel like without my keeper or tampons, it's just too messy. I really really didn't like it. <br />For 3 days, things seemed to have no hope in sight of the blood flow lightening. It was like the heaviest period ever. <br />And then today, practically no blood at all. It was like someone turned off a faucet, and now I'm done. There is still some spotting- clearly there is still a bit more for my body to clear out. But for the most part, I think it's a done deal. Shweet.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-30872069828068402382008-12-11T06:53:00.000-08:002008-12-11T09:33:14.424-08:00When Abortion was Illegal...History we all need to know. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iHsdhF2YjS0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iHsdhF2YjS0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x1eqy4VdmNM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x1eqy4VdmNM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Esi8I0PPlg8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Esi8I0PPlg8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-75613839037161776372008-12-10T09:07:00.000-08:002008-12-12T08:50:16.979-08:00We ain't gonna take it!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/U_7WcvyYxL0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/U_7WcvyYxL0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This video, sent by prochoice activists to the prolife group that harasses women going into clinics, got a bit of press: <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0806/S00210.htm "></a><br /><br />I think it is interesting that the prolifer said, "In 30 years [fighting abortion], I've not seen anything quite so nasty." I guess most pro-choice folks have been playing nice for the most part. I can think of lots of nastier things the prolife movement has done in the last 30 years... like bomb clinics.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-73327395123542584392008-12-10T06:51:00.000-08:002008-12-10T06:55:51.749-08:00Late to work todayI was late to work today because just as I was about to leave, I started feeling not so good at all, and needed to just stay sitting down. <br />I got a bad cramp, and nauseated. <br />I knew it wouldn't last long, and it wasnt that terrible, but it was frustrating because I just couldn't go to work until it was over (which took about 20 minutes). <br />I feel fine now, for the most part. <br />Luckily, my boss knows whats up.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-33045659311330544022008-12-09T10:37:00.000-08:002008-12-09T12:34:56.396-08:00And the good Lord said, "Though shalt make many lie-filled websites, in order to force my will upon the world and confuse the masses."Remember when you are looking at things on the web that pretty much anyone can make a website. There is as much if not more bad information as there is good, helpful information on the internet. <br /><br />Here's an example: <br />www.prochoice.com<br /><br />You would think this would be.... prochoice? You'd be wrong. <br /><br />I didn't read all of their information, but here is what it says about ru-486 (the abortion pill which I used). <br /><br /><strong>"You have the right to know that this drug has an unsafe record and bad side effects. Unlike the FDA's scientific approval of all other drugs, this drug was approved for use by women based on it's profit potential for the abortion industry and political pressure from their cult like followers. Many cases of abortion related deaths are aggressively disputed, and those who report them are subject to intimidation."</strong><br /><br />http://prochoice.com/abort_ru486.html<br /><br />Let's get one thing straight, and this is a very important thing prolifer's hate for women to know: significantly more women die or are seriously harmed giving birth than having abortions. That's the fact, jack! (But don't just take it from me, do your homework reading reliable sources, such as medical journals). Pregnancy is risky business from start to finish, regardless of whether you terminate early or let it go to term. This is one of the main reasons we need access to abortions: pregnancies put our bodies at risk. We need to be able to make our own choices about how to handle those risks. <br /><br />"The abortion industry"??? Do they mean the network of non-profits that are constantly struggling to provide more services for more women with less and less funding? The FDA doesn't really give a rats ass whether or not they are keeping afloat financially. <br /><br />"Cult like followers"? Is that me? Um, I'm the atheist here, k? k. Also, the FDA restricted American women's access to this safe effective medication for years while women in Europe used it successfully. Why? Because of pressure of cult-like followers.... perhaps like prochoice.com's author? Hmmmm? Yes. <br /><br /><strong>"Worst of all this could be given to you with out you knowing. For this reason alone, women should fight to ban it's use."</strong><br /><br />Ok now.... If you've been reading my blog you know a thing or 2 about taking the abortion pill. For example IT NEEDS TO DISSOLVE IN YOUR CHEEK FOR 30 MINUTES. It's really hard to trick someone into accidentally dissolving 4 pills in their mouths for 30 minutes. The first pill, which is just swallowed, is always taken in front of a doctor. But maybe to make this woman feel safer, we should ban any drug that someone could sneak into her food... like medications for cancer, diabetes, hypertension, painkillers, etc. Or we could just keep the prescription system, which has done a pretty good job of regulating who gets which drugs.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922224575926294892.post-39230398895701170972008-12-09T07:30:00.000-08:002008-12-09T07:52:45.277-08:002 days laterIt's still like I'm having a heavy period. <br />I HATE having to wear pads all the time. I never wear pads normally, because they feel icky and squishy and gross. I'm very tempted to forget about the "nothing in the vagina for 2 weeks" rule and just use my keeper. (If you don't already know about keepers, see here: http://www.thekeeper.com/) Apparently this would put me at risk of infection, and should not be done. But I'm on antibiotics anyway... could it really be so risky? Then again, I really don't want to make this process any longer or mess up my sea monkey tank or irritate my coochie snorcher. (I know... Biology nerds should call things by their real names. Oh well.)<br /><br />I'm still feeling kinda sluggish. I'm not supposed to do anything strenuous for 2 weeks, and I'm not really tempted to so far. I ussually like walking to work, but for the last week or so it has made me really really tired, and it takes longer than it did before. <br /><br />I wish I could sleep in more often.AbortionBloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03071560896386570743noreply@blogger.com0