Cancer is such a cruel disease and it is often hideously ugly in ways you can’t imagine until you go through it or you participate in caretaking of someone with advanced cancer. I have cared for patients with fungating tumors requiring 2-3 complex dressing changes per day, patients who are incontinent with skin so excoriated from diarrhea that cleaning and changing them is agonizingly painful, patients whose pain requires a dilaudid drip for them to be remotely comfortable. These people often die in the hospital alone because home hospice doesn’t provide 24/7 medical care, just a nurse a few times a week to check in on them and do a few hours of nursing care. The burden of that care outside of those visits falls to the families who are are not medically trained and not emotionally equipped to deal with such extensive caretaking. Families often don’t want to take that (with good reason) and so dying happens in the hospital where it is harder to ensure someone is at bedside at all times. The dying process can take a long time and families may do their best to trade shifts, stay the night, be present, but tbh there are few places less comfortable and less inviting than a hospital room, and it’s about 50/50 for family being at bedside at the moment of passing in my experience.

her name was Marsha P Johnson, and we have her to thank for so much.

remember, the first Pride was a riot, and she was one of the brave souls who endured it to help carve the path which so many of us walk today. she helped found several activist groups regarding LGBT safety and wellbeing. and she was absolutely radiant, too.

west coat: we hate our city and it makes us feel good

Use the medications properly to prevent interactions with healthcare providers. The pills are very effective, but they have to be used right. Carefully follow the instructions provided on the How to Use Abortion Pill website. Note that misoprostol tablets should always be taken by dissolving them under the tongue. Do NOT insert misoprostol vaginally if you are self-managing an abortion. While this is medically safe, it can leave incriminating pill remnants that can be detected in the vagina during a pelvic exam if you end up needing to seek medical care. 

If it’s not an emergency but you need expert health advice, use a free calling service like Google Voice to call or text the Miscarriage + Abortion Hotline at 1-833-246-2632. Medical complications are very uncommon with abortion pills, but they’re not impossible. The M+A Hotline is safe to use and is staffed by trustworthy clinicians who volunteer their time to help those who choose SMA. Do not use your own phone number to call as this will create a record that is visible to your cell service provider. 

Don’t disclose any information about SMA to emergency room staff if you do need to seek medical care. This is how most people who are arrested for SMA are reported. Healthcare providers are almost always who calls the police in cases of SMA criminalization. Contrary to popular belief, HIPAA does not protect your private health information from being shared with police if you are suspected of doing something that could be considered a crime. If you believe you need to seek urgent medical care, do not hesitate to go. Say “I think I’m having a miscarriage” and provide your symptoms. Do not mention any use of or purchase of abortion pills. There is no widely available test to detect misoprostol in your bloodstream. If you do not disclose it, there is no way for a medical provider to tell the difference between a medication abortion and a spontaneous miscarriage.