Pro-Choice and Pro-Voice

As my follower count grows, so do the amount of questions (especially repeats) - that’s my fault, since I don’t have any sort of FAQ. But that’s changing! Hopefully this post will be a good starter to guide for anything you may need.

Resources:

Resource post - Information on pregnancy, abortion, adoption, parenting, etc.

Abortion Resources Around the World (still in the works)

What is a Judicial Bypass?

Do I need a lawyer for a judicial bypass?

What happens during a judicial bypass hearing?

Important Tags: (in the works)

Abortion / Abortion Story

Adoption

Birth control / Contraception

Christianity

Judicial Bypass

Parenting

Pregnancy

FAQ:

You can’t be a Christian if you’re pro-choice! 

Yes I can. Now take your pick.

Meet the Blogger:

Hi friends! I’m Kendra and I run this popsicle stand. I’m 21 and I’m attending Georgia Southern University for Anthropology, Religious Studies, and German. I look like this. I’m a Christian (United Methodist) so you’ll hear me talk about that when it’s relevant. I have not had an abortion, nor have I ever been pregnant, but if you want to speak with someone who has had either experience, I would be happy to point you in the right direction. 

Small fun facts: I love animals, especially dogs and marine life. I enjoy traveling and photography. If I could live off one food for the rest of my life, it would be fruit. I can’t whistle and I can’t snap using my right hand. My favorite TV shows are Criminal Minds, King of the Hill, and The Night Shift. I also like watching things like Ghost Stories and A Haunting. And Jeopardy. Lots of Jeopardy.

I have a personal blog and a Christian blog, so do with that what you will.

Absolutely!  Here are a few basics:

Preparation:

Wear comfy clothes (things you like to wear when you’re having a bad period)

Pack:

Extra pads

Extra undies

A book

Cellphone charger

Make sure you have a ride to and from the clinic

Rent (or download) some great trashy romantic comedies or whatever your pleasure is

Buy or root out from beneath your bed a heating pack.  (If you don’t have one you can also fill a clean sock with dry rice and tie off the end.  Microwave for 3 minutes and voila!  Heating pad.)

Buy yummy snacks, hot chocolate, comfort foods

Buy Ibuprofen and tylenol (as long as you have no health problems that are contraindicated with those medications)

If you feel comfortable with it, make a plan for beloved friends/family to come over afterward to snuggle with you on your bed to watch the above mentioned trashy movies.

During:

Be mindful of yourself and what you need.  If you are given the option of using pain medication, accept it if you think you’ll need it.  Don’t try to be braver than you need to be.

If you’re feeling extremely nervous, you can ask for the counselor you speak with ahead of time to come into the procedure with you.  It won’t always be possible, but it’s an option.

If you feel like you’re having an anxiety attack or even just getting to be more anxious than you want to be, practice breathing exercises.  A favorite of mine is breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, holding it for 4 seconds, breathing out through your mouth for 4 seconds, and holding it for 4 seconds.  Repeat.

Feel free at any time to close your eyes and picture your happy place.  Don’t just imagine it - really go there.  If you’re picturing yourself on the beach, feel the sun on your skin, smell the briny ocean, hear the seagulls, the wind, feel the sand beneath you, etc.  

Ask a nurse to hold your hand

Breathe.  Try as hard as you can to remember to breathe.

Be prepared for pain.  Know that it is intense, but it will be short, and the staff will keep you safe.  It is strong, but you are stronger. For lack of any other option, you will make it through.

Afterward:

Give yourself the time you need to recover.  For some people that’s a couple of hours, for others it’s a week or so.

Check in with yourself regularly.  Do you need more sleep?  Do you need more water?  Do you need more pain meds?

Feel free to take pain meds as often as written on the label.  For someone with strong cramps (and no contraindicating health problems) a good regimen is 600mg of Motrin at 12pm, 650mg of Tylenol at 3pm, 600mg of Motrin at 4-6pm, 650mg of Tylenol at 7pm, etc.

Call the clinic with any questions you have, even if they seem silly.

Make an agreement with a friend you trust to check in once a day just to chat.  If you want to talk about the abortion you can, but it’s good to have someone who you know will make sure you’re okay every day.

Call backline or exhale if you need to decompress with someone.

If your bleeding has been getting less and less and then suddenly gets heavier again, cut back on activity.  It’s your body telling you that you’re going too fast and you still need to be healing.  

Abortion clinics nationwide face significant threats of harassment, intimidation, and violence, according to a new report showing that threats of violence against abortion providers have doubled since 2010.

The survey of 242 abortion providers in the United States found that there has been significantly higher levels of threats and targeted intimidation of doctors and staff in recent years. The report comes as widespread intimidation tactics were deployed against clinics during the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision affirming a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

More than 500 plastic handcuffs placed inside “care packages” were reportedly delivered to abortion clinics throughout the country last week, according to The Christian Post. The packages were sent by the anti-choice organization Pro-Life Action League.

Concerns are raised that the legislation’s restrictive language will spoil the party’s chances of broadening its appeal to women and younger voters.

Adding Cubs to the Pack of Lone Wolves

Anti-abortion terrorism is not an anomaly. Fill people with talk of “baby killers,” “whores,” and “enemies of God” from the time they are born, teach them to mercilessly terrorize patients and staff, and murder is nothing more than the inevitable endgame.

(via bebinn)

It’s amazing how many people in the medical profession are pro-choice.

I love the little lists these pro-lifers make, compiling pro-life doctors. There’s like…what, four or five hundred on there? Not sure. Out of how many doctors in the country? Hah.

I have spoken to a family friend who happens to be a doctor. He told me that he believes many medical professionals to be pro-choice because they have seen what can go wrong, and believe the choice is up to the person dealing with the situation. He obviously cannot speak for everyone. But I still thought it was a valid opinion.

I see a lot of pro-lifers talking about how you should never go to an OB/GYN who is not pro-life. Which is just nuts to me. Like somehow a pro-choice doctor will value a patient less than a pro-life one. I actually believe the reverse - I think the pro-life doctor will care more about the fetus, no matter what state its in, than the patient. 

Pregnancy is what YOU make it. If it’s beautiful to you, fantastic. If it’s scary, that’s just as valid. No telling people how to feel just because you feel that way.

If an OB/GYN does not wish to perform an abortion, I am not about to try and force them. I think it is terrible decision making to go into a field knowing full-well that you’ll be put in that situation, but that is, of course, your call.

There are many, many pro-life individuals who would do anything to prevent a woman from terminating her pregnancy. This gets particularly dangerous in the medical field, as many pregnant people do not have the medical expertise to know whether their pro-life doctor is being fully honest with their possibly dangerous pregnancy. There have been situations like this, and people have died as a result.

I would also like to highlight another reblog that I’m confident you saw already:

Bear in mind that Oklahoma, (and possibly other states) has passed laws that make it legal for a doctor or other health professional to LIE to a woman if they fear she will have an abortion.  For example, a doctor can say the fetus is perfectly normal when he knows it will be born with defects, or lie and say the defect is easily treatable when they know it is profoundly life-changing or lethal.  They can lie to a woman about the effects to her body and her life if the pregnancy is continued. This law was REQUESTED by pro-life doctor, who wanted to avoid the professional and legal consequences of putting their own ideology above the health, life, and interests of their patient.