anniversary of roe v. wade

today is the anniversary of roe v. wade.

i volunteer as a clinic escort at a local abortion clinic once/month. this means that i help escort patients past the "pro-life" protestors who are at the clinic every saturday. each month i am reminded of one (of the many, many) obstacles that women who want an abortion still face today, over 30 years after abortion was legalized.

my post on november 30th was about bush's appointment of an anti-birth control, anti-sex ed man to head up the country's family planning program. planned parenthood is asking for people to contact their senators about the Prevention First Act (S.21), a sensible way to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies -- by increasing funding and therefore access to birth control for low-income women, and by providing real, comprehensive sex ed for teenagers.

i think it's a fitting action to take on this anniversary. for me, the meaning of "reproductive rights" is that all people, regardless of income, race, gender, and sexual orientation, would have the information, resources, and access they need to make good decisions around sex and reproduction.

click here to contact your senators and urge them to support funding for birth control and sex ed.
if you'd like to make a donation, you could donate to the women's medical fund, an amazing organization here in southeastern PA that provides financial assistance to women who want an abortion but can't afford it.

from "Right to Life," Marge Piercy
I will choose what enters me, what becomes
flesh of my flesh. Without choice, no politics,
no ethics lives. I am not your cornfield,
not your uranium mine, not your calf
for fattening, not your cow for milking.
You may not use me as your factory.
Priests and legislators do not hold
shares in my womb or my mind.
This is my body. If I give it to you
I want it back. My life
is a non-negotiable demand.