News Flash

News Flash: The antis are talking about us and our blog has had an exponential rise in anti-abortion traffic. With that, has come an increase in anti-abortion comments; some of which have appeared to be intelligent, others just hateful.

As Anti-Anti and Vulva Flower stated in the last two posts, we are happy to have open, genuine discussions with self-proclaimed “pro-life” individuals who have no intent of “trickery” or debate. Those people do exist. Some have been our clients! (We all have heard many, many women say, just before their abortions, “I don’t believe in abortion” only to be followed with, “but in my situation…”) We welcome the rare opportunity to have dialogue with individuals like that.

What’s not okay: antis stalking our blog, taking our words out of context, twisting our work, and bringing yucky negativity our way. This is our haven. Our safe place. We Abortioneers always have to defend ourselves, our work. Shit, many of us even defend ourselves to loved ones. Some lose friendships. Raise your hand if you’ve been de-friended after “coming out” as an Abortioneer on Facebook after Tiller’s murder. Yeah. I thought so. Most of you!

This increase in muddying-up our blog is annoying at best. I might seem like a coward, but it’s also made me think I should edit myself; like I'm going to have to be careful of what I say so it's not taken out of context, so I can "protect" our field, so I don't dishonor our clients. It makes me uncomfortable I feel this way. I just wish the antis would leave us the fuck alone. We don’t need to be hassled by people who don’t care about the women we serve and won’t EVER get it. Their rhetoric and picking is a violation. How dare they come here? How dare they think it’s okay to tread on our feet? To dishonour the women we serve? To disrespect the compassion, the love, the angst that we feel doing this special life-work. (No pun intended.)

I mean what I said: life-work. Abortion work IS life-work. Hell, if any group of people truly are pro-life, it’s the pro-choicers! We’re all about the life of the living woman and helping to empower, ensure that that she can move forward, doing the best she can with what she’s got right now. So how dare anyone try to minimize her experience! How dare anyone try to take that away from her! Really. Who the hell do you think you are?!

This blog is for not just us who write here. It’s for all of you who do this work. We know how isolating and hard it can be. We know that when you go home, it’s challenging to tell your partner/friends/parents/pet/whatever about your day, because they just.won’t.get.it. We know it’s not a normal job. And we know that the only thing that keeps us going sometimes is the warm, kind smile from a woman who ever-so-gently says, “thank you.” Ohhhh, does that hit the spot. Warm milk in the belly, that is. Warm milk in the belly. Just a simple, little thank you.

Think about that last “thank you” you got. Are you smiling now? Remembering what that genuine “thanks” feels like, right? Let’s end on that note then. Because seriously: that is all that matters. That’s why we’re here. And, to all you out there in Abortionland: thank you. Thank you. Thank you. What a profound, beautiful difference you make. Thank you.