A Love Letter to Abortion Providers
Today, March 10, is Abortion Provider Appreciation Day—a day to celebrate and honor all that abortion providers have done to care for our communities.
Providing abortions is an act of community care. Abortion is basic health care—1 in 4 people who can get pregnant will have an abortion in their lifetime. But abortion provision isn’t like other outpatient health care services, and it isn’t for the faint of heart. People from all walks of life come seeking care that is weighted with the opinions and sometimes graphic images of posters held by protestors. Creating a safe environment for folk who are sometimes making: life-saving, life-changing, difficult, relief-giving, and even contested decisions about their own autonomy is community care.
Amid the ongoing threat of violence to abortion providers and bodily autonomy, providing abortion care is an act of radical resistance to right-wing terrorism. Since 1993, 11 people have been murdered for providing abortion care, including doctors, administrative staff, security guards, and clinic escorts. And to hear the work you do—out of care and compassion, that is your job and how you provide for yourself and your family—be debased and debated in legislatures, to be at the whim of a legislative vote. Or be made illegal simply because of where you live. Providing abortion care is a multifaceted undertaking, and each role plays an integral part in supporting abortion seekers. Today, we honor all of them—everyone who works in the broad ecosystem of abortion provision—who continue to show up every day, despite the risks, to make sure that folks can access abortion care.
To the doctors,
To the midwives,
To the nurses,
To the doulas,
To the clinic escorts,
To the clinic staff,
To the practical support volunteers,
To the helpline operators,
To the herbalists,
To those who facilitate self-managed abortions,
To those who have self-managed abortions,
To anyone who has been a part of providing abortion care—thank you. Your commitment to the abortion seekers you serve heartens us. Your perseverance as the political winds continue to shift inspires us. Your tenacity and steadfastness in the face of aggression and violence is a lesson for us all.
We honor you. We salute you. And we are enduringly thankful for you.
In gratitude,
The Apiary Team