If you're up to date on your abortion research, you know that there are still countries in which abortion is strictly illegal. And the consequences can be severe, to say the least. The women who reside in these countries clearly don't have many options when it comes to terminating pregnancies.
A few weeks ago I received a message on the blog's facebook page from a young girl who was desperate to end her pregnancy, but was in a country where it was illegal. She needed help. She was terrified. She came to me, a simple blogger for help. That should tell you just how desperately she needed resources.
I knew of one possible resource for her. One option that I had learned of about a year earlier that I never thought I'd have to utilize (or help someone utilize)...Women on Web. Women on Web is a website that, depending on whether or not a girl or woman meets certain requirements, can set a patient up with an online consultation with a doctor, and then can mail the women medications to end her pregnancy.
As simple as it sounds, this one website is making a huge impact in the lives of desperate women. If you'd like to contribute to this amazing organization, you can do so by visiting this link: https://www.womenonweb.org/en/donate . In order to run such an operation, they can use all the financing they can get. And women around the world will benefit from your generosity.
If you have any similar resources, please private message me on facebook or send an email with links to AThoughtofHerOwn@gmail.com.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
What are we teaching our daughters?
About a week ago, right after my 6 year old started 1st grade, it occurred to me that this is the point at which we usually start telling our little girls that the boys on the playground are mean to them because they "like them". A few years later, we start wondering why our daughters start choosing to spend their time with assholes. There's something wrong here.
For some reason, I can't stop thinking about this. We (as a society) are teaching our daughters that it's acceptable for boys (or men) to treat them like crap because it's basically a sign of affection. What the hell are we thinking? Personally, I want to teach my daughter to kick a boy in the shin if he's mean to her on the playground. Of course, the school systems tend to get a little asshurt over those things these days.
We can't keep teaching our daughters these things (consciously or unconsciously) and wondering why we're seeing so many good girls with assholes, so many bad relationships, and so many girls devaluing themselves in order to stay in these shitty relationships. Let's start teaching our girls to value themselves....to reserve themselves for guys that respect them...that it isn't a sign of affection for a boy (or guy) to be a shit to them.
How do we start changing these "norms"? How do we start the process of breaking the cycle? Let's talk!
For some reason, I can't stop thinking about this. We (as a society) are teaching our daughters that it's acceptable for boys (or men) to treat them like crap because it's basically a sign of affection. What the hell are we thinking? Personally, I want to teach my daughter to kick a boy in the shin if he's mean to her on the playground. Of course, the school systems tend to get a little asshurt over those things these days.
We can't keep teaching our daughters these things (consciously or unconsciously) and wondering why we're seeing so many good girls with assholes, so many bad relationships, and so many girls devaluing themselves in order to stay in these shitty relationships. Let's start teaching our girls to value themselves....to reserve themselves for guys that respect them...that it isn't a sign of affection for a boy (or guy) to be a shit to them.
How do we start changing these "norms"? How do we start the process of breaking the cycle? Let's talk!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Life and Change
The last month of my life has been a whirlwind. I went from being a married housewife in Atlanta with three small children, to being a working, single mom of three about 5 minutes outside of Omaha. To say that my life is changing is the understatement of the century. I could look at all these changes in a negative way, but I'm choosing not to. I'm choosing to look for the silver lining. And there are many:
Since moving here, I've made some of the best friends that I've ever had. In fact, I would say that my family has expanded. I've had the opportunity to meet someone I've admired for years. I'm finally getting the chance to see this amazing movement from the inside. And finally, I'm spreading my wings for the first time in years. It's the best, most terrifying, mind boggling feeling I've ever had. It's definitely a lot to wrap my mind around.
In the first two weeks that I was here, I was invited to Dr. Carhart's clinic on a day when there were no patients. I was able to get a behind-the-scenes look, and I'll be honest...I was as giddy as a 14 year old meeting her favorite pop star. Lindsey (Dr. Carhart's nurse that I wrote about a few weeks ago), showed me around and loaded me down with all sorts of pro-choice gear. A week later, I went back to the clinic and was able to meet the man himself. Remember the giddy 14 year old? Yeah. She was back in full force. I'll admit, I was kind of star struck. He pulled me into an empty waiting room and asked me how I was doing (he had already been filled in on my situation), asked me about my kids, the blog, and let me pick his brain a little. He was as amazing as I expected. He also offered to let me bring my kids out to his ranch sometime soon, since my daughter loves to ride. And the icing on the cake? I got to watch his copy of After Tiller (FINALLY! Expect a post about that soon!). Color me happy.
This post doesn't have a whole hell of a lot to do with abortion. But my life is changing. The posts may start coming a little slower. I hope you guys will stick around and keep sharing the blog and the page with your friends. I still have a lot to say!
Since moving here, I've made some of the best friends that I've ever had. In fact, I would say that my family has expanded. I've had the opportunity to meet someone I've admired for years. I'm finally getting the chance to see this amazing movement from the inside. And finally, I'm spreading my wings for the first time in years. It's the best, most terrifying, mind boggling feeling I've ever had. It's definitely a lot to wrap my mind around.
In the first two weeks that I was here, I was invited to Dr. Carhart's clinic on a day when there were no patients. I was able to get a behind-the-scenes look, and I'll be honest...I was as giddy as a 14 year old meeting her favorite pop star. Lindsey (Dr. Carhart's nurse that I wrote about a few weeks ago), showed me around and loaded me down with all sorts of pro-choice gear. A week later, I went back to the clinic and was able to meet the man himself. Remember the giddy 14 year old? Yeah. She was back in full force. I'll admit, I was kind of star struck. He pulled me into an empty waiting room and asked me how I was doing (he had already been filled in on my situation), asked me about my kids, the blog, and let me pick his brain a little. He was as amazing as I expected. He also offered to let me bring my kids out to his ranch sometime soon, since my daughter loves to ride. And the icing on the cake? I got to watch his copy of After Tiller (FINALLY! Expect a post about that soon!). Color me happy.
This post doesn't have a whole hell of a lot to do with abortion. But my life is changing. The posts may start coming a little slower. I hope you guys will stick around and keep sharing the blog and the page with your friends. I still have a lot to say!
Lindsey brought a cake over for my dad's birthday on Sunday!
The pre-4th party was a blast!
Love!
Still stoked about this shirt! Not so much about the lack of make-up >.<
More gear!
Happy babies!
He's pretty sure he's going to marry Lindsey...
Notice how blurry the picture is? Yeah, my hands were shaking...
Monday, June 24, 2013
Lindsey Creekmore and the Uphill Battle
If you google "Lindsey Creekmore", all sorts of things will come up. Typical things like images of a bubbly girl with tattoos, Facebook profiles, a few blog entries...and then things start throwing you off. News articles from the likes of Operation Rescue, USA Today, The Huffington Post and more will start clogging your feed.
You see, Lindsey isn't your typical 30-something year old. Lindsey isn't your typical RN. Lindsey is employed by one of the world's most infamous late term abortion providers, Leroy Carhart. And as if that weren't enough, Lindsey only started working for Dr. Carhart after her former employer (Dr. George Tiller of Wichita) was murdered. Now that you know this, I bet it goes without saying that this girl faces her fair share of backlash from anti-choicers.
However, this time around, it would appear that the attack is coming from the inside. Lindsey started working with Dr. Carhart in the late summer of 2009 and was in the running to become the clinic's Director of Nursing. Within a few months, the clinic's current DON (who was supposed to be promoting to a higher position soon) was showing noticeable resentment towards Lindsey. This soon turned into an ultimatum for Dr. Carhart--he chose Lindsey.
Even though it's been a while since the former director of nursing left, it's only been recently that her backlash has started. And now Lindsey's nursing license is in jeopardy because of it. Of course this has less to do with Lindsey's ability as a nurse (which MANY previous co-workers will attest to...and trust me, I've heard rave reviews over work!), and more to do with a disgruntled former employee. The sad part of it is that anyone who is in this line of work understands that these workers have enough thrown at them on a daily basis, enough uphill battles to fight, and enough backlash from the pro-life side to wear on anyone...and yet, still, she chose to start this legal case.
Luckily, Lindsey has the support of a whole pro-choice community as well as an attorney who was willing to take on her case for free. However, she can still use all he encouragement she can get (as anyone in this situation could)....so feel free to post your messages of support here in the comments and I'll be more than happy to pass them along!
Thank you, Lindsey for providing excellent care to women in need, as well as your commitment to the cause. We're behind you 100%!
You see, Lindsey isn't your typical 30-something year old. Lindsey isn't your typical RN. Lindsey is employed by one of the world's most infamous late term abortion providers, Leroy Carhart. And as if that weren't enough, Lindsey only started working for Dr. Carhart after her former employer (Dr. George Tiller of Wichita) was murdered. Now that you know this, I bet it goes without saying that this girl faces her fair share of backlash from anti-choicers.
However, this time around, it would appear that the attack is coming from the inside. Lindsey started working with Dr. Carhart in the late summer of 2009 and was in the running to become the clinic's Director of Nursing. Within a few months, the clinic's current DON (who was supposed to be promoting to a higher position soon) was showing noticeable resentment towards Lindsey. This soon turned into an ultimatum for Dr. Carhart--he chose Lindsey.
Even though it's been a while since the former director of nursing left, it's only been recently that her backlash has started. And now Lindsey's nursing license is in jeopardy because of it. Of course this has less to do with Lindsey's ability as a nurse (which MANY previous co-workers will attest to...and trust me, I've heard rave reviews over work!), and more to do with a disgruntled former employee. The sad part of it is that anyone who is in this line of work understands that these workers have enough thrown at them on a daily basis, enough uphill battles to fight, and enough backlash from the pro-life side to wear on anyone...and yet, still, she chose to start this legal case.
Luckily, Lindsey has the support of a whole pro-choice community as well as an attorney who was willing to take on her case for free. However, she can still use all he encouragement she can get (as anyone in this situation could)....so feel free to post your messages of support here in the comments and I'll be more than happy to pass them along!
Thank you, Lindsey for providing excellent care to women in need, as well as your commitment to the cause. We're behind you 100%!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Jailhouse Journal of an OB/GYN
Every few months, I log onto Amazon in the hopes of digging up some new pro-choice jewel to read. It's not often that something new pops up (ironic, considering what a hot topic it is). But in late March, while I was on one of my searches, something new did pop up. Jailhouse Journal of an OB/GYN by Bruce S. Steir, M.D.
From my prior experiences, I immediately thought "Hm, a pro-choice book written by the doctor himself. Probably a little graphic". But still, onto my "wish list" it went. I tend to overload my wish list so my husband can see what I want when the holidays come around ;). I also got curious about the man himself, so of course, I turned to Google. What I found on Dr. Steir wasn't what I expected. After all, from the title of his book, I knew he had done jailtime. I expected to find some gruesome past. What I found was an unfortunate mishap that could have happened to anyone in his position (an unfortunate mishap combined with a serious miscarriage of justice).
Being the pain in the ass pro-choice blogger that I am, I decided to take a chance and reach out to Dr. Steir. MUCH to my surprise, Dr. Steir was willing to MAIL me a copy of his book. I wasn't sure what to think...had I contacted the right guy? I mean, really...it's not often that an author/doctor willingly offers to send you a copy of their book. But about a week later, there it was! Okay, I admit...I still have the package he sent it in (as close to an autographed copy I figured I'd get).
It took me a few weeks of reading in the pick-up line at my daughter's school, and staying up late after the kiddo's were asleep, but finally...I read it through.
This book is extraordianary. You will be completely immersed in it. You will meet Bruce as a child, Bruce as a teen, Bruce as a medical student, Bruce as a Naval Officer, and finally....Bruce as Dr. Steir: Warrior for Women. There was no gore to be read in this book. In fact, it focused mainly on his life leading up to his becoming an abortionist. And that was refreshing. It was refreshing to read of an abortion provider, AS A PERSON. And that's what he did here--he made sure that you knew him as a person, and not just by his profession...and certainly not just by his "crime" (I use that word LOOSELY).
So, in a nutshell, I would HIGHLY recommend his book. It's a good place to start for one who is just getting into the pro-choice movement, as you won't be thrown into the sometimes overwhelming politics of it, but you'll meet one of the providers behind this movement.
From my prior experiences, I immediately thought "Hm, a pro-choice book written by the doctor himself. Probably a little graphic". But still, onto my "wish list" it went. I tend to overload my wish list so my husband can see what I want when the holidays come around ;). I also got curious about the man himself, so of course, I turned to Google. What I found on Dr. Steir wasn't what I expected. After all, from the title of his book, I knew he had done jailtime. I expected to find some gruesome past. What I found was an unfortunate mishap that could have happened to anyone in his position (an unfortunate mishap combined with a serious miscarriage of justice).
Being the pain in the ass pro-choice blogger that I am, I decided to take a chance and reach out to Dr. Steir. MUCH to my surprise, Dr. Steir was willing to MAIL me a copy of his book. I wasn't sure what to think...had I contacted the right guy? I mean, really...it's not often that an author/doctor willingly offers to send you a copy of their book. But about a week later, there it was! Okay, I admit...I still have the package he sent it in (as close to an autographed copy I figured I'd get).
It took me a few weeks of reading in the pick-up line at my daughter's school, and staying up late after the kiddo's were asleep, but finally...I read it through.
This book is extraordianary. You will be completely immersed in it. You will meet Bruce as a child, Bruce as a teen, Bruce as a medical student, Bruce as a Naval Officer, and finally....Bruce as Dr. Steir: Warrior for Women. There was no gore to be read in this book. In fact, it focused mainly on his life leading up to his becoming an abortionist. And that was refreshing. It was refreshing to read of an abortion provider, AS A PERSON. And that's what he did here--he made sure that you knew him as a person, and not just by his profession...and certainly not just by his "crime" (I use that word LOOSELY).
So, in a nutshell, I would HIGHLY recommend his book. It's a good place to start for one who is just getting into the pro-choice movement, as you won't be thrown into the sometimes overwhelming politics of it, but you'll meet one of the providers behind this movement.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Sorry, guys!
So, it's been a minute so I've posted. Sorry about that! There have been so many new developments in the news regarding women's rights....I'm so behind! Let's go ahead and touch on the news about emergency contraception availability.
Dear Judge Edward Korman, WAY TO GO!!!! For those of you who are more behind than I am, EC (emergency contraception...morning after pill...Plan B) is now available over the counter without age and point-of-sale restrictions. This means that a girl of any age can now go into her local pharmacy and purchase the morning after pill without fearing that she'll have to jump through 52 hoops to get it. Of course, this also means that Republicans and pro-lifers are going bat shit crazy in an effort to stall or completely halt this decision from becoming practice. So far, Judge Korman has already called these attempts "frivolous" and I'm thinking that maybe (just maybe), this decision will stick!
North Dakota has passed a heartbeat bill. It will now be illegal to receive abortion services in the state of North Dakota if a fetal heartbeat is detected. In other words, most women are out of luck by say, 8 weeks. Some women won't have a chance to receive abortion services because they won't even know they're pregnant until after a heartbeat is detectable. North Dakota House, go home, you're drunk!
The case of Philadelphiaabortion provider butcher, Kermit Gosnell, has been handed over to the jury. They are deliberating over an amazing 260 counts, including five counts of murder. Pro-lifers are having a field day using him in their arguments. I refuse to consider this man a provider, a helper of women and families...it's a stretch for my mind to even associate the word, "doctor", with this man.
Meanwhile, on the personal side of things: Ever since my dad died, I've felt more determined than ever to "start my life", so to speak. This has left me making lots of lists. Things I want to do, things I want to accomplish, things I want to do within this movement, steps to do all of them...it goes on and on. This is somewhat ironic--I'm wanting to push my foot through the door of something that my dad did not support. Don't get me wrong, my dad supported me. He was my biggest fan, he loved my writing...but he didn't support abortion. He worried about me getting physically involved in the work. In the words of Lana Del Rey, it leaves me with a war on my mind. Am I really honoring my dad by living my life to the fullest and pushing hard for what I want, when what I want is something he didn't support? Well if you came to this blog because you're not up for deep thinking, you were just sorely disappointed. Ha. In the meantime, I can't even decide HOW I want to be involved in this industry. There are so many great ways to help and I don't even know where to start to get involved. (Cue input)
Dear Judge Edward Korman, WAY TO GO!!!! For those of you who are more behind than I am, EC (emergency contraception...morning after pill...Plan B) is now available over the counter without age and point-of-sale restrictions. This means that a girl of any age can now go into her local pharmacy and purchase the morning after pill without fearing that she'll have to jump through 52 hoops to get it. Of course, this also means that Republicans and pro-lifers are going bat shit crazy in an effort to stall or completely halt this decision from becoming practice. So far, Judge Korman has already called these attempts "frivolous" and I'm thinking that maybe (just maybe), this decision will stick!
North Dakota has passed a heartbeat bill. It will now be illegal to receive abortion services in the state of North Dakota if a fetal heartbeat is detected. In other words, most women are out of luck by say, 8 weeks. Some women won't have a chance to receive abortion services because they won't even know they're pregnant until after a heartbeat is detectable. North Dakota House, go home, you're drunk!
The case of Philadelphia
Meanwhile, on the personal side of things: Ever since my dad died, I've felt more determined than ever to "start my life", so to speak. This has left me making lots of lists. Things I want to do, things I want to accomplish, things I want to do within this movement, steps to do all of them...it goes on and on. This is somewhat ironic--I'm wanting to push my foot through the door of something that my dad did not support. Don't get me wrong, my dad supported me. He was my biggest fan, he loved my writing...but he didn't support abortion. He worried about me getting physically involved in the work. In the words of Lana Del Rey, it leaves me with a war on my mind. Am I really honoring my dad by living my life to the fullest and pushing hard for what I want, when what I want is something he didn't support? Well if you came to this blog because you're not up for deep thinking, you were just sorely disappointed. Ha. In the meantime, I can't even decide HOW I want to be involved in this industry. There are so many great ways to help and I don't even know where to start to get involved. (Cue input)
Friday, April 19, 2013
A Leftist Ghoul with a Mental Disorder....And a Challenge
I won't lie. I'm kind of flattered that someone would put so much thought into insulting me based on one comment. Of course, that could be the mental disorder talking.
Anyone remember that old saying, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? That may not be it exactly, but you get the idea (I'm really not good with "old sayings"). It really baffles me as to why this hasn't occurred to pro-lifers. Why not discuss your stance in a polite way? Would that be so hard? Are you so repulsed by my views that you have to immediately lay into me with name calling and belittling? Honestly, I've indulged in my fair share of bitching at the other side, but I usually reserve that for the people who are spewing blatant nonsense for the sake of shock factor. And really, there's just no reason for that. Why use bullshit when your argument is legitimate?
Because of these kinds of pro-lifers, I am almost ashamed to say that I use to be strongly pro-life. I am ashamed to say that I was pretty damn arrogant about it, too. But I honestly believe that my beliefs came from my upbringing and were based on emotion and nothing more. Once I sat down and spent months doing the research for myself, my views changed. It's still a hard topic for me sometimes, emotionally, but that makes it no less necessary of a service.
So, here's my challenge for you:
TALK TO A PRO-LIFER. Don't talk at them. Talk to them. Get their point of view, try to be understanding (of course this doesn't mean abandoning your own beliefs). And then share your's. Nicely. Here's the best part: If they start to get nasty, kill 'em with kindness. Why? Because they won't expect it. In fact, it'll throw them for a complete loop. We're not people, in the eyes of hardcore pro-lifers. We're murderers. Abortion loving evil people. Change that. Make them see you as a person and not a target.
After all, we won't get anywhere if we spend all our time belittling each other. The sooner BOTH sides realize this, the sooner we'll see some solutions.
Anyone remember that old saying, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"? That may not be it exactly, but you get the idea (I'm really not good with "old sayings"). It really baffles me as to why this hasn't occurred to pro-lifers. Why not discuss your stance in a polite way? Would that be so hard? Are you so repulsed by my views that you have to immediately lay into me with name calling and belittling? Honestly, I've indulged in my fair share of bitching at the other side, but I usually reserve that for the people who are spewing blatant nonsense for the sake of shock factor. And really, there's just no reason for that. Why use bullshit when your argument is legitimate?
Because of these kinds of pro-lifers, I am almost ashamed to say that I use to be strongly pro-life. I am ashamed to say that I was pretty damn arrogant about it, too. But I honestly believe that my beliefs came from my upbringing and were based on emotion and nothing more. Once I sat down and spent months doing the research for myself, my views changed. It's still a hard topic for me sometimes, emotionally, but that makes it no less necessary of a service.
So, here's my challenge for you:
TALK TO A PRO-LIFER. Don't talk at them. Talk to them. Get their point of view, try to be understanding (of course this doesn't mean abandoning your own beliefs). And then share your's. Nicely. Here's the best part: If they start to get nasty, kill 'em with kindness. Why? Because they won't expect it. In fact, it'll throw them for a complete loop. We're not people, in the eyes of hardcore pro-lifers. We're murderers. Abortion loving evil people. Change that. Make them see you as a person and not a target.
After all, we won't get anywhere if we spend all our time belittling each other. The sooner BOTH sides realize this, the sooner we'll see some solutions.
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