Thanks for broaching the subject of pain using abortion medication. Once again, knowledge is power. The more everyone understands how and why this stuff works, the happier and safer everyone is going to be. Why do women sometimes experience pain when using abortion medication? We can find out. Might we guess that the later that abortion medication is applied, the more likely there is to be pain?
"Defunding" Planned Parenthood is especially dangerous for low income folks. I remember getting all my health care from them in the early 80s. I was not long out of high school, had a typical shitty job with no health care option (very common), and got married very young. We got my hormonal birth control from PP. One day I went in for a refill, and they had temporarily lost funding (Republicans have been fighting them for a long time), and the price had tripled. We literally did not have the money. So I went without. Well, guess what? I got pregnant. I was young and married and dumb. So guess who had to get an abortion? I've never really told anyone this because my very Catholic stepmother (whom I love dearly) is still alive and doesn't know. (She's so Catholic that she had a baby in her 40s while using the "rhythm method" while married to my Dad). It's hard to believe that when I was born, 1965, Abortion was not legal, but became legal before I was old enough to need it. Now, it's looking like it could be illegal again in all 50 States before I die. How's that for living during a magical time? I've never regretted my abortion (we got divorced a few years later--basically, we were too young), and am forever grateful to Planned Parenthood for being there for me when I needed them.
Don’t let liars get away with lying. What Jessica says here is vital information for those who have been mislead.
“As you likely know, public funding is prohibited from covering abortion care—save for cases of rape, incest or when the pregnant person’s life is endangered. But Planned Parenthood does get reimbursed when Medicaid patients go to them for treatment like birth control, cancer screenings and check-ups. Just like any other healthcare provider. But because Planned Parenthood provides abortions at all, Republicans want to prevent them from being reimbursed.”
"But because Planned Parenthood provides abortions at all, Republicans want to prevent them from being reimbursed." If SCOTUS accepts this argument for stripping Planned Parenthood of medicaid reimbursement, what will happen to hospitals that perform medically necessary abortions as part of maternity care? Will their reimbursements be threatened as well?
They firmly insist that there is no such thing as a medically necessary abortion. I suspect it depends on whether they can get the courts to accept that as a finding of fact. I hope not, but the lesson of the past nine years is that there are powerful forces trying to eradicate the idea that there are any objective truths, and replace them with whatever they feel like believing :(
I am of the opinion that these anti-abortion people are men who hate women and envy the ability to bear and birth children something they cannot do and all the money in the world cannot buy for them, so they are trying to turn being pregnant and having children into a horrid punishment for women, so that they as men can feel superior. Women who support them are questionably self loathing. It is sickening. These people are without a moral compass and we knew Kennedy was going to preside over the newly created Department of Life, because no one gives a damn about health care and healthiness any more. Kennedy is also lacking a moral compass, and belongs to the kooks and crazies in DTs stable.
Thanks Jessica, once again super informative as always. Agree especially with your assessment with physician training. The best care in a hospital occurs when you have youthful energy, the mid-career people, the grey haired, etc. This includes all ranks, physicians, NPs, PAs, pharmacists, midwifes, etc etc. Everyone brings something to the table in a field as complex as medicine. It is not sufficient for a resident, student nurse etc etc to get pushed through a program.
The paper in the U.K. who did the ‘abortion pain’ story have a clear anti-abortion agenda. The anti-abortion movement in the U.K. are very emboldened right now. Lord Moylan is currently trying to push his second anti-abortion bill through the House of Lords. His first one was a ‘foetal sentience’ bill and the latest is an ‘abortion complications’ one to exceptionalise abortion to let them frame it as dangerous
Honestly, I feel it IS time to take it to the streets! Why are women becoming ENSLAVED to religious conservative’s points of view?!?!?!?! We need to FIGHT for our FREEDOMS!!!!!!!
I believe a woman’s march is being planned for Jan 18. Keep an eye out for information in your area.
Also, call the White House or email the President to tell him to publish the ERA. He’s been sitting on it for two years. (Another solitary, Catholic old man blocking our rights.)
Thank you for the discussion about abortion meds. I was given Zofran when I had to take mifepristone to start the abortion process before my D&E and it saved me - mifepristone had me puking every hour. It might have just been me - I also had terrible morning sickness and am hugely sensitive to medication - but I think about that experience and how scary it would be to order the pills and not have access to Zofran or a doctor to let you know what’s going on. I am so glad we’re able to get pills to women in red states and that the pills have been a lifesaver for so many women - but it makes me livid that we can’t just live in a world where women can receive comprehensive care in these situations.
I was a patient at PP for basic care for years when I was in college and had no health insurance. They were an absolute life-line for me. When I started my career, I donated monthly to them for 10 years to say thank you. This by far is one of the saddest newsletters I’ve read.
For many years earlier in my career I couldn’t afford health insurance so got basic care at Planned Parenthood. They picked up an ominous rise in high blood pressure. I am grateful to them as I was able to dodge the worst of long term damage to my body by going on medication.
Men are increasingly pushing women to 4B with bad behavior, regardless of what's happening with reproductive health care. It won't stop sexual assault but it seems to be the safest choice. That's why I worry that conservatives will target women's economic independence even more aggressively. Anything to force women to have male partners when they don't want them. Apparently all other options are preferable to men improving their behavior :(
I 100% agree with you that we are at a point where things will have to get much worse before it gets any better. It’s a long way down and will be an even longer way back up again. We need to remain present in this for the long haul and use our energy accordingly. I’m calling it, fuck around and find out times!
Those in authority care soooo much about the well being of pregnant, laboring women; not.
Here's a report from Louisville Public Radio on what a pregnant woman went through while in active labor:
https://www.lpm.org/news/2024-12-19/pregnant-kentucky-woman-cited-for-street-camping-while-in-labor
Thanks for broaching the subject of pain using abortion medication. Once again, knowledge is power. The more everyone understands how and why this stuff works, the happier and safer everyone is going to be. Why do women sometimes experience pain when using abortion medication? We can find out. Might we guess that the later that abortion medication is applied, the more likely there is to be pain?
"Defunding" Planned Parenthood is especially dangerous for low income folks. I remember getting all my health care from them in the early 80s. I was not long out of high school, had a typical shitty job with no health care option (very common), and got married very young. We got my hormonal birth control from PP. One day I went in for a refill, and they had temporarily lost funding (Republicans have been fighting them for a long time), and the price had tripled. We literally did not have the money. So I went without. Well, guess what? I got pregnant. I was young and married and dumb. So guess who had to get an abortion? I've never really told anyone this because my very Catholic stepmother (whom I love dearly) is still alive and doesn't know. (She's so Catholic that she had a baby in her 40s while using the "rhythm method" while married to my Dad). It's hard to believe that when I was born, 1965, Abortion was not legal, but became legal before I was old enough to need it. Now, it's looking like it could be illegal again in all 50 States before I die. How's that for living during a magical time? I've never regretted my abortion (we got divorced a few years later--basically, we were too young), and am forever grateful to Planned Parenthood for being there for me when I needed them.
Don’t let liars get away with lying. What Jessica says here is vital information for those who have been mislead.
“As you likely know, public funding is prohibited from covering abortion care—save for cases of rape, incest or when the pregnant person’s life is endangered. But Planned Parenthood does get reimbursed when Medicaid patients go to them for treatment like birth control, cancer screenings and check-ups. Just like any other healthcare provider. But because Planned Parenthood provides abortions at all, Republicans want to prevent them from being reimbursed.”
Youngkin is a total hypocrite, given that he just announced an initiative to improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality in Virginia.
"But because Planned Parenthood provides abortions at all, Republicans want to prevent them from being reimbursed." If SCOTUS accepts this argument for stripping Planned Parenthood of medicaid reimbursement, what will happen to hospitals that perform medically necessary abortions as part of maternity care? Will their reimbursements be threatened as well?
They firmly insist that there is no such thing as a medically necessary abortion. I suspect it depends on whether they can get the courts to accept that as a finding of fact. I hope not, but the lesson of the past nine years is that there are powerful forces trying to eradicate the idea that there are any objective truths, and replace them with whatever they feel like believing :(
As in, law schools are equivalent to medical school in the USA. Perhaps doctors can also practice law.
I am of the opinion that these anti-abortion people are men who hate women and envy the ability to bear and birth children something they cannot do and all the money in the world cannot buy for them, so they are trying to turn being pregnant and having children into a horrid punishment for women, so that they as men can feel superior. Women who support them are questionably self loathing. It is sickening. These people are without a moral compass and we knew Kennedy was going to preside over the newly created Department of Life, because no one gives a damn about health care and healthiness any more. Kennedy is also lacking a moral compass, and belongs to the kooks and crazies in DTs stable.
Thanks Jessica, once again super informative as always. Agree especially with your assessment with physician training. The best care in a hospital occurs when you have youthful energy, the mid-career people, the grey haired, etc. This includes all ranks, physicians, NPs, PAs, pharmacists, midwifes, etc etc. Everyone brings something to the table in a field as complex as medicine. It is not sufficient for a resident, student nurse etc etc to get pushed through a program.
The paper in the U.K. who did the ‘abortion pain’ story have a clear anti-abortion agenda. The anti-abortion movement in the U.K. are very emboldened right now. Lord Moylan is currently trying to push his second anti-abortion bill through the House of Lords. His first one was a ‘foetal sentience’ bill and the latest is an ‘abortion complications’ one to exceptionalise abortion to let them frame it as dangerous
Honestly, I feel it IS time to take it to the streets! Why are women becoming ENSLAVED to religious conservative’s points of view?!?!?!?! We need to FIGHT for our FREEDOMS!!!!!!!
I believe a woman’s march is being planned for Jan 18. Keep an eye out for information in your area.
Also, call the White House or email the President to tell him to publish the ERA. He’s been sitting on it for two years. (Another solitary, Catholic old man blocking our rights.)
Email: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/share/
Phone: 202-456-1111 (Tuesday through Thursdayonly)
Thank you for the discussion about abortion meds. I was given Zofran when I had to take mifepristone to start the abortion process before my D&E and it saved me - mifepristone had me puking every hour. It might have just been me - I also had terrible morning sickness and am hugely sensitive to medication - but I think about that experience and how scary it would be to order the pills and not have access to Zofran or a doctor to let you know what’s going on. I am so glad we’re able to get pills to women in red states and that the pills have been a lifesaver for so many women - but it makes me livid that we can’t just live in a world where women can receive comprehensive care in these situations.
I am so beyond fed up with all of this. BEYOND. What do we do?!?!? Aside from take to the streets… or are we there??
I feel the same way. So angry and frustrated.
I was a patient at PP for basic care for years when I was in college and had no health insurance. They were an absolute life-line for me. When I started my career, I donated monthly to them for 10 years to say thank you. This by far is one of the saddest newsletters I’ve read.
Same here.
For many years earlier in my career I couldn’t afford health insurance so got basic care at Planned Parenthood. They picked up an ominous rise in high blood pressure. I am grateful to them as I was able to dodge the worst of long term damage to my body by going on medication.
Same here. My older sister took me to PP for basic care when we didnt have insurance.
For the uninitiated, 4B is a movement originating in Korea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4B_movement
"The four core tenets to the 4B movement are:
no sex with men (Korean: 비섹스; RR: bisekseu),
no giving birth (비출산; bichulsan),
no dating men (비연애; biyeonae), and
no marriage with men (비혼; bihon)."
Men are increasingly pushing women to 4B with bad behavior, regardless of what's happening with reproductive health care. It won't stop sexual assault but it seems to be the safest choice. That's why I worry that conservatives will target women's economic independence even more aggressively. Anything to force women to have male partners when they don't want them. Apparently all other options are preferable to men improving their behavior :(
I 100% agree with you that we are at a point where things will have to get much worse before it gets any better. It’s a long way down and will be an even longer way back up again. We need to remain present in this for the long haul and use our energy accordingly. I’m calling it, fuck around and find out times!