This #GivingTuesday, Iām proud to be fundraising for
@teachprogram , which fights for a future in which abortion is fully integrated into #FamilyMedicineānot siloed, stigmatized, or treated as an exceptionāin CA and nationwide. But my interest in abortion isnāt just professional: itās deeply personal.
It took it took me three decades to access a diagnosis for my genetic condition, #EhlersDanlosSyndrome (EDS). By that point, I was very sick with unmediated chronic pain, chronic fatigue, chronic nausea, chronic dizziness . . . chronic everything, it seemed. Flooded with new info about the conditionās lifelong complications (including pregnancy risks), I was trying to understand what this diagnosis meant for my body, my future, and my capacity to parent. As much as I wanted to be a mom, I knew that at least for that period, if I became pregnant, choosing abortion would be the most loving, responsible, and self-honoring decision I could make, both for myself and for any potential child.
Today, after several years of extensive specialty care and after some research advancements, Iām less afraid of what pregnancy will mean for me. I hope to one day become pregnant and work closely with my medical team, including my family medicine physician, to mitigate pregnancy risks. But thereās still a real possibility that I may need to end a pregnancy for my health and safety. Abortion access remains essential to my health, safety, bodily autonomy, and boundariesāyesterday, today, and in whatever future lies ahead.
Everyone capable of pregnancy deserves abortion accessāwithout barriers, stigma, or political interference. Thatās why Iām proud to serve on the Board of TEACH. Their impact this year alone has been enormous: passing legislation to protect #mifepristone access in CA, doubling our national impact by growing provider training programs, supporting clinics integrating abortion care, and training the next generation of reproductive health clinicians.
Amid so many attacks on abortion access, TEACH needs us more than ever. Iām committed to raising at least $500 by Dec 31. Will you join me?
Donate here: /provideTEACHresist/madelinemorcelle