DAY ONE: The first leg of my road trip to spread joy to abortion providers was fueled by black licorice and an absurdist blend of punk and yacht rock essentials. After one night at a “dog-friendly economy” hotel where the only artwork on the wall was an iron, we rolled into Toledo at 1pm ready for action…
Toledo is special because it’s the home base of AAF’s programs director, Kristin Hady, who’s also a clinic escort at the Toledo Women’s Center. Kristin arranged for us to make after-care bags for patients while Mr. Funk became pupscort mascot and #1 abortion cheerleader. I helped the OH crew assemble packs with items that make it easier for someone after an abortion… like pads, ibuprofen for cramps, and herbal tea or ginger candy for nausea. And to let these folks know that they’re supported in their decision, we include a note of encouragement and some self-care goodies. After the bags were assembled we took staff and volunteers to lunch!
Since the overturn of Roe, many of us urgently want to help folks who struggle to find abortion care in this dangerous new national landscape. However… because there are so many very real, very scary risks to abortion seekers, volunteering to drive or escort patients requires intense training and time commitment, something that not all of us can realistically do.
But one thing AAF has been able to help with is setting up volunteer groups to create after-care bags that are distributed to patients for free.
Look, Real talk. EVERYTHING is more difficult for abortion providers. And that includes managing volunteers, ESPECIALLY when you have to be extra careful about vetting people to protect staff and patients from crazy anti creepers. AAF tries to alleviate some of this burden by creating easy ways for people to directly support clinics and patients in meaningful ways—with the skills and resources they have at hand.
