Sarah found out she was pregnant when she was a college student in southern Alabama.

Because of the state's intentionally burdensome 48-hour waiting period, Sarah chose to schedule her abortion the very next day in Pensacola, Florida — an hour and a half drive away.

In the waiting room the next morning, Sarah was moved by how many others were seeking abortions. The room was filled with people making their own personal health care decisions, people who were thankfully able to access abortion, and people who were taking control of their bodies and their futures. People like Sarah.

When we don't talk about our abortions, we omit the entirety of our experience — our fellow waiting room patients, our doctors, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and health center staff who work every day to provide access to safe abortion services.

Tomorrow is National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, a day to celebrate the work and compassion of those who serve in the name of medicine, science, and personal freedom by providing abortions to patients who seek them. Will you sign our card thanking abortion providers for the compassionate care they provide their patients every day?

Because of abortion providers, countless patients, like Sarah, are able to pursue the lives they want to live. Because of abortion providers, many people can receive abortions no matter who they are, or what they can afford.

Thanks to abortion providers who made her experience comfortable and safe, Sarah became an abortion advocate in her own community of Mobile, Alabama.

She worked with her local Planned Parenthood to ensure all abortion patients at the Mobile health center were given information about an after-abortion hotline number, a resource that she used herself to talk through feelings she was having about attacks on abortion access and providers. Sarah said, "At the time, that was the one thing I felt I had done that had the most tangible impact for people like me. And all it took was me sharing my honest experience."

This week and every week, we're celebrating abortion providers who are there for their patients, no matter what. Will you sign our card?

If you have a message of gratitude or would like to share your own abortion experience, we'd love to hear from you. From Alabama to Montana and everywhere in between, we need your voice, your support, and your stamina to protect and expand abortion access for all.

Thanks for your support, always.

Planned Parenthood