I have a series of stories…by 1993 I was volunteering for NARAL’s Abortion Access network, hosting visiting women in my home, or transporting them to a Seattle abortion clinic for their procedures.
One of my first clients was a indigenous Alaskan woman in her 30’s who was a clinic assistant at a small island clinic off of Alaska. She had an 11-year old daughter and could not afford another child, and had no long term relationship with the sex partner. She was so very grateful to me and to NARAL for the help that she received, even though she had to come such a long way to get it.
Another client, 6 years later, was a microcephalic black Canadian woman of 19 who was pregnant with her second child. Although her parents agreed to help her raise the first baby, they did not have energy to help with two. She was a delightful young woman with a caring mother, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to host her.
Two of my last guests were very young – 15 and 19. They were the victims of date rapes, one from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and one from a Seattle high school. I was inspired by their spunk and desire to move on from their assaults and continue their lives regardless of the drugging and the rape.
Working with women desperately in need of abortions is the most gratifying volunteer activity I have ever engaged in. Those who oppose abortion have no idea of the multiple reasons women have for searching out this vital service.
I give thanks to NARAL and Project CAIR for giving me that decades-long opportunity as a volunteer.
