A grateful heart for warriors who work on choice

Carla Axtman

On this 40th Anniversary of Roe v Wade, I am especially thankful for the many people who work so hard for reproductive choice. The abortion issue has long been fraught with difficulty and pitfalls. It's no stretch to say that those who do this work are sometimes putting their own lives at risk.

It takes a special kind of bravery to take on this work. To know that most days you'll have to walk through a group of (sometimes vile) protesters just to get to your work space. But each day, you are the warriors for women relying on you to be there for them--fighting for their access to safe and legal abortions. These courageous souls were certainly there for me when I needed them.

In the places where abortions are safe and legal, there are fewer of them. And on top of that, many of these organizations also help provide wide access to birth control and family planning information, that mitigates unwanted pregnancies in the first place.

Thank you not just for your work, but for your service to all women and families. You're making the world a better place. Perhaps you already knew that. But I think it's worth saying.

By Carla Axtman Jan. 22, 2013