Thankful

I've been doing my research, like a good girl, and as is inevitably the case with the Internet, I got distracted. I've been reading articles, blogs, charts, summaries, you name it. And over and over again, one thought keeps popping into my head. 

I am *so* lucky. 

Don't get me wrong - I would hardly count myself lucky to get pregnant on a weekend fling with a friend of a friend. I would hardly count myself lucky to be the hapless victim of a prophylactic "wardrobe malfunction." But I did, and I am. 

I'm lucky to live in a century when abortion is safe.

I'm lucky to live in a country where abortion is legal.

I'm lucky to live in a state where abortion is readily available.

Millions of women around the world - women in our own country, even - don't have the options that I do. Millions of women give birth to unwanted babies, children they can't raise, who go on to perpetuate the cycle. Millions of women resort to illegal abortion out of fear and desperation. Many of them will die. Millions of women live in places where the services I have are unavailable. Many women don't have the health insurance that I do, or have health insurance that won't cover abortion services. 

I live in a blue state. The nearest abortion clinic is only a bus ride away. My insurance plan actually covers elective abortion* services. I have friends who will hold my hands. I will be okay. 

My life will not end on someone's kitchen table. My children will not be left motherless. My choices will not be decided by others. And I will do everything in my power to help keep abortion safe and legal in the U.S., so that some day, if one of my daughters is faced with a situation like this, she will have options available to her. 

*We're almost positive on this one - verification due Monday.