Every year on March 10, we join fellow reproductive health, rights, and justice groups in celebrating National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day. This day is to honor and express our gratitude for doctors, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and all health center staff who provide abortions, care for patients, and work tirelessly against the stigma surrounding abortion.
March 10 became the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers in 1996. After Dr. David Gunn was murdered by a white supremacist, anti-abortion extremist on March 10, 1993, the day was created as a way to honor the life and work of Dr. Gunn and all of the invaluable people who provide abortion care.
Even though abortion is a basic health care service that is common, safe, and completely normal, 2021 was the most hostile legislative year ever when it comes to abortion access. State legislatures passed at least 90 laws restricting abortion access and nearly 600 anti-abortion laws were introduced in states this year, more than ever before.
Also in 2021, the Supreme Court took up several cases related to abortion access. One of the most consequential cases, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will be a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, as it is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. If the Supreme Court chooses to overturn Roe v. Wade, it will put millions of people at risk of losing access to reproductive health and rights.
All people should be trusted to make the reproductive health care decisions that are best for them — including abortion — on their timeline, and with the resources they need. At Planned Parenthood, we trust patients to make their own, fully informed sexual and reproductive health care decisions, including abortion. And patients rely on our providers to provide their expertise and help them make those private medical decisions, free from shame or stigma.
“We must protect everyone’s right to safe and legal abortion without interference,” said Dr. Antoinette Marengo, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. “At the end of the day, deciding what’s best for you should be a decision made by you in consultation with your medical provider.”
Abortion providers are passionate, caring, skilled professionals who believe in the health, well-being, and dignity of the patients they see every day. We thank our staff at Planned Parenthood, as well as other providers around the country, for their hard work, dedication, and the compassionate care they provide every day.
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