In recent years, I steadfastly have avoided talking about politics on this blog or any social media platform. However, anyone who bothers to read my bio or resume will see that my first step into health care communications was at Planned Parenthood. It should be pretty obvious how I feel about reproductive rights.

Tonight, I am in a random hotel room enjoying The Rachel Maddow Show. Tonight, she had a segment that showed footage from the 1994 clinic shootings in Brookline MA. It honestly had been a long time since I thought about those days of fear and terror. The month before those shootings, I had left my job at Planned Parenthood in Fresno CA to move to the Bay Area. I remember watching the news as it unfolded in MA, being sad, but not surprised.

The years leading up to those shooting were tense. Violent rhetoric was the norm. Every person working in reproductive health clinics knew the risks, but showed up each day to ensure women got the care and service they deserve.

So, tonight, on this 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade, I send my thanks and gratitude to the women and men who have literally risked their lives to protect the right to choose.