I am a life-long Virginian and am proud to claim that identity. Going to a college where most of the student body grew up in the north, I found myself constantly saying, “No, Virginia is not backwards. Yes, it is in the South—kind of. And no, Virginia is not a hotbed of ignorant people or politics.” Since politicians in Richmond have attempted to strip Virginian women of their right to safe and accessible reproductive healthcare, I am worried my northern friends will prove me wrong. 

For the past year I have worked as a health educator at Falls Church Healthcare Center. Through my position at FCHC I have learned the practical ins and outs of quality abortion care: what an abortion consists of, how to assist a doctor or nurse with a sonogram, how to organize a patient’s chart, how to remove an IV, and generally how a medical office operates. Though these are valuable lessons, it is our patients who have informed my passion for my job. While I learn something different from each patient I meet, their stories and experiences intersect to continually teach me one thing: the abortion debate is about women. This debate transcends discussion of unborn babies, genocide, potential life, or unnecessary regulations for healthcare facilities. It is about dignity, respect, and the basic human right to control our lives. This debate is about women. 

It is about single moms living on welfare while singlehandedly raising families. It is about not going back to a time of back-alley procedures or the end of a dirty coat hanger. It is about the option for a woman to have a child when and if it is best for her. It is about being a person and not a tool for reproduction. It is about hearing the voices of young women silenced in our society. It is about trusting women to do what is right for them, their families and communities. It is about women. 

To frame this argument any other way, as politicians in Richmond are attempting to do, is an injustice to the experiences of the women at the center of this debate. In the midst of political banter women's fears, hopes, futures, thoughts, concerns and tears are ignored. Politicians and anti-choice activists forget this is a legal medical procedure done—or not done—to someone’s body. They forget women deserve respect. They forget the reality of choice. 

Our society has come to politicize women’s health and ultimately their bodies. The bodies of Virginia women are not political tools. Our experiences are not those of the politicians working to restrict our rights. Our voices and those of our friends, mothers, partners, sisters and neighbors must be heard. Women are the reality of this debate, not empty political jargon or hateful, uninformed rhetoric. We must remember when we get caught up in politics that the abortion debate in Virginia and across the country is and always will be about women. I am thankful and honored that the strong and good women I work with have taught me this lesson. 

Sincerely,

Emily Creveling