(Edited to add linky-links and to correct some info as pointed out in the comments.)
- being lucky enough to live in a country, state, and large-enough city where I had access to a safe and legal abortion.
- the support of my family and friends when I "came out" to them; I wish I'd done it when it happened instead of waiting 5 years to find out they didn't judge me and they loved me anyway.
- being lucky enough to be employed, with an employer who offered health insurance, so I could afford birth control for the majority of my fertile life (so far).
- the Internet, specifically blogs and Twitter, where I have found so many like minds who encourage and inspire me to keep fighting for what's right.
- growing up on Chile, where I received comprehensive sex ed in school (along with religion class -- though I can't say I'm thankful for that instruction; I just wanted to mention the unusual spectrum) since I was in middle school. *EDIT* I'm thankful my parents could afford to send me to a private school which provided comprehensive sed ex (along with Catholic religion classes).
- Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, NNAF, and all the other organizations who fight to offer reproductive choices and health care to low-income cis women. (I haven't done any research yet to know how/if these orgs offer those same services to trans men, or if they also offer basic health care to trans women, which is why I qualified the statement. Any info on the matter would be most welcome.)
- all the people who choose to bring children into the world because they want to love them and care for them.
- all the people who choose to remain child-free, for whatever reason.
- all the people who choose to bring a child into their home when the biological parent was not able to care for them.
- Roe v. Wade, all 37 years of it. I'm thankful I've lived in a society that respects me enough to grant me control of my own body, even if I have to fight each day to keep that right.
CHEERS! I am extremely thankful that I have never had to even face that decision. That I have always had birth control be readily available and relatively cheap when I needed it (and that then when I didn't, my body worked properly enough to be able to conceive without much trouble).
ReplyDeleteOne thing, though, not sure the sex ed you got (I remember getting some, too, way back in like 4th or 5th grade even) might be more due to the specific (private) school we went to. I don't know much about Santiago's public school system, but I don't think it was very good and have no idea what kind of sex ed they might've had or been allowed to teach. So for that one I'd say thanks that we were part of a well-off-enough family to be able to attend a privileged school that taught that varied curriculum.