Commemorating the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers

PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND OF NEW JERSEY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2019
Contact: Casey Olesko 973-775-2781 / [email protected]

Commemorating the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers

TRENTON, NJ — On the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, commemorated every year on March 10, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NJ thanks the abortion providers and staff who work every day to keep patients healthy and ensure that they have access to the full range of reproductive health care options, including safe and legal abortion. The National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers was started in memory of Dr. David Gunn, the first abortion provider killed in the United States, on March 10, 1993. In recent years, the day has become a way to counter the continued stigma that too many providers still face, and to bring attention to the extraordinary work that providers and staff do to ensure that all people can make their own decisions about their bodies and their pregnancies.

Statement from Triste Brooks, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NJ:

“Abortion providers are passionate, concerned, skilled people who believe in the health, well-being, and dignity of every patient. They trust and care for patients every day.

“Planned Parenthood is proud to provide safe, legal abortion and is committed to providing quality, compassionate health care and education to everyone, no matter what. The work of our caring and highly skilled health center staff makes this possible, and ensures that the communities we serve get the best care possible, every day.

“Nearly one in four women in America will have an abortion by the age of 45, and every individual's personal decision about their pregnancy should be respected and valued. No one can make that decision for someone else. Health care providers need to be able to give their patients the best health care and information possible in order to help individuals to make those personal decisions. Despite this, a new gag rule from the Trump-Pence administration interferes with the provider-patient relationship and violates core ethical standards in health care by forcing Title X providers to withhold health care information from patients.

 “In the face of these continued attacks on their work and their patients, and the significant barriers patients face when trying to access safe and legal abortion care in this country, we thank all abortion providers for the work they do to ensure that everyone – no matter who you are, where you live, how much money you make, or who provides your health insurance – can get the care they need and deserve.”