#Health Insurance Colorado

[anotherpapercut]

my toxic trait is I keep spending money even tho i JUST lost my full time job bc I just think "whatever I'll get another"

[nateconnolly]

[Image ID:

A picture that says “A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization? The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon. 

Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.”

The second picture is a news headline. It is bolded and a much larger font. “27-year-old who couldn’t afford $1,200 insulin copay dies after trying cheaper version.”

The third picture is the same font and size as the Margaret Mead quote. It’s a continuation. It says, “A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend.” 

The fourth picture is another headline. It is in a large and bolded type. “Dying man who couldn’t afford to go to hospital after vomiting blood"

The fifth picture is a screenshot of the Margaret Mead story.

Mead explained that where the law of the jungle—the survival of the fittest—rules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur. 

The next screenshot is of a slightly different font. The letters are pointier and the lines are a little curvier. It says, “Susan Finley returned to her job at a Walmart retail store in Grand Junction Colorado, after having to call in sick because she was recovering from pneumonia.

The day after she returned, the fifty three  year old received her ten year associate award — and was simultaneously laid off, according to her family. She had taken off one day beyond what is permitted by Walmart’s attendance policy.

After losing her job in May 2016, Finley also lost her health insurance coverage and struggled to find a new job. Three months later, Finley was found dead in her apartment after avoiding going to see a doctor for flu-like symptoms. 

A screenshot of a bold, bigger headline. It says ‘The house always wins’: Insurers’ record profits.

A final screenshot of smaller text with a slightly gray background. It says “We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized.” /end ID.] 

[volkinsurancebenefitsco]

Why Hire a Colorado Insurance Broker in Loveland and Fort Collins, CO?

Buying insurance becomes essential as one accumulates assets. While one's health and the finances of the dependents need to be secured against all odds, a US citizen often finds it beneficial to buy the right insurance coverage to protect the home, automobile, and business. Sure, not much can be concealed from the public today, making it possible for all individuals to go insurance shopping online. Trying to decide on a layperson and being advised by a Colorado insurance broker in Loveland and Fort Collins, CO, can make a lot of difference.

It is advisable to know about such a broker's skills before roping in the professional. It suffices to know that the broker acts as a go-between for the person hoping to buy insurance and the insurer. The brokers can advise the buyer about the best policies available for the person. While a broker will save their client money and time, the buyer has to pay a small fee for the services.

Importance of using a broker

While it is not mandatory to use the services of a broker, it can enable an individual to get the best deal by connecting with a seasoned one. One is justified in buying a single policy from the marketplace, but people who need multiple policies simultaneously or possess multiple assets of varied value may find the services of a broker imperative. Individuals most likely to use a broker for purchasing insurance policies usually include the following:-

· Those who own multiple properties and/or vehicles

· Business owners in need of financial protection to cover all possible risks

· Those who are eager to compare and contrast several policies from varied insurers but do not have the time to spare

· Those who want a skilled person looking after the insurance buyers' needs instead of looking out for the insurance company

The individual hoping to be covered by a food insurance policy should check the credentials of the insurance broker before using their services. Some of the best ways to find the right broker include hiring an individual with the following qualities:-

· Extensive knowledge of various types of insurance policies

· Easy to contact and open to long discussions, thus resulting in clarification of all doubts

· Can help in identifying companies that offer discounts, thereby saving money for the client

· Customization of insurance plans that are suited to the client's needs

· Is abreast of small business challenges and can find ways & means to overcome such risks without overshooting the client's budget

· Can provide inputs about seasonal or specialized coverage

Last but not least, the broker must be engaging and have a friendly demeanor to connect with the clients effectively

While group insurance plans cover many US citizens, small business employees or the unemployed need to purchase individual health insurance in Fort Collins and Greeley, CO, that provides the right coverage, thus helping them obtain peace of mind.

[kenz1frenz1]

Am I going to apply for my company's competitor because they give PTO and paid holidays? Yes. Is their office in London? Also yes. Will I be asking about visa sponsorship?

A.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y

[amaditalks]

Abortion Is On The Ballot

In ten states, there are ballot measures or questions which will be decided in the November election which will impact the future of abortion access in those states. Here’s what you need to know.

Arizona

Arizona Proposition 139 the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to provide for the fundamental right to abortion that the state of Arizona may not interfere with before the point of fetal viability unless justified by a compelling state interest.

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

Colorado

Colorado Amendment 79, the Right to Abortion and Health Insurance Coverage Initiative will amend the state constitution to create the right to an abortion and authorize the use of public funds (Medicaid) to pay for abortion care.

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

Florida

Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative, will amend the state constitution to declare that "no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” The current constitutional provision requiring parental consent for minors' abortions will not be affected.

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution and overturn the current six week abortion ban Vote Yes

Maryland

Maryland Question 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment, will amend the state constitution to establish a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include "the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one's own pregnancy."

To enshrine reproductive rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

Missouri

Missouri Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative will amend the state constitution to provide the right for reproductive freedom, which is defined as "the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions," and providing that the state legislature may enact laws that regulate abortion after fetal viability.

To enshrine broad reproductive rights protection including abortion in the state constitution and overturn the current complete abortion ban Vote Yes

Montana

Montana CI-128, the Right to Abortion Initiative will create a constitutional "right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion," and allow the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except when "medically indicated to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."

To enshrine broad reproductive rights protection including abortion in the state constitution Vote Yes

Nebraska

The Nebraska Prohibit Abortions After the First Trimester Amendment will amend the state constitution to elevate the current twelve week abortion ban law to a constitutional provision with limited exceptions for medical emergencies or in cases of rape.

To prevent the current legislative abortion ban from being enshrined in the state constitution Vote No

Nevada

Nevada Question 6, the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to create a constitutional right to an abortion, providing for the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except where medically indicated to "protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

New York

New York Proposal 1, the Equal Protection of Law Amendment will amend the state constitution to provide that people cannot be denied rights based on their "ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability" or "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy."

To enshrine equal rights protection for pregnant people and abortion patients in the state constitution Vote Yes

South Dakota

The South Dakota Constitutional Amendment G, the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to protect the right to an abortion based on a trimester framework, with no restrictions permitted in the first trimester, only limited medical need restrictions permitted in the second trimester and allowing deeper restrictions in the third trimester except "when abortion is necessary, in the medical judgment of the woman's physician, to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman."

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution and overturn the state's current full abortion ban Vote Yes

If you live in one of these ten states and abortion rights matter to you, get registered or double check your registration and make your voting plan today. Every single vote matters significantly in amendment questions.

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #32

August 30-September 6 2024.

President Biden announced $7.3 billion in clean energy investment for rural communities. This marks the largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal. The money will go to 16 rural electric cooperatives across 23 states Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Together they will be able to generate 10 gigawatts of clean energy, enough to power 5 million households about 20% of America's rural population. This clean energy will reduce greenhouse emissions by 43.7 million tons a year, equivalent to removing more than 10 million cars off the road every year.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced a historic 10th offshore wind project. The latest project approved for the Atlantic coast of Maryland will generate 2,200 megawatts of clean, reliable renewable energy to power 770,000 homes. All together the 10 offshore wind projects approved by the Biden-Harris Administration will generation 15 gigawatts, enough to power 5.25 million homes. This is half way to the Administration's goal of 30 gigawatts of clean offshore wind power by 2030.

President Biden signed an Executive Order aimed at supporting and expanding unions. Called the "Good Jobs EO" the order will direct all federal agencies to take steps to recognize unions, to not interfere with the formation of unions and reach labor agreements on federally supported projects. It also directs agencies to prioritize equal pay and pay transparency, support projects that offer workers benefits like child care, health insurance, paid leave, and retirement benefits. It will also push workforce development and workplace safety.

The Department of Transportation announced $1 billion to make local roads safer. The money will go to 354 local communities across America to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and serious injuries. This is part of the National Roadway Safety Strategy launched in 2022, since then traffic fatalities have decreased for 9 straight quarters. Since 2022 the program has supported projects in 1,400 communities effecting 75% of all Americans.

The Department of Energy announced $430 million to support America's aging hydropower. Hydropower currently accounts for nearly 27% of renewable electricity generation in the United States. However many of our dams were built during the New Deal for a national average of 79 years old. The money will go to 293 projects across 33 states. These updates will improve energy generation, workplace safety, and have a positive environmental impact on local fish and wildlife.

The EPA announced $300 million to help support tribal nations, and US territories cut climate pollution and boost green energy. The money will support projects by 33 tribes, and the Island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. EPA Administer Michael S. Regan announced the funds along side Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in Arizona to highlight one of the projects. A project that will bring electricity for the first time to 900 homes on the Hopi Reservation.

The Biden-Harris Administration is investing $179 million in literacy. This investment in the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant is the largest in history. Studies have shown that the 3rd grade is a key moment in a students literacy development, the CLSD is designed to help support states research, develop, and implement evidence-based literacy interventions to help students achieve key literacy milestones.

The US government secured the release of 135 political prisoners from Nicaragua. Nicaragua's dictator President Daniel Ortega has jailed large numbers of citizens since protests against his rule broke out in 2018. In February 2023 the US secured the release of over 200 political prisoners. Human rights orgs have documented torture and sexual abuse in Ortega's prisons.

The Justice Department announced the disruption of a major effort by Russia to interfere with the 2024 US Elections. Russian propaganda network, RT, deployed $10 million to Tenet Media to help spread Russian propaganda and help sway the election in favor of Trump and the Republicans as well as disrupting American society. Tenet Media employs many well known conservative on-line personalities such as Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Lauren Southern, Dave Rubin, Tayler Hansen and Matt Christiansen.

Vice-President Harris outlined her plan for Small Businesses at a campaign stop in New Hampshire. Harris wants to expand from $5,000 to $50,000 tax incentives for startup expenses. This would help start 25 million new small business over four years.

[thatdisasterauthor]

Top Surgery Fundraiser

Hello! I'm Katy L. Wood, an author and artist with a dayjob in wildland fire dispatch, and I need help funding my top surgery/breast reduction.

I made the decision to finally pursue surgery for the issue about two years ago, but have had to put it off due to moving across the state and going back to college, but now that I'm a little more settled it's time to just get this done. I am getting a reduction in general for all of the aforementioned reasons, but I have chosen to go completely flat for gender related reasons. I am not trans, but I am certainly not cis either and having any sort of noticeable breasts just does not align with how I want to present.

I have found a great surgeon here in Colorado, but he is a little more on the expensive side. The total quote for my surgery (including all follow up appointments, anesthesia, post-surgery garments, and the surgery itself) is just under $15,000. I pursued several different options, but every other surgeon I talked to required a year of therapy to get an official diagnosis of gender dysphoria (and so did all insurance covered options), and I am not willing to do that. I am not dysphoric, I honestly could live with my chest as it is from a gender perspective, it's just the functionality of it and the amount of pain it causes that is making me finally pull the trigger to get this done. The only gender related part is how much I want taken away because if I'm doing it, I may as well do it right.

Additionally, if my quote for surgery was, say, $10,000, but I had to have a year of therapy on top of that, plus pay health insurance premiums for a whole year to get that therapy, it'd probably come out to about the same cost if not MORE expensive. I figure it's quicker, easier, and cheaper to just get it done all in one go and not waste my time (or the time of a therapist with clients that actually need their services).

I have been working a TON of overtime this summer to try and save up as much as I can towards this surgery (150ish hours last month, and about 45 so far this month), but that won't get me all the way. I'm trying to get about $17000 total saved up to cover not only the surgery but post-surgery meds, transportation to and from the surgery, and some other general post-surgery comforts like a lot of easy-make food, food deliveries, pet sitting while I'm gone, etc.. Time off work thankfully shouldn't be an issue.

[stevetoday]

Pro-Choice - Abortion Measures on The Ballot

Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative A Yes vote with 60% will Establish a constitutional right to abortion until viability, with exceptions for later pregnancies. Arizona Proposition 139, Right to Abortion Initiative (2024) A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to provide for the fundamental right to abortion, among other provisions.

Colorado Amendment 79, Right to Abortion and Health Insurance Coverage Initiative A  "yes" vote supports creating a right to abortion in the state constitution and allowing the use of public funds for abortion. Maryland Question 1, Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment A "yes" vote supports adding a new article to the Maryland Constitution's Declaration of Rights establishing a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include "the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one's own pregnancy."

Missouri Amendment 3, Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative A "yes" vote supports adding a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion and “all matters relating to reproductive health care,” to the Missouri Constitution, among other provisions. Montana CI-128, Right to Abortion Initiative

provide a state constitutional "right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion," and

allow the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except when "medically indicated to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."

Nebraska Initiative 434, Prohibit Abortions After the First Trimester Amendment A "no" vote opposes amending the state constitution to prohibit abortions after the first trimester unless necessitated by a medical emergency or the pregnancy is a result of sexual assault or incest.

Nebraska Initiative 439, Right to Abortion Initiative A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to establish a right to abortion until fetal viability. Nevada Question 6, Right to Abortion Initiative A "yes" vote supports providing for a state constitutional right to an abortion, providing for the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except where medically indicated to "protect the life or health of the pregnant patient." New York Proposal 1, Equal Protection of Law Amendment A "yes" vote supports adding language to the New York Bill of Rights to provide that people cannot be denied rights based on their "ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability" or "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy."

South Dakota Constitutional Amendment G, Right to Abortion Initiative A "yes" vote supports providing for a state constitutional right to abortion in South Dakota, using a trimester framework for regulation:

During the first trimester, the state would be prohibited from regulating a woman's decision to have an abortion;

During the second trimester, the state may regulate abortion, but "only in ways that are reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman;" and

During the third trimester, the state may regulate or prohibit abortion, except "when abortion is necessary, in the medical judgment of the woman's physician, to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman."

[shadowmaat]

Most relevant bit:

The puppy was part of a litter of 12 at a July 20 event hosted by the Moms and Mutts Colorado Rescue for Pregnant and Nursing Dogs, also known as MAMCO. The event took place at the rescue's shelter at 2721 W. Oxford Ave. in Sheriden. The address is also sometimes listed in Englewood. The puppy, along with its littermates, came from Texas and was unvaccinated for rabies at the time of exposure. At the event, the puppy's litter was known as the "July Shepherd Mix" litter and may also have been referred to as the "Celebrity Kids" litter.

Rabies is bad, kids. Like, 100% fatal, bad. The pup had to be euthanized for testing and it's likely all its littermates will be, too. The article said they're trying to track down 17 people known to be in close contact with the infected pup, but anyone who was at the event needs to be wary. Rabies can be passed via saliva, so if the puppy licked you or your dog, there's a danger.

People who attended the event should call the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for screening.

They can call the agency's hotline at 303-692-2700 during business hours or 303-692-9395 after hours or on weekends or holidays. Or they can email cdphe_zoonoses@state.co.us CDPHE staff will determine whether attendees need post-exposure treatment.

It's also worth noting that post-exposure treatment only works before symptoms show up. Once you or your pet start displaying symptoms, it's too late. Again: rabies is 100% fatal.

The article doesn't mention how the pup contracted rabies in the first place and it doesn't mention how old the pup was, but a bit of quick research shows that the vax schedule for rabies isn't until 14 weeks, so if the puppy was younger than that (and this was a "nursing dogs" event) it's possible it was just too young to have been vaxxed. There may be more nuance to it than that and there's a lot of details that aren't mentioned, but I don't think this is a case of "ugh, Texas" or anything like that. Shelters, at least, take health & safety seriously. Any employee spouting off about animals not needing vaccines is going to get kicked to the curb.

I really hope that the CDPHE has a system in place to cover the cost of the post-exposure treatment since it can cost anywhere from $1200 to $6500 without insurance and that's going to be impossible for a lot of people, even if the alternative is a slow and painful death.

What a mess. I hope everyone (and their animals) comes through this safe and healthy.

[luckydiorxoxo]

––If you vote in one of these ten states, abortion rights are on your ballot!

NEW YORK *flip your ballot* and vote YES on Prop 1, Equal Protection of Law Amendment.

ARIZONA vote YES on Prop 139, Right to Abortion Initiative.

COLORADO vote YES on Amendment 79, Right to Abortion and Health Insurance Coverage Initiative.

FLORIDA vote YES on Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative.

MISSOURI vote YES on Amendment 3, Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative.

MARYLAND vote YES on Question 1, Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment.

MONTANA vote YES on Constitutional Initiative 128, Right to Abortion Initiative.

NEBRASKA vote YES on Nebraska Initiative 439 Right to Abortion Initiative ** and vote NO on 434 (this second anti-abortion measure was drafted specifically to confuse voters!)

NEVADA vote YES on Question 6, Right to Abortion Initiative.

SOUTH DAKOTA vote YES on Constitutional Amendment G, Right to Abortion Initiative

[ladylooch]

Summary: Kailey and Miles have their off day plans ruined when her water breaks.

Word Count: 5.1k

Warnings: blood, hospitals, pregnancy, birth, surgery, birth trauma, vomit. Basically if medical things freak you out, don’t continue on 😅

[Kailey]

“Remember when I was excited to lay on the couch all day?” Miles asks me as he walks into the Rose Medical Center. He has both of our bags slung over his shoulder and the carrier for the baby in his right hand. I tried to tell him we probably didn’t need that quite yet, but his nervous energy had him grabbing it anyway.

“You did this to me.” I snicker, tossing an amused grin over my shoulder at him.

“Yeah, I remember doing it to you too.” He hits my butt with the car seat gently.

“It was from behind.” I murmur as I walk up to the front desk. “ Hi, I’m Kailey Wood. I called Dr. Schmidt and he asked me to come in.”

“Great! I’m going to have you fill out some quick paperwork and we will get you checked in.”

I begin writing out the necessary items. Miles slides his health insurance card on the counter then settles a hand on my lower back. He rubs his thumbs into my tightened muscles there. I huff out a little noise of pain at the contraction tightening my belly up.

“Becoming parents is better than a couch day though.” Miles murmurs as he helps me get into the hospital gown once we are in the birthing suite. I smile, leaning my head back into his shoulder when he is done closing it up.

Miles isn’t wrong. We had a full day of vegging on the couch planned for his off day today, but our son decided to break my water and now we are here. Who knew curb walking this morning would be so productive?

Big hands stretch along my belly as Miles drops his lips to kiss along my clothed shoulder. He breathes me in, then releases me as I head towards the bed, wanting to lay down.

“I’m so glad you’re in town.”

“Me too.” He nods.

That fear of him being gone has now dissipated. He is here, ready to jump into full supportive partner and dad mode with me.

A lot has changed since that 20 week appointment. It is like Miles has transformed into a completely different person. He has worked hard to do better, show up fully, and walked with me hand in hand the rest of this journey. He was early to every post practice appointment. He made sure I felt pampered when I went home to Masschusettes for my baby shower. Then I had the most amazing gender reveal for me in our home back in Colorado. I’ll never forget opening the nursery door and seeing Connor’s name on that navy blue wall. The look on Miles’ face and the way he whispered: “I haven’t handled any of this well. I know you felt alone before. But you’re not. I’m here. Forever. I promise you.”

I knew he meant it then. His firm squeeze of my hand tells me again now.

“Ooooo f-fuck.” I stutter out. I shake my head. “You’re never coming in me again.” Miles chokes. “Just kidding.” I grin at his distraught face. “But I want the epidural as soon as I can get it.”

“Roger, baby.” He murmurs.

The nurse comes in to check on where I am measuring now that they have been able to get some data about the contractions. I am happy to hear that I am narrowing in on 5 cm dilated. All things considered, things are moving forward quickly. However once I start to move more into active labor, nothing is funny. Miles tries to joke with me about the look on my face and I pierce him to the chair with a glare.

“Sorry.” He squeaks, wincing at the grip I have on his hand.

“Where are my drugs?” I snap.

“Uh, let me go check!” Miles launches up. He tries to wiggle out his fingers discreetly but I see it. This man punches hockey helmets for a living but my grip is too much? I snort and shake my head at that. Men ain’t shit.

When he comes back into the room, he has the anesthesiologist with him. We get through the next anxiety inducing piece of labor and then I am settled back into the bed. The nurse is in the corner of the room, typing in notes to my chart. She closes the computer up, then smiles at us.

“Dr. Schmidt just got here. He will be by within the hour.” Then she disappears. I slide my gaze over to my husband.

“We are alone so much more than I expected. What are we paying these people for?”

“I don’t know.” He chuckles. “But I kinda like it just us.” He leans down to kiss me. “You’re doing great. Have I told you how beautiful you look?”

“No.”

“Fucking stunning.”

“Liar.” I smirk.

It quickly falls off my face as another contraction bares down on me. Miles gives me his hand and rubs between my shoulder blades. The pain sears through my bones, making me writhe on the bed uncomfortably.

“Breathe, babe.” Miles encourages. I puff out a breath, then inhale sharply, holding it again. “Breath-”

“You fucking breathe.” I snap.

“Okay.” He nods, watching my face. He matches my snarls with a wince that scrunches his crooked nose. “Oof, good job. Should be evening out soon.” I feel a lump growing in my throat at that. He read those baby books cover to cover and every pamphlet he could get his hands on.

This is my Miles. There is no one else on this Earth I would want holding my hand right now.

“I love you, baby. I’m sorry. It just hurts so bad.”

“Yell at me all you want. I’m tough.” He assures me, blue eyes sparkling with adoration as he watches me relax back into the bed.

A knock sounds at the door, then Doctor Schmidt greets Miles and I enthusiastically.

“Hey! It’s baby day!” He exclaims as he washes his hands in the sink. “How are we doing, Kailey?”

“Ugh.” Is all I respond with. I shift my hips on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. It’s no use. There is none at this stage.

When is that damn epidural going to kick in?

Another contraction hits me and I hunch forward in pain. Miles raises to his feet, rubbing my back in concern.

“Should she be in this much pain after her epidural?” He asks the question I can’t form words for at the moment. I grit my teeth harder, moaning as it feels like my body is resisting every contraction now. I’m dreading the next one as this one ends.

“Well, it depends. People react to epidurals in different ways. But let’s take a look at what is going on.” He steps between my legs with a nurse behind him. His eyebrows pull together as he examines me. He glances over at the contraction monitor then frowns deeper. “I’m not liking what I’m seeing.” He says directly to me.

“Okay.” I whimper.

“It’s going to be okay. No need to panic.” He holds his hand up as he stands to his feet. “But we know you’ve got a big boy in there for your small frame. With how many contractions you are having, he should have progressed further into the birth canal. With that not happening, its telling us that the contractions are not strong enough to move him forward. This raises concerns for potential shoulder dystocia, which would be an emergency situation for us. Knowing that risk is there, I don’t think it is safe for you or the baby to continue forward like this.”

“Oh. Wow. Um, yeah. Whatever you think is best. I just want him safe.” I say, stretching my fingers over my bare belly. Miles puts a big hand there too, fingers absently playing with the strap of the fetal monitor.

Since our 20 week appointment, we have been closely monitoring the baby’s measurements.This is not a surprise to us and I’ve long ago accepted that I may not be able to push him out of me. While I can empathize with mothers who desire to do that, all I care about is our baby being okay.

Miles kisses my forehead. I tilt my lips up to him, asking for a smooch.

“I love you.” He murmurs, squeezing my hand. “You got this, baby. Tough as hell.”

“I love you too.” I assure him, making sure to keep my face neutral so Miles doesn’t start to panic.

There is no need to panic. We are in great hands. This is all about safety and prevention.

Surgery prep begins quickly after Dr. Schmidt gives the word to the staff. Miles disappears to scrub in and I get more drugs loaded into my IV. I close my eyes as they place a hair net over my hair.

I am ready for this. I can do this. I’m so excited to meet our son I can barely sit still in the bed as they wheel me to the operating room. Plus, no longer being pregnant with this big baby will be instant, sweet relief for my hips and lower back.

Time to make this c-section my bitch, I think to myself as they stop the bed in the center of the operating room. Miles is there, smiling at me with his phone raised.

“This is your best look.” He teases, snapping a few pictures. I smile nicely for one after making funny faces at him previously. He giggles in his signature way, showing off the gap in his front teeth. “So gorgeous, babe. Mom material for sure.”

“Just call me MILF.” I chuckle.

A sheet is lifted up, cutting off the view for Miles and I to my lower body. His smile slides off his face and he takes a deep inhale. His blue eyes grow a little wet looking. Tears fill my eyes at his obvious worry.

“It’s okay.” I whisper to him. He nods.

“Stop worrying about me.”

“It’s like I’m a mom or something.” I grin at him. “You did that to me.”

“Thank god.” He presses his nose to mine.

“Kailey?” Dr. Schmidt asks.

“Yes?”

“How are we doing?”

“Good. Ready!” I insist.

“Miles?”

“Ditto, Doc.”

“Great. Parenting test one is already passed.” Miles and I laugh. “Kailey we got you strapped down because we don’t want any involuntary moments. We’re going to give you some more drugs to just take some of the rawness of surgery out of your mind. You’ll still be awake. You’re going to feel some pulling and tugging- general pressure too. You shouldn’t feel any sharp pains. If you do, let us know.”

“Okay.”

“Miles, you have the hardest part of all… sitting there and looking pretty.”

“Yeah, think my days of looking pretty ended when I lost my teeth that second time.” My husband jokes.

“I know a guy if you need ‘em.”

“Yes!” I say before Miles can fill in.

The room settles into a more medical air after that. Tools are opened, medical jargon is discussed, and a nurse stands on the other side of me from where Miles is. Another nurse hovers by the clear bassinet ready to hold our baby. I purse my lips at the thought. Our baby. He’s coming.

The specifics of what begins to happen next blur with whatever drugs the anesthesiologist has started in my IV. I feel cool and relaxed, vision blurring slightly around the edges. Miles fingers come to my cheek, rubbing there in a comforting, soothing rhythm.

“Ready?” He asks me. I nod in response, eyes blinking slowly, then opening again.

Time passes in a similar blink. Miles’ blue eyes never move from my face. I keep alternating between looking at the ceiling and him. He chuckles at the far off look my eyes must be glazing over him.

“Drunk AF.” He jokes.

“Mhm. Maybe drugs aren’t so bad.”

“Shhh the baby might hear.” Miles teases me.

“We live in Colorado. He’s gonna know about drugs.”

“Can’t wait to yell at him when I find him smoking weed in his bedroom.”

“And here I am, waiting for his first word and steps.” I mumble. My tongue feels swollen and clunky in my mouth. “ ‘M drunk.”

“Too much tequila before we came huh?”

I’m about to tell him to shut up when Dr. Schmidt calls my name.

“Hm?”

“I’ve got my hands around him. I’m going to pull him out. You’ll feel some of this. It’s normal.”

It feels foreign and alien like to know hands are inside my body. If I was more clear minded, I might care but right no-

A shrill cry shoots through the room. Miles exhales a breath, then shoots his eyes towards the curtain in awe. My head turns towards the noise, desperate to see a peak of the baby I’ve been growing for all these months. Tears fill my eyes and fall down without restraint. Miles rubs his thumb along my jaw, fingers extending along my throat to hold me as much as he can right now.

“What’s he look like?” I croak out to my husband.

“He has a ton of hair. It’s curly!” He beams proudly over at our son being cleaned with towels. Then he grins down at me, pressing his mouth to mine. His lips devour me as he rubs my hair over the hair net. “You doing okay?” He asks. I nod weakly, feeling disoriented. Miles straightens back up to look at our son.

“We’ll get him cleaned up and over to mom in a second.” One nurse assures us.

The room begins to feel extremely cold. A large shiver rolls through the parts of my body that I can still feel. My vision blurs together until all I can see is dots of color. I blink, wondering if there is something in my eyes I need to clear away. It doesn’t get better. It gets worse. Vertigo attacks me; I feel like my body is going to roll off the operating table. My lips are glued together, tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth even as I want to form words to Miles.

“Baby, are you okay?” Miles asks, leaning closer to my face. His thick eyebrows are lowered in concern.

“Something isn’t right.” I say to him… at least I think I do, but then I realize I can’t move my mouth and everything is so cold and then……

Nothing.

- - -

[Miles]

I watch in horror as Kailey’s eyes suddenly shut. Her head goes limp and falls slightly to the side. A nurse puts an arm on my bicep. I try to move away from the touch, then another nurse is there.

“Dad, we need you to step out of the room.”

“I’m not leaving her.” I insist. I reach out for her shoulder, desperate to touch her body.

“Miles.” Dr. Schmidt’s calm voice comes over the sheet. “Kailey needs you to go.”

Something about how he phrases that has the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I want to go back to joking about my teeth. Right fucking now. Alarms start going off on the machines she is connected to. Hospital codes are shouted between the staff members. I stumble back, awkward on my footing as I attempt to remember where the door was. A nurse guides me to the right. I follow blindly.

My ears are ringing so loud that whatever the nurse is saying to me isn’t registering. My eyes blink slowly as I seek to orient myself. My legs lead me out of the OR, but nothing is making sense.

“How about we sit?” I hear her say through my vibrating heartbeat. Her hands come to my shoulder and side and she pushes until I’m seated on the floor in my scrubs. “Take a deep breath, dad.” She says that name again. Dad. And it jolts me. My baby. Our baby. But then, Kails. Where is she, I want to ask but I know she’s in there. In that room cut open without me.

“Is my wife going to die?” I blurt out to the nurse. Her face is purposefully neutral, just like my mom talked about with her nursing career. I doubt she will answer me and she doesn’t. Just encourages me to breathe. I don’t want to see Dr. Schmidt come out of that room. I don’t want them to tell me that she’s…. I jolt forward and the nurse flies back. I puke in her vacated place. She holds my hand, running her gloved thumb over my skin. Another nurse is walking by and they speak while I continue retching between my legs. I wipe the back of my hand over my mouth.

“Kailey.” I moan, trying to stand up. “No. Please. Fuck…. No!” I begin to sob, tears blur my vision into a watery vortex. I shake like a small child on the cold tile of the hospital outside the room where they do who knows what to my wife. “Please.” I cry again, the nurse finishes cleaning up my vomit. Another nurse leaves the OR with our baby in his clear container. I can hear his wails. My throat closes. I try to ask her to wait, to let me see him again, but I can’t form the words.

Nurses and doctors run by me. Some go into the room, others dash to different places of the hospital. I hear a page go over the intercom followed by the OR number of Kailey’s room. Then a different nurse encourages me up. She takes me back to the birthing suite we had walked out of less than 30 minutes ago. All of our stuff is still there waiting for us, but Kailey isn’t here. I look at her flowery, silk robe discarded on the couch from when she got too hot during her contractions. I gag again, thinking of where she is. The nurse disappears, off to do her job elsewhere as I struggle to maintain living.

Live without Kailey? I can’t.

The thought is sobering, widening my eyes as I struggle for my next breath. I vowed 5 months ago to protect her. To be her safe place through the good and the bad. I’m already failing at my vows. Yet I have no control over the situation we are in. I have no choice but to keep sitting here in the hospital bed she should be recovering in while they do whatever they need to save her.

The idea of living without her passes through my mind again. Stabbing pain follows causing me to rock slightly backwards on my feet. I bring a hand up to my chest, balling my scrubs into a fist over my heart. I see it all clearly: being a single father while trying to play in the NHL. Raising our baby alone, without the love of my life. The one who saves me from myself and made us a family of three. The one this will all be utter hell without. I squeeze my eyes shut, bringing my thumb and middle finger up to my eyes to collect my tears before they roll down my cheeks.

“I can’t do this alone. Kails, baby, please.” I sob out. My shoulders shake as I break down. Fat teardrops collapse into the stark bed sheet next to my thigh. I start to hyperventilate, struggling for oxygen as sharp gasps fill the room. I lay back onto the bed, staring at the white porous ceiling tile above. Tears continue to leak out while a numbness extends through my body.

“Miles?” Someone calls from the doorway. I sit up, wiping my cheeks, hopeful for an update on Kailey. Instead, I see a new nurse, with her hand on the corner of a rolling bassinet. “Would you like to meet your son?”

This is not the moment I saw for us. I saw Kailey here. I saw him on her chest doing skin to skin as we celebrated the moment he joined us. Not this. Not us meeting in this dark, hospital room that she is missing from while I ponder if I’m going to have to raise him by myself. What would Kailey do? She would be brave. She would hold our baby and tell him it will be okay because we have each other.

So, I nod, standing up, suddenly nauseatingly nervous. The nurse wheels him in. He is swaddled in a ‘back is best’ blanket with a pink and blue striped hat. He looks exactly like me. His eyes and face are swollen from the trauma of his birth. Red marks dot along his forehead and one of his cheeks. He has been cleaned up, no goop or anything, just soft pink skin.

To sum him up in one word, he is perfect.

“Hi buddy.” I hear my voice whisper.

“How about you sit back down and I’ll hand him to you?” The nurse suggests. That is when I realize I am shaking. Trembles of adrenaline roll through my whole body. I lower myself gently, then weave my arms together in anticipation of him being placed there. When I feel the soft cloth of his blanket hit my skin, I sigh. I make sure to support his head, awestruck at how small and fragile he is.

“You are perfect.” I whisper to him. “Just like your mama.” He jerks, feeling my body heat and turning his head towards me. “I love you.” I breathe out. “I’m going to take care of you. We are going to be okay.” I suck my bottom lip into my mouth. It presses up against my gums where my teeth are missing.

My sexy toothless. I can hear Kailey’s voice now, teasing me as she gets ready for date night in the bathroom of our old Hoboken apartment. I swallow hard, looking up at the nurse.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have news on mom to share. I’ll come back in a little bit to check on you.” She says, then leaves the clear bassinet in the corner, shutting the door behind her.

I am unsure how long we sit there like that. The baby lays contently in his swaddle, tight and warm, while I try to wrap my brain around my new reality. At some point, I move from the bed to the chair, hopeful that Kailey will be coming in soon. I hear no news. Nobody comes to check in on us for at least 90 minutes.

Then, there is a soft knock at the door.

“Come in.” I call after clearing my throat. I bounce my son as I sit up straighter to keep him asleep.

Doctor Schmidt appears. My heart floats into my throat. I try to read his face. He looks tired as he pulls off his surgical hat. The knuckle of his thumb flicks his nose up as he wipes at it.

“Hi Miles.”

“Hi.” My voice gives out on me midway through the word. I clear my throat before continuing. “What is going on? Is she okay?”

“Kailey is stable, yes.” He nods decidedly. I exhale heavily, my body falls back into the chair while clutching the baby in my arms tighter. “She experienced severe hemorrhaging due to a lack of contracting of her uterus. Her blood vessels were not clamped tight enough and began to release a significant amount of blood. We were not able to get the bleeding under control fast enough and it began to pool into her abdomen.” I suck in a heavy breath, holding our son even closer to me. “It took some time, but we were able to successfully stop the bleeding. She is currently receiving a full blood transfusion. She’s taking it well, so we are expecting her to be ready for recovery shortly.”

“When can we see her?”

“We are going to monitor her through the full transfusion, then move her here. Another hour or so.” I nod, then look back down at our son. He wiggles in his sleep, trying to adapt to the world out here where it’s so loud and bright and cold.

“Does he have a name?” Dr. Schmidt asks.

“Connor.” I respond. Kailey and I have said his name hundreds of times during her pregnancy. But saying it to his face, knowing what he looks like, having him in my arms, introducing him to someone else, it hits differently. Tears fill my eyes, falling down my cheeks silently.

“Welcome to the world, Connor.” The doctor pats my shoulder encouragingly. “Hang in there, Miles. You’re doing great. She will be in soon.”

After he leaves the room, I melt. The exhaustion drapes over my body, going into every joint and muscle group. I feel a dull, tension headache pounding in my temples.

But Kailey is okay. She is alive in another room. Her heart is still beating. And in my arms is our baby boy.

Everything else is grossly insignificant.

[Kailey]

My eyelids feel heavier than bags of concrete mix. I want to open them but can’t. Soft beeping reaches my ears assuringly. My brain tries to tell my hands to touch my belly, but they don’t want to move. They’re weighted down too.

Mindlessly, I drift in and out of consciousness for a long time. So long, I’m convinced days have passed. In time, my brain does get my hand to lift. I try to bring it to my belly to check on the baby, but it’s still weighted down. It takes a few more moments to realize a hand is on top of mine, brushing comfortingly along each knuckle. I turn my focus to opening my eyes. They lift begrudgingly.

I take in the hospital room, noticing Miles is next to me. He’s leaning back in a chair, eyes closed, brown curls wild. Last time I saw him, he was in teal scrubs. Now he is back in his clothes- a white Adidas sweatshirt and black sweatpants. My body becomes alert when I remember why he was wearing those scrubs. My eyes flick down at my tummy. It looks big and bloated, but feels empty. I try to talk but my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth. No moisture can be felt and I cough at the awareness. Miles startles. When he sees my eyes open, he smiles.

“There she is. Hi baby.” He reaches for my face, cupping my cheeks gently. He sits up completely, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. “Do you need water?” I nod as frantically as I can. It comes out as a shrug. He reaches across my body, moving the bed tray over me. He picks up the tumbler filled with fresh water and ice. He maneuvers the straw up to my mouth so I can suck up a few sips.

“Where is he?” I ask immediately when I can.

“Connor is here.” He says, putting the tumbler back. “He’s amazing.” Miles grins, tears evident in his eyes. “He has been patiently waiting for you… me, not so much.”

“You’ve never been patient a day in your life.”

“Hey.” He chuckles at the truth. “They said you should do skin to skin right when you wake up.” He stands up to unswaddle our son, who startles at the intrusion. His soft wail fills the room. I bite my lip and undo my hospital gown with lethargic, fumbling fingers. “That should be good. I’ll tuck him in.” Miles murmurs, holding our boy up. My lip crumbles into a sob when I see his little body in my husband’s big hands.

“Oh my god.” I cry as Miles slides him into my hospital gown. I weep openly, clutching our newborn to my chest with greedy fingers. I tilt my head down to see his face. “Oh wow, he is a carbon copy of you.” I sob harder. “I’m screwed. I’m going to give him anything he wants.” Miles laughs, leaning down to kiss Connor’s head. His lips then find mine. Our kiss tastes like tears as we make out. I realize they’re mine and his.

“I almost died on the floor of this hospital when they made me leave you.”

“What happened?”

“You were hemorrhaging. They couldn’t get it under control so blood was going internally to other areas. It was bad. I didn’t know what was happening or if you were okay. It was just me and him in here alone.”

“Are you okay?” I ask him, reaching out for his face. My thumb strokes his left cheek, smearing his tear tracks together.

“No.” I nod in understanding, then pull him closer to me. I wince at the pain I feel in my abdomen. Miles puts his hands on me in alarm.

“My incision.” I assure him. “You come closer this time.” He leans down further.

“I love you so much, Kails. So fucking much. I will never let another day pass without telling you 5,000 times.” I chuckle against his mouth.

“Oh good. I’m finally going to get the treatment I deserve. 2,000 a day wasn’t nearly enough.” He puts his forehead next to me on my pillow. One hand comes up to my head, palming my hair, while the other rests on Connor’s back.

“I’m so glad you’re still around to give me shit.” He mumbles into the stuffed fabric.

“That won’t ever go away. When you die first of old age, you’ll feel my sass then too.” I stroke Connor’s bare back under my gown, tilting my chin forward to kiss the hat on top of his head. “Can’t wait until you’re old enough to sass your dad too.”

“Come on, our kid too?”

“Yes. It’s becoming a Wood family tradition to give you shit.” He pulls back, painting strokes across my forehead with his thumb. His eyes work all over my face, drinking me in like if he blinks I might not be there. “I’m okay, baby.” I whisper. His blue eyes close in anguish.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get the calm birth experience you wanted. I wish I could change that.” I shrug, looking down at our baby. Definitely not an ideal situation, but looking at this adorable baby- half me and half him- I would do it all over again. Every part of it.

“No, but look at what we did get. Connor Wood, you are what our world spins around.”

[mariacallous]

Abortion is a top issue in the 2024 election, with a “growing share of voters in swing states now say[ing] abortion is central to their decision this fall,” according to Times/Siena College polls published in August. It is the “single most important issue” for women under 45.

On September 3, Vice President Kamala Harris began a “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour in Florida, a state the Democratic Party has lost in the last two presidential elections, but which has abortion on the ballot this year. On November 5, citizens of Florida will be able to vote on an amendment that would restore legal access to abortion “before viability or when necessary to protect a patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” Florida currently has a six-week abortion ban, a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the wake of Dobbs.

The Harris bus tour began about a twenty-minute drive from Mar-a-Lago, the home of the former president who has declared responsibility for the fall of Roe under the Dobbs decision. The decision spawned multiple state abortion bans with severe repercussions upon a woman’s ability in ban states to receive critical or life-saving health care that may necessarily involve an abortion. At the September 10 presidential debate, Harris directly spoke to the post-Roe experiences of women suffering miscarriages and bleeding out in hospital parking lots because they couldn’t get treatment from doctors who were afraid of being prosecuted.

The other presidential candidate, former president Donald Trump, has bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade as a personal achievement of consummate importance. Public opinion polling shows, however, that the majority of Americans support legalized abortion. Moreover, the pro-reproductive rights position has won on abortion-related ballot measures following the Dobbs decision in conservative states like Ohio, Kansas, and Kentucky, and abortion measures are on the ballot this November in key states like Florida, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. Trump is now trying to downplay his involvement because the issue of abortion has become an albatross around the neck of the Trump campaign and the Republican Party itself. No wonder, then, in recent comments Trump has stated that abortion policy should be left to the states, and he has been publicly unwilling to endorse a nationwide abortion ban. At the debate, however, he repeatedly refused to answer whether he would veto legislation containing such a ban if it were presented to him as president, rejecting the question as an unlikely hypothetical while claiming he did the country “a great service” by helping overturn Roe.

In the wake of threats to in vitro fertilization (IVF) spurred by the Alabama Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos are children and the corresponding religious view held by some in the anti-abortion movement that a fertilized egg is a full-fledged person, Trump said both that he would mandate insurance companies cover IVF and the federal government would cover it for all Americans in need.

Attempting to persuade women who want their reproductive rights back, he suggested that Florida’s six-week abortion ban is “too short,” stating that he will be “voting that we need more than six weeks.” Later, however, his campaign walked this statement back, indicating that he “has not yet said how he will vote on the ballot initiative in Florida.” Trump attempted to rehabilitate his position on abortion further for his far right, evangelical base by spreading the disinformation that some states allow the legal execution of babies after birth. At the debate, he repeated this false statement, and one of the debate moderators fact-checked him on that. These are just a few examples of the ducking, bobbing, and weaving on abortion that Trump has been doing over the past few weeks. 

But Trump’s attempts to obfuscate the abortion policy of his party and his future administration are laid bare by what is stated in the 2024 Republican Party platform and in the 2025 Presidential Transition Project (also known as Project 2025), a detailed blueprint for overhauling the executive branch, published by the Heritage Foundation, which involves at least 140 people who worked in the last Trump administration.

The word “abortion” only appears once in the 28-page Republican Party platform with the statement “[w]e will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF.” But that statement must be understood in the context of the sentence that immediately precedes it: “We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and that the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights.” By invoking the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in the context of abortion, the platform projects consistency with a religious belief that fertilized eggs, or so-called “unborn children” are full-fledged people deserving all of the rights and protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution. Neither abortion nor IVF, where some embryos may be discarded, is consistent with this “personhood” view. The limited and coded treatment of abortion in the platform is, however, consistent with Trump’s stated belief that the issue is harming the Republican Party and his candidacy with women.

But the Republican Party platform’s concise treatment of abortion should not be separated from Project 2025—a 922-page document replete with instances of the word abortion, along with detailed plans for how a Republican administration should promote “pro-life” policies and, in doing so, further curtail reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare.

Project 2025’s explicit anti-abortion positions and goals are summarized in the forward section of the document, which proclaims that “conservatives should gratefully celebrate the greatest pro-family win in a generation: overturning Roe v. Wade, a decision that for five decades made a mockery of our Constitution and facilitated the deaths of tens of millions of unborn children. But the Dobbs decision is just the beginning.”

A national abortion ban emerges as a prominent goal, as the document instructs that “[c]onservatives in the states and in Washington, including in the next conservative Administration, should push as hard as possible to protect the unborn in every jurisdiction in America. In particular, the next conservative President should work with Congress to enact the most robust protections for the unborn that Congress will support . . . .”

Some of the most noteworthy ideas and policies construed to achieve these outcomes presented in the rest of the document include:

A series of actions focused on preventing access to medication abortion nationwide. It is important to recognize that medication abortion accounted for 63% of all abortions in 2023—and that number does not account for pills that were mailed to people in states with an abortion ban, so the overall percentage is likely higher. It can be a particularly useful way to circumvent abortion bans. From the perspective of Project 2025, “[a]bortion pills pose the single greatest threat to unborn children in a post-Roe world.” Accordingly, Project 2025 recommends, among other things, that the FDA “reverse its approval of chemical abortion drugs,” and “stop promoting or approving mail-order abortions.” It also recommends that the DOJ “enforce the Comstock Act,” a law passed in 1873 that would, if read literally, make the mailing of any kind of abortifacient unlawful, effectively resulting in a nationwide ban on medication abortion.

Preventing both HHS and the CDC from treating or promoting abortion as health care. Consistent with this goal, and in furtherance of a “Life Agenda,” Project 2025 states that HHS should be known as the “Department of Life” through “explicitly rejecting the notion that abortion is health care.” Accordingly, Project 2025 recommends that the next Secretary of HHS eliminate the current HHS Reproductive Access Task Force and replace it with “a pro-life task force to ensure that all of the department’s divisions seek to use their authority to promote the life and health of women and their unborn children.” With respect to the CDC, Project 2025 recommends that it “should eliminate programs and projects that do not respect human life and conscious rights and that undermine family formation.” This would include the types of research it chooses to fund.

Preventing any kind of federal funding from supporting abortion care, including helping women travel out of state to receive an abortion. Project 2025 would also prohibit Planned Parenthood or any other abortion provider from receiving Medicaid funds. Two steps recommended in furtherance of this goal are having HHS “[i]ssue guidance reemphasizing that states are free to defund Planned Parenthood in their state Medicaid plans” and “[p]ropose rulemaking to interpret the Medicaid statute to disqualify providers of elective abortion from the Medicaid program.”

In stark contrast, the Democratic Party platform, written when President Biden was still the Democratic candidate for president, has its own section on “Reproductive Freedom” that embraces the idea that abortion is health care. It begins by acknowledging that since the fall of Roe, “more than 20 states have imposed extreme and dangerous abortion bans—many of which include no exception even for rape or incest—that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide.”

The platform looks to the range of actions taken during the Biden-Harris administration as a foundation for continuing efforts to protect reproductive rights and health care. Some of the most notable actions mentioned, which are opposite of the policies promoted by Project 2025, include enabling pharmacies to dispense medication abortion and defending FDA approval of medication abortion in court, expanding reproductive health care for service members and veterans, defending access to emergency abortion care, challenging threats by a Republican attorney general to prosecute those who assist women traveling out of state for abortion care, and assisting states in expanding access under Medicaid for people who travel from states where they are denied access to abortion care.

Going forward, the platform states that Democrats will, among other things, work to restore abortion rights through legislation (assuming a Congress with sufficient Democratic control), protect the right to access IVF, strengthen access to contraception, and continue to support access to medication abortion. The platform also indicates that Democrats will work to repeal the Hyde amendment, which “restricts federally funded abortions under major federal health care programs.”

The contrast between the parties’ platforms and policies is clear. Simply put, the Democratic Party platform explicitly states that “President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are committed to restoring the reproductive rights Trump ripped away.” As the presidential candidate who has proudly claimed responsibility for the fall of Roe, Trump’s rhetoric resembles the defensive moves of a boxer ducking, bobbing, and weaving to slip an opponent’s punches: he has tried to disavow Project 2025, tried to obfuscate Republican Party positions and plans, and backtracked on some of his positions in an attempt to portray his future administration as “great for women and their reproductive rights.”

[gwydionmisha]

Personal: Transness and Physio

Wednesday I was at physio as is generally the case on Wednesdays this physio cycle. (Current goals: Arm unsupported above my shoulder prolonged to the front at all to the side, Undoing damage from the wrong sling the first two weeks of healing, and strength building). My main pre-op physio had a free moment and stopped over to check on my between patients.

Him: How are you doing?

Me, cheekily: ready for this to be over.

Physios *laugh*

He turned to ask my physio for more detailed info. Which involved pronouns. Look, my pronouns are on file. My prefered name is unfailingly used by staff in this facility and all the healthcare settings I routinely used for… most of a decade or something like that. I used to have to pioneer a lot of health care providers, including Poverty clinic (second trans patient getting trans related health care there, back when there was one ignorant and low key transphobic provider, but it was far better than the extremely transphobic endocrinologist who wasn't taking new patients anyway so everyone had to trek down to seattle for everything), and just about every specialist I saw for years and years, often with people for whom English was a second language who were flat out confused my my medical charts.

For the record, once word spread (and trans provider word spread FAST on the trans grapevine) and Poverty clinic got deluged by desperate poor people who flat out couldn't afford 150-300 per health apointment and a whole day of travel, a second super cool doctor self educated and started taking patients. Within a year or two the whole staff had training. A couple years later they did a big survey, flat out changed the name of the clinic so as not to scare trans people, added prefered name/pronouns/gender to all forms and are a makor provider for two counties, providing an ever expanding range of care. Poverty clinic's main population had been HIV, kids who's parents couldn't afford health insurance, and unhoused. They are so much more now, and my whole reason is the better for it, because a whole lot of other practices got better and new services opened up all over the western part of my state to deal with demand that having two cities with trans heallthcare drew to the reagon. (A whole lot of other places have safe clinmics now and if you are in a blue county, you are likely okay to be fairly open. People can live in cheaper towns and cities and still have care a reasonable drive or bus away. It absolutely wasn't the case fifteen years ago. For some things the choices were seattle, san franscisco, and that one city in colorado. For hormones and trans friendly psychiatry it was only slightly better.) I am incredably proud of all the medical practices I pioneered and made safe for other people.

Thing is though, it's still not perfect. I'm pretty relaxed about pronouns, but where people are super careful about names, some people are waaaay better at pronouns than others. I bowl down the middle on purpose, in non-medical customer service settings, people take their best guess and I don't make a fuss unless someone else does or is obnoxious or I get duling customer service people who are in conflict and each sure they are right (Which is hilarious, but I consider it polite to step in at that point). I will back up a child if their parent corrects them to the wrong thing. I will happily give pronouns when a polite person asks.

In medical settings outside of places trying really hard to get it right like Poverty clinic or weirdly the Christian Hospital, people mess up pronouns about a third of the time. I think the masks make it more confusing for them and I am always in a mask in a medical setting unless I need to take it off for a medical thing.

The room in the physio clinic where I go, it is pretty much middle aged straight guy therapists (There's a woman sometimes and a younger guy I see doing legs now and then, but mostly it is middle aged straight guys who look like gym teachers. Guys like my late Uncle when I was growing up who was also a physio). Trans stuff doesn't come up. I spend the entire session working one on one with these guys, so while names get used now and then the pronouns are all 1st and 2nd person, you follow? There is enough conversation that I'm pretty sure none of the three guys who've worked on my arm are MAGAS. I peg them as likely democrats, but where on that spectrum? No fucking clue. They are all good guys and good physios. I do not know their stance on right to pee, you follow?

So the most classically straight ex-college athlete guy turns to the very gentle, very pacific northwesty type married with children postsurgical guy (I have no idea how to describe this type of northwest guy to someone who's never been here, but if you have it's really obvious. Loves being out in nature and likely has nature based hobbies. Cares about feminism and the environment in a genuine way. Relaxed about their masculinity and masculinity in general, so are usually some degree of queer friendly. Other stuff. It's hard to explain, but trust me. If you live here, you will meet a lot of this kind of guy. The two people I had my longest relationships with were this kind of PNW guy. I dated a bunch more. ), who is currently super slowly and gently stretching my arm, and asks him more technical stuff about my progress because he was worried I hadn't put on quite enough muscle before surgery.

This involved pronouns. Get this: THEY WERE THE CORRECT PRONOUNS. Both guys used correct pronouns. They also included me in the conversation. Bravo, Physio Dudes! Seriously, I had no idea how that was going to go when the pre-op guy opened his moth and it was A+.

[yourreddancer]

The 10 states where abortion rights will be on the ballot this fall

After months of gathering signatures, filing petitions and navigating lawsuits, constitutional amendments that would protect or expand abortion rights are officially set to appear on the general election ballot in 10 states.

Voters in the swing states (Arizona and Nevada), blue-leaning states (Colorado, Maryland and New York) and red-leaning states (Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota) will have the ability to directly decide the future of abortion access this fall. Among the organizers who submitted signatures to qualify an abortion rights amendment for this year's ballot, only those in Arkansas fell short.

These 10 initiatives will be the latest to pursue enshrining abortion access in a state's constitution since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Here is what the proposed amendments would do if passed — and how they would impact current abortion care laws in those states.

Arizona

The proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in this crucial southwestern battleground would create a “fundamental right” to an abortion up until fetal viability, or about the 24th week of pregnancy. After that point, the measure would bar the state from restricting abortion in situations when the health or the life of the pregnant person is at risk, according to the treating health care professional.

Under current Arizona law, abortion is legal up until the 15th week of pregnancy, with an exception after that to save the woman’s life and no exceptions after that for rape or incest. If voters approve the proposed ballot measure in November, it would effectively undo the 15-week ban. It needs a simple majority of support to pass.

Colorado

The proposed amendment in Colorado would declare formally that “the right to abortion is hereby recognized” and that “government shall not deny, impede or discriminate against the exercise of that right.”

It also explicitly states that the government may not prohibit health insurance coverage for abortion, including insurance plans for public employees and publicly funded insurance plans. That provision would effectively undo a 1984 law that barred people from using their health insurance to pay for abortion care.

The ballot measure in Colorado — where there are no laws restricting abortion and no gestational limits at all for women seeking an abortion — is intended to formally enshrine those rights, a move organizers say is crucial to prevent lawmakers from having any future opportunity to undo them.

To pass in November, the measure requires the support of 55% of voters under state law, not just a simple majority.

Florida

The state's ballot initiative would bar restrictions on abortion before fetal viability and would include exceptions past that point for “the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Passage of the amendment would effectively undo the state’s six-week ban on abortion, which includes exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the woman.

Under Florida law, the measure must receive the support of 60% of voters in November, rather than a simple majority, to pass.

Maryland

Lawmakers, who control the amendment process in Maryland rather than citizens, voted to place a measure on the ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

It would add language to guaranteeing the right to “to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”

Abortion is already legal in the state through fetal viability, with exceptions afterward when the woman’s life or health is at risk, or when a fetal anomaly is detected. A simple majority is needed for passage.

Missouri 

Missouri's amendment would enshrine language in the state constitution to protect abortion rights up until fetal viability, with exceptions after that point for the life and health of the mother.

The amendment specifically states that the government “shall not deny or infringe upon a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” which the amendment defines as all decisions related to reproductive health care, explicitly including “birth control,” “abortion care” and “miscarriage care” — up until fetal viability. The proposal also deems any “denial, interference, delay or restriction” of such care as “invalid.”

After that point, the government may regulate abortion except in cases where a treating health care professional has judged the “life or physical or mental health” of the mother to be at risk.

At the same time, the amendment would allow lawmakers and state officials to restrict or limit abortion rights in situations in which doing so “is for the limited purpose and has the limited effect of improving or maintaining the health of a person seeking care, is consistent with widely accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based medicine, and does not infringe on that person’s autonomous decision-making.”

Missouri currently has one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. in place, with exceptions to protect the life of the mother and for medical emergencies. If the amendment were to pass, it would effectively undo that law. A simple majority is needed for passage.

Montana

The ballot measure in Montana would amend the state constitution to provide a right to “make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion.” It would also “prohibit the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability,” and  “prohibit the government from denying or burdening access to an abortion when a treating healthcare professional determines it is medically indicated to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.”

Abortion is currently legal in Montana until fetal viability, so enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution would serve to make it more difficult for lawmakers to undo current protections in the future. A simple majority is needed for passage.

Nebraska

In Nebraska, two dueling constitutional amendments will appear on the November ballot.

One of the ballot measures, known as “Protect the Right to Abortion,” would amend the state’s constitution to state that “all persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient.”

The other, called “Protect Women and Children,” bars abortions in the second and third trimesters, except in the case of a medical emergency or when the pregnancy is a result of sexual assault or incest.

Nebraska law currently bans abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and saving the mother’s life. The pro-abortion rights measure would effectively undo that law, while the other would basically codify the law in the state constitution.

For a ballot measure to pass in Nebraska, it needs to receive a majority of the vote and at least 35% of the total votes cast in the election in favor of it. If both amendments pass, the one with the most votes prevails.

Nevada

In Nevada, abortion is already legal until the 24th week of pregnancy. But fearing that such rights could be undone in the future, reproductive rights advocates succeeded in placing a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would enshrine similar language, protecting abortion rights up until fetal viability.

Under state law, even if the measure passes in November, voters would need to approve it again in 2026 before the Nevada constitution is formally amended.

New York

As in Maryland, lawmakers, not citizens, control the amendment process in New York. State legislators voted to put a measure on the ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

The Equal Protection of Law Amendment doesn’t actually explicitly mention abortion, but would enshrine rights in the state constitution designed to protect against anything the government does to affect a person’s “pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”

In New York, abortion is legal up to around the 24th week of pregnancy. Passage of the proposal — which requires a simple majority — would effectively cement those projections constitutionally.

South Dakota

The proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in South Dakota would make abortion legal in all situations in the first trimester of pregnancy. It would allow “regulation” by the state of abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy, but such regulation “must be reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman.”

The amendment would allow “regulation or prohibition” by the state in the third trimester, except in cases when a physician has determined that the care would be necessary to “preserve the life or health” of the woman.

If it passes, the amendment would effectively undo the state’s near-total ban on abortion, which snapped back into effect after Roe v. Wade was struck down in 2022. The law, which abortion advocates say is among the harshest in the U.S., prohibits all abortions except when necessary to save the woman’s life.

The ballot measure will need to win a simple majority to pass.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com