On Monday Libi and I took a tour of a sexual and reproductive health facility. We saw operating rooms, procedure rooms, recovery rooms, meeting rooms, and other areas. The facility was 3 floors and 2 entrances. They had a public entrance that had security and they had an employee entrance. We went after hours at 5pm to respect the privacy of patients in the facility.

When we were there we learned about what different tools and rooms are used for. The OR is used for abortions and the PR is used for pap smears, vasectomies, and other smaller procedures. After an abortion patients are usually drowsy so they go to a recovery room where they sit until their escort arrives to take them home. They also have consultation rooms upstairs where women can learn about birth control and can be educated about the procedure they are receiving. Overall, this tour was incredibly informative and was one of the best fieldworks we got to go on.

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We met with Jane Kaufman. She works in the medical field of Planned Parenthood. She oversees abortions at multiple clinics, as well as performing them sometimes too. She plays a really important role in abortions. Jane is the one that provides the tools and certifications for clinics to be able to perform abortions and other critical procedures.

During the interview we got to ask her some important medical questions. She provided some really interesting information. She said that abortions, regardless of which type you get, doesn’t have a permanent medical effect on patients. Jane also told us about what determines a patient for one type of abortion instead of another. The recommended type of abortion has to do with the gestational age (the age of the pregnancy). This was only some of the insightful information that Jane provided.

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We met with Yael Goverover. We had a really interesting conversation about the experience of an abortion. Yael has requested that the contents of this intimate conversation not be repeated. We talked about the statistics of how women feel after having an abortion.

Many people, especially pro-lifers, think that women feel heavy remorse and regret after an abortion. But statistically, this is not the case. Abortions are keys to continuing their lives for many women. Having a child before you are ready can derail someone’s life. Stopping it will help them prepare for the rest of their lives. This can help someone be ready to have a child later, when they are ready.

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We met with Diane Macias who is works in Patient Navigation at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She is based in Florida. In our meeting we talked about what it means to be a Patient Navigator. Her job is to get patients to an abortion clinic. This might mean lending them money for gas, food, hotel rooms, and anything else they might need.

Something I learned was how Mississippi SB 8 effects women that want abortions. This case was made to directly appose Roe v Wade. At the heart of the Mississippi SB 8 is the 2018 Mississippi law that limits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. She explained this and so much more. This interview was very helpful and informative.

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We met with Vivian Silva to talk about the pro-life point of view of abortions. She is important to our topic because it is very controversial. We had only interviewed pro-choice people before and we wanted to hear someone else’s perspective. We learned some of the reasons for the pro-life perspective.

Vivian thinks that if you become pregnant and don’t want the baby you should deal with the consequences because they were you actions. When she said this we asked her, “What if it is rape?” She said that she thought that in some cases when the mother is a minor then abortion is okay but otherwise you can give the baby up for adoption. She said the same for incest cases.

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Last week my group presented an overview presentation of our SJ topic. I was a little nervous about public speaking but I knew that the information on my slides was very detailed and correct. I was nervous but excited to share what I had learned with the rest of my class. Here is something I shared about my topic after reading multiple articles, Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a large non-profit organization that has locations all over the country. They provide reproductive health and education for everyone. We included very interesting statistics and data that are accurate in the United states.

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