I Work At A Women's Clinic In Post-Roe America. This Is What I Wish Every Teenager Knew.

"I had spent 26 years of my life dedicated to women's health. In one terrible decision, the Supreme Court sent the rights of women in America about 70 years backward."

I was in the clinic the day Roe v. Wade was overturned. I was either inserting an IUD, treating another case of chlamydia or ordering breast imaging after finding a nut-like lump during a routine breast exam. Perhaps I had just finished counseling a woman about what to expect after taking her medical abortion pills.

Even though the entire staff at my nonprofit feminist health center in Chico, California, knew this was coming, the news still hit like a blow. I had spent 26 years of my life dedicated to empowering women about their health and reproduction, and in one terrible decision, the Supreme Court sent the rights of women in America about 70 years backward.

I became a contraception expert almost by accident. I am a certified nurse-midwife, and in 2017, after years of providing home birth midwifery care, I decided to try a clinic job. Delivering babies as a solo home-birth midwife is one of the most meaningful things a person can do for a living. Midwives are honored to be present at life’s greatest and most intimate transformations. But the work also involves getting called out of bed in the middle of the night, strings of lost nights of sleep and high-stakes stress when unexpected complications arise. Not to mention always being on-call. I was ready for a change. One of the benefits of a career in nursing is that you can work in many different capacities and settings yet stay within your profession.

When I took the position at Women’s Health Specialists, I found that my own reasons for going into women’s health were perfectly aligned with the clinic’s mission: “Working toward a world where women control their own bodies, reproduction and sexuality.” The clinic is dedicated to providing women-controlled health care and advocating for all options for all women, with the understanding that only with dignity and freedom of choice can women achieve their full potential. I felt like I was home.

Compared to attending births, my role as clinician here initially seemed easy, with daytime hours and a set schedule. The patient visits I conducted were “basic” for someone with my level of training and experience. They included help with contraception and sexually transmitted infections, general gynecological care for mostly teens and college students, counseling on pregnancy options, and medical abortion.