Whole Woman’s Health is seeking an intern for our marketing department, located at our Headquarters in Austin! We are a holistic women’s health clinic with a strong emphasis on women’s reproductive rights – abortion care, included. Our office is a very feminist-friendly, laid back environment, however, applicants should expect to learn a lot about the trials and tribulations of the abortion world and everything that comes with it, including protestors, public policy and your own personal strength! Applicants must be pro-choice and on board with Whole Woman’s Health mission and goals.

The Marketing Director is seeking a once-a-week intern to assist primarily with data entry and market research, with possible other projects assigned, based on experience. Position is unpaid, but offers a very flexible schedule and valuable healthcare marketing/reproductive rights experience. Must be available one day per week, for a minimum of 3-4 hours. Applicants seeking school credit OK, but applicants with some free time and a general interest in fighting for reproductive rights are OK, too!

To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to: ac@wholewomanshealth.com

It’s that time of the year, again! Pro-lifers flock to clinics around the nation to stand and pray for grown women and families making personal and private decisions. Otherwise known as: 40 Days For Life. This year, our Austin, Baltimore, Beaumont, Fort Worth and McAllen clinics are on the list.

A lot of patients have questions about the protestors when they come in. “Why are they there? What do they want? Why are they yelling?”

The quick answer is that they want you to change your mind from having an abortion, to carrying the pregnancy to term, regardless of what you may know is best for you. And the long answer is that they want to redirect you to places that are called Crisis Pregnancy Centers, where they can “educate you” about pregnancy, the development of a fetus and why they think abortion is wrong. These places are oftentimes religiously affiliated organizations whose primary goal is usually to convince you to not have one. In some cases, they provide moral or limited financial support for women who are going through particularly troubling, yet wanted, pregnancies. They do not refer to or support abortion clinics or your right to choose, they don’t refer to places who provide birth control, and they oftentimes have a cut-off for how long they can actually provide assistance to women in need (i.e. once the child is 1 year old.)

To our patient readers, we have a few tips for dealing with pro-life protestors that may be on the outside of our clinic during the next 40 days:

1.) You don’t have to stop your car for them. Sometimes, our protestors will try to stop you from entering the clinic. The first way is by trying to flag you down as you drive in. It is illegal for them to stop your car and/or block the driveway into our clinic. Call us, or let us know if they try to.

2.) You don’t have to take their materials.  ”No Thank You” should be enough. During 40 Days For Life, a lot of protestors like to pass out all sorts of “treats” for the women coming in to see us. From miniature plastic fetuses to pamphlets with gory pictures and sometimes misleading information, a simple “No thank you” should be enough to let them know that you’re not interested.

3.) But if it’s not… and you feel intimidated, call us if you have a cell phone handy. We will send a staff member to personally escort you inside, if we don’t have one waiting outside for you already.

4.) You do not have to give them your name or phone number. We have had instances in the past where pro-life protestors have used this information to personally harass our patients, if they choose to have an abortion. This may be unusual, but it has happened. You do not have to give them any personal information, whatsoever.

5.) They are not allowed on Whole Woman’s Health property (and we are watching!)… The outside of all of our clinics are equipped with security cameras, for patient protection.

Some of them are truly nice people who simply don’t believe in abortion and would like to convince you not to have one because of their own personal reasons, and then some of them will judge and yell and try to make you turn back around or feel guilty (or whatever their goal is). But these aren’t the people who know you best, and they certainly aren’t the people who will be responsible for your pregnancy and/or child for the rest of your life. You are.

Having an abortion does not make you a bad person. Be confident in your decision, whether it’s abortion or childbirth, and remember these tips over the next couple of weeks! We trust your decision, whatever it may be, and we are here to support it.

We have some exciting news! Tomorrow, February 14^th, 2012, Whole Woman’s Health will begin serving women in the state of Minnesota. After almost 10 years of serving women in the states of Texas and Maryland, we are more than thrilled to now expand into the Midwest and to the homeland of our Founder and CEO, Amy Hagstrom Miller. Ya sure you betcha!

Most importantly, it is our honor to carry on the legacy of the famously feminist Midwest Health Center for Women. The work this center has done over their 30 years of business has been phenomenal. They have served the community kindly, effectively and passionately. They are fierce reproductive freedom fighters with a solid reputation, both locally and nationally. We are humbled and honored to take the reins from here.

Whole Woman’s Health of the Twin Cities will continue to provide abortion care to 16 weeks, as well as low-cost gynecology care, including birth control and walk-in pregnancy testing. We welcome those women who have been long-standing patients of Midwest, as well as new patients.

We also want to extend a greeting to those women who may have seen Midwest as something more than a resource for healthcare. Clinic escorts, volunteers and fellow feminists of Minnesota, we cannot wait to shake each of your hands and work together with you to empower our community while serving the women and families who need us.

Today we’re raising our glass to the Midwest Health Center for Women, the health of women and families in Minnesota, and to a new chapter (albeit, with thicker coats!) for Whole Woman’s Health.

Cheers,

Amy Hagstrom Miller and the Men and Women of the Whole Woman’s Health Team

Yesterday, we officially launched our new mobile website! While it may not be a real ‘app,’ it functions like one, and we’re very happy to see that people are already using it to make appointments, direct phone calls and learn more about our services. Here are our top 5 favorite features. Feel free to visit us on a mobile device and try them out, yourself! (It’s okay. We won’t get mad if you’re not really setting an appointment. We promise.):

1. Call the Empower-Line! Now you can call us to set an appointment or ask questions in one click!

2. Booking Request – Much like our ‘Make an Appointment’ feature on our website, you can now give us all of the information we need to save an appointment for you. Just let us know which clinic you’ll be going to, your LMP, your phone number and name, and we’ll give you a follow-up call with instructions and your appointment time.

3. Call Me Back – Can’t chat on the phone just yet? Leave your number and name, as well as a time to follow up with you, and we’ll get back to you at your own convenience!

4. Leave a Message – Just like a text message, you can ask questions (or just tell us that you like us) with the click of a button. We can then respond to you via email or by phone.

5. Tell a Friend – A lot of people find us themselves, and then alot of other women have a whole crew of people helping them through this situation. This is one for the support-people. If you come across our website, you can now send it directly to your friend via email, facebook or twitter. Try it out and tell a friend!

You can play around with it on your browser by heading here: http://wholewomanshealth.mynetworksolutions.mobi/ Tell us what you think!

A few weeks ago, I saw Sarah Weddington sitting at a restaurant. I might have been the only one in the place who recognized who she was, but I can guarantee you, that woman had more to do with the past, present and future of reproductive rights than anybody else in the room. Sitting at that table was the woman who argued Roe Vs. Wade in 1973 – and won. Sitting at that table was the woman who made abortion legal in the United States.

She secured a future for women that was safe, respectable and compassionate. She welcomed women out of the corners, dirty hotel rooms and back alleys, and into safe, clean and state-inspected facilities. She emphasized the words Privacy and Choice in front of the Supreme Court and made sure women and families have both, when it comes to their own medical decisions.

39 years ago, and even before that when it was illegal, women were helping women obtain abortions, whether it was by raising funds for them to travel to a place where it was safe, spreading knowledge of who and where to go to, or even how to end a pregnancy at home… It was around the early 70s that women like Merle Hoffman began founding clinics specifically for women who were backed into this corner, and now there are over 600 providers in the United States.

Roe V. Wade is getting older, and it’s unfortunately not aging so well. Flat out: There are people that want to reverse the Roe V. Wade decision and make abortion illegal. Still. They want to be able to take your personal decision – maybe the one you’re even making right now – and make it for you. They want to be able to tell you when, how, who, why and where you’ll be able to get an abortion. They want to make it expensive for you. They’d really love it if there were no option but for us to go back to having to share secrets, use extremely unsafe methods to induce abortion, raise funds for travel, or just plain give up and have a child, no matter how we might feel about it, or how prepared we are.

Well, we’re not stepping backwards. We’ll give each other ultrasounds at their command, we’ll turn abortion into a 2-day procedure, we’ll say what they want us to say, but they will ultimately never – ever – make abortion illegal for us again. Not on our watch. At it’s core, abortion care has always been about women helping women in need. If you’ve been a patient of ours, if you will be a patient of ours or if you just like what we do, help us by standing with us for abortion rights – for your rights. Join the fight yourself. Honor Roe V. Wade, Sarah Weddington, Merle Hoffman, and the ladies that still fight for us daily by donating, volunteering, talking about it with a friend, sharing your abortion story, showing support to the woman who has one, sharing your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or your own blog, or just simply thinking about what the world would be like, if we lost this right.

Let’s not just appreciate what we have while we have it – let’s keep working to ensure that it’s ours to keep, forever.

Re:  Recent Ruling on Sono bill implementation from the 5^th Circuit

13 January 2012

Whole Woman’s Health, LLC and its affiliated companies have provided quality reproductive health care in Texas for almost a decade. We are proud of our distinguished record of excellent medicine and compassionate support for women and families.  We know that every day, good women have abortions. We understand that facing an unplanned pregnancy is about much more than a medical experience for women. The feelings and values that women explore during this time are very important to respect. Whole Woman’s Health is committed to treating women with the dignity they deserve. What legislators and judges are doing in Texas is cruel and unjust to women and it is embarrassing in light of what America is supposed to stand for to the rest of the world.

The new Sono law in Texas is insulting to women. The law is offensive to physicians. These regulations are not related to medical necessity and they disregard women’s feelings and wishes. This law is not related to good healthcare and disregards physician’s expertise and specialized training. The people who support this law need to stop pretending it is about informed consent. Women who seek abortions know they are pregnant. Women do not choose abortion lightly. They know if they continue being pregnant the odds are that they will have a baby. Because they know this they are seeking an abortion. Women know the facts; 65% of our patients at Whole Woman’s Health are mothers already. They have seen many ultrasounds; they know exactly what a baby looks like. And because they know exactly what is involved in caring for a child, they are seeking to terminate their pregnancy.

Women have always had and needed abortions. Restricting access, cutting off insurance coverage, shaming and insulting women, and targeting abortion providers – none of it prevents abortion. Making women listen to the heartbeat and hear a description of the fetus is not going to change her mind about abortion. All it can really do is add another obstacle for women to navigate, and in the process, make her feel bad about her decision.

Women will do whatever it takes to get an abortion when they want or need one. They already fly or drive hundreds of miles to get the care they need, they already borrow money to help pay for their abortion. They sign whatever paperwork they have to, they watch whatever movie they have to, they listen to whatever script they have to, they come in how ever many times they have to – 2 or 3 or 4 days. And now they will have to make another trip, drive more, sign more forms, pay for more childcare, listen to the heartbeat and listen to a graphic description of the fetus.  But still, women will need abortions and women will do whatever it takes to terminate a pregnancy when they know in their hearts and minds that it is not time for them to bring a life into this world through their bodies. They always have, and they always will.

Women are good, heartfelt, ethical and moral agents. Women who seek abortion because they cannot care for a child are doing what is right and we all know it. The vast majority of Americans know women are ethical and compassionate and trust women to do what is right. We cannot stand by and let these wing nuts hijack the very values of liberty and justice that this country was founded on.

Shame on you heartless, cruel bullies. I challenge you to look into the eyes of a woman at her time of need and try and explain to her why this new law is supposed to help her. It is cruel and it is wrong. Every day good women have abortions in Texas, and every day Whole Woman’s Health clinics will be here to provide them compassionate care with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Amy Hagstrom Miller

Founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health

That same night, in the Austin community where our Headquarters is located, it was the beginning of a homicide and double assault investigation, regarding the murder of a woman who volunteered her time empowering young girls at the Girls Rock Camp of Austin, the assault of a female pedestrian and the home invasion and sexual assault of another woman in the same neighborhood. It’s also been the beginning of questioning how safe we are, even after calling the police, if we are attacked in our own neighborhood at night.

Luckily, nobody was harmed in the women’s clinic fire. And there’s no comparing a burnt down building to the murder of a young woman. However, when it comes to safety and the way women interact with the world we live in, we say enough is enough, no matter the charge.

If women deserve to feel as free in this world as anyone else, then what is this ever-looming threat that women are faced with, whether at work, at the Doctor’s office or in their homes?

The truth is, we don’t deserve to lock our doors more tightly, to be afraid to live alone, walk alone or sleep alone, because we are women. We also don’t deserve to be told what decision is best for us, where we should work, with whom we should have our healthcare appointments and what to be told when we do. We don’t deserve to go to sleep thinking about clinic protestor mug-shots, or police sketches and we certainly don’t deserve to live in fear of arson, murder or rape.

We’re calling out these two events for what they are: Targeted violence against women, their bodies and their lives. It’s about time for us to start feeling safe.

This year, like last year and all of the years before, we will not only be standing up, but we will be taking steps against violent crimes directed towards women, the welfare of their bodies and their lives. Every single Whole Woman’s Health Clinic is a safe place to call, receive counseling, referrals and support from if you are in need. Make it a resolution to walk with us towards the end of that long tunnel this year.

We hope you all stay safe, keep it positive and feel as free as you should be in 2012.

Thanks to a recent study carried out by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, it turns out the answer is a solid “no.” Women who have abortions are not at a higher risk for mental health disorders than women who carry a pregnancy to term. The “abortion = depression” myth is just one from a list of myths that anti-choicers like to use to scare women out of a decision they might have chosen otherwise – abortion. The full report (all 252 pages of it) is pretty comprehensive, even dedicating a large portion to a review of past studies on the same topic, their results, what worked and what didn’t, and how to improve on them to yield more accurate results.

Ultimately, it states that whether you’re confident about having an abortion, adoption or carrying to term, an unwanted pregnancy is difficult to face. Neither abortion or child birth are the sole cause of depression after an unwanted pregnancy. Some women regret abortion in the same way that some regret childbirth and some regret adoption.

That said, it may be safe to say that most mental health issues experienced post-pregnancy are symptoms of a deeper problem – that the decision a woman made wasn’t what she wanted.

We suggest that the easiest way to avoid negative feelings related to an unwanted pregnancy is by making sure that the decision is yours, untainted by others beliefs and wishes, and that it aligns with what you want for your own future. With every difficult decision, there may be numerous outside forces that persuade you to do something that you know isn’t right for you. In the end, you are the one who lives with those decisions. Make them your own, with confidence.

Depending on your particular plan, this could mean either all or some of the procedure will be covered by your insurance company. Call our Empower-Line to talk more about the benefits that your insurance plan may offer – including IUD insertions, birth control prescriptions and more, at the time of your appointment. Our insurance verifier will work one on one with our patients in need of financial assistance to ensure you get the most out of your particular insurance plan.

This is good news that we know will help a number of women manage the sometimes overwhelming initial cost of the procedure! Let us know if you have any questions by emailing us here: info@wholewomanshealth.com OR by calling our Empower-Line here: 877-835-1090

We’ve had some amazing discourse in some of our blog’s threads – some even leading to personal relationships, involving real, healthy, open-minded conversation. And then recently, after an article “tsk tsk-ing” the fact that we provide women with options at our facility was published, we’ve received some comments that refer to us and our staff as: “pro-aborts.” “Pro-choice bitches.” “woman haters.” “disgusting.” “sick and twisted.” We’ve had enough of that.

We’ve had a large banner made by hand from a good friend with a good message that made some of our patients feel more confident about a decision that they’d already made as they enter our clinic, despite the judgmental screaming in the background, stolen from our property. We’ve had enough of that.

We’ve had a break-in, with a considerable amount of damage done to our facility that makes us pause and question our own physical safety in our place of work. We’ve had enough of that, too.

This week, despite everything that has been thrown at us, we will be working ten times harder to see that women’s questions are answered on the phone, appointments are made and that women experience the patient-centered, open-minded, non-judgmental, woman-first healthcare that she expects from us when she comes in to our clinic. We’re going to work with her schedule to make sure she can be seen by a physician. We’re going to offer a walk-in appointment for a free ultrasound or free pregnancy test, if she needs it. We’re going to bend over backwards and contact every abortion fund we know of to ensure that she can afford the procedure that she has decided she needs, without the prodding, encouragement or input of anybody outside of herself. We’re going to speak to her, and her alone, to ensure that it is her decision, she has all of her questions answered, she knows how the procedure is performed, and how to take care of herself afterwards. We’re going to make her hot tea while she’s recovering from a surgical procedure, in a comfortable bed. We’re going to be on call for her 24 hours a day. We’re going to visit with her at a follow-up appointment to make sure she’s feeling alright. We’re going to trust that our Room Women project and the women we’ve named them after inspire some of our patients to think about their capabilities as human beings – and more specifically, as women. And that they may be inspired by or even initially exposed to the number of diverse, strong, female leaders and their artwork, poems and quotes from every walk of life, religious affiliation, cultural identification, that we’ve surrounded ourselves by in our clinics.

Whole Woman’s Health has been working to transform healthcare for a long time now, and both we and some of our patients are in awe of what we’ve accomplished. This isn’t an average medical procedure, therefore this isn’t an average medical office. Though we may put up with a lot of name-calling and push-back on a daily basis, it’s mere fodder for the work that we do. We listen to women’s stories. We trust that they know what’s best for themselves. We provide procedures in safe, aggressively inspected facilities that if illegalized would be otherwise provided in unsafe conditions and would ultimately harm women in great numbers. We believe in what we do, and that the women that we see will choose the path that leads her to her own, personal definition of happiness and stability.

We’d like to thank everybody for reading, especially those who read with an open mind, and understand the fact that every individual has their own opinion, belief and path that they should feel free to follow. It is worthy of respect, without harassment from others.