I live in California, and before that, I lived in Massachusetts. I knew exactly where I could get birth control and/or an abortion, and it didn't seem to be much of a big deal at all.
You've also lived near large cities, if memory serves. So do I, and I know precisely where I need to go. However, some women in the same state as me, the state I used to consider a "free state", have to drive over 5 hours to find the nearest abortion clinic. Women in Duluth and the Iron Range - the northern part of the state - have nowhere near them since the Duluth Clinic was forced to close. And now we have a mandatory 24-hour waiting period where the woman has to come into the clinic, get the informational pamphlets and the beejesus scared out of her by some trumped-up report that links abortion and breast cancer, and then has to come back the next day for the procedure. A lot of women can't afford that, and so a little more gets chipped away....
ETA: Or, what Jesse said.
IMPORTANT QUESTION!!!
A co-worker is jonesing for a Jamiacan Beef patty. As HR person, I feel I should do what I can to help the poor dude. Anyone know where one can get good restaurant or frozen ones in LA?
I think the urban/rural divide is even more important than the "red state"/"blue state" thing when it comes down to access.
This is true in my state, at least. The local weekly occasionally runs stories on the lack of abortion providers outside of the I-5 corridor.
Anyway, this year I'm more concerned about people who think torturing prisoners is OK.
I know nothing about beef patties in LA, Robin, sorry.
Probably not coincidentally, there's a recipe in today's NYT: [link]
I think the urban/rural divide is even more important than the "red state"/"blue state" thing.
There is a huge divide between urban/rural here in Missouri. Lots of issues come down to St. Louis and Kansas City vs. the rest of the state. It makes election results interesting because the results can be very misleading if one of the two urban cores reports late.
We've got a monsoon out here on the North Shore right now. And, of course, since the drought has baked the ground extra hard, all this lovely wetness is going to run right off into the sewers. Pity.
There is a huge divide between urban/rural here in Missouri. Lots of issues come down to St. Louis and Kansas City vs. the rest of the state.
Illinois is kinda the same way, except Chicago (and suburbs) is so huge compared to the rest of the state that we always get our way.
Southern Illinois is a little scary to me....
Wow, seriously? Totally clear downtown. So far, anyway.
We've got a monsoon out here on the North Shore right now.
It's not raining here (I stayed home from work today) but I'm watching the big-ass storm coming our way on radar.
