Planned Parenthood's War Against Healthcare Workers, Part 2

about migrant workers in China? Go for it? Yeah, Okay, So I'm gonna, I'm Gonna'm gonna, I'm gonna do a man for it. Okay, So alright, alright. So one of one of the sort of engines of Chinese economic growth for a long time is that China's economy is built on migrant labor. There are I think it's like two fifty million migrant workers. It's like like if you put them together as a country, I think I got to nine. If you put together as a country, it would be

like the fourth largest country in the world. And this was able to happen, you know, and like the sort of like the secret of the Chinese miracle is that it was a bunch of workers who were exploited horribly and they also had a lot A lot of these workers are coming from the countryside, and there's still sort of like kinds of forms of like communal landownership that

are left over from the socialist period there. And so what happens is you have these sort of like I don't know, like kind of socialist collective air like collective landownership stuff that's like basically subsidizing these workers so that they can move into the cities. And this means that their bosses have to pay like that their their bosses can pay them less because part of their income and part of their support network is coming from something that's

outside of the outside of the such a system. And that's what this reminds me of where it's like, this stuff is happening because of this incredible community mobilization and

like that's where the support is coming from. But that also means that like the actual like the organizations who are getting the most money and the most resources into are like you know, who are your bosses don't have to do that because it's it's you know, and this is the same thing with your labor to where it's it's you have these these like there's this way in which solidarity is mobilized as a way to sort of like stop gap the fact that these groups don't want

to pay people and don't want to give people the resources that are necessary, and so because it has to get done, people will, like, people will do it, and people will people will donate stuff, people will help support, people will do this work. But the thing that it winds up doing is that these people are never actually forced to see the full consequences of their actions. They're never never forced to like actually see what what the staff and decisions like does what what the fact that

they don't pay you anything? Like actually does they don't? They never have to face it because people are like desperately trying to patch the boat together so it doesn't sink. Yeah, I've been thinking a lot, like what would it be like if you know, one of our higher up managers turned away all of these patients and it was them, Yeah,

what if they knew what it was like? I remember picking up the phone a couple of weeks ago, and the only thing that I heard when I picked up that phone was a blood curdling scream like This was like a scream out of a horror movie. And then there were two thuds and then dead sides and I don't know what happened to that person. I I don't know if they were able to call back. I didn't call back because if that person is in danger right now,

I'm not going to subject them to any more danger. UM. There's a reason that when we dial out it's the restricted or block numbers. But it's moments like that that stick with you. And the fact that we're having more and more of these moments where like every other call is not like exactly to that level, but like emotionally still sticks with you. And just for some additional UM, just like to kind of like build out this kind

of like misogynistic context that we're working. And it's actually super common to get people calling in for abortion services, like in the middle of a fight with their partner. UM. I have had had like men like actively obstructing the caller and you know, I'm trying to schedule them, and they'll have me on speaker phone and everything and training me to and I was like, are you able to get to like another place because I can't hear you

over him? And you know, and he's like, I'm not doing anything, and I'm like I just need to be able to hear you, and like, um, yeah, so you do you get that because that's you know, because there's people want abortions for every reason under the sun, and it's totally fine. Um. People get abortions for lots of different reasons, but a common reason is because their partner sucks and he's a piece of ship. He was abusive and they got to get away from him. And that's

unfortunately common. And we're on the phone getting that. Sometimes we get to meet them in real life too, and that's always super fun. I always say that, I say to patients constantly that boyfriends either only go one of two ways when we meet them in our clinic. They're either wonderful and fantastic and very supportive um or they're

just the worst. And I've had patients boyfriends who literally, while this person is mid procedure will be like, you're being dramatic and need to stop, and they'll take a phone call yeah or something, but playing games on their phone and they won't look at anybody m or they'll actively leave their partner there. And these are people that like were their rides. Oh yeah, we've had people get abandoned. Yeah. Yeah, they'll just see like I'm done, I'm bored, and then

they'll just leave and it's just so frustrating. Lots of deal with We have a lot to deal with the staff. And I always tell people because I trained UM staff at the clinic, and I'm always like, we see everything here. And when I say I say that, I mean it. We see literally everything like you just and I'm sure there are other similar health provisions like health services that

it's kind of similar. We just kind of see everything, UM, but yeah, we we literally see everything because people when people come in for an abortion appointment, UM, like we don't just talk about the procedure, you know, we do birth control counseling, STD screening, UM, we provide resources for housing, legal support, UM, therapy, finding therapists, and we just we we do so much because we're providing a comprehend of

health care service. And again, like something that we tell patients is that they can expect to be here for like four hours six and it depends on the individual patients, their individual needs UM and what services we can provide for them. And sometimes patients need a lot of TLC and we're not going to rush that. Um, they're going to get the services that they need and they want, and we're going to do it on their time because they're very they're very fragile, and that's not the time

to run times through. They're not always so sometimes they're fragile and like sometimes they're like, let's get this done, you know, I just oh, yeah, I just want to the whole range of we get, we get. But sometimes they're very fragile. Yeah. We have had some really confident patients that I really like talking to though that they're very yeah, like ready to get it over with and are like thanks for being here, and they just my day.

I love it when we're like, oh, how do because we have to you know, we have to do like make sure that they're not being coerced in everything. And it's like, so, you know, how are you feeling about everything? And they're like, I feel great. I can't wait to

not be pregnant, and they're like dancing. Obviously that's nice, but you know, in reality, a lot of times when we ask someone how they're feeling and what's going on, we're like the first person to have asked them that in like two years, so then we're like opening up a space, which I'm so glad we get to do. Um. I love working with patients, I love the services we provide, UM.

But it's it's what what sucks and what's a failure is that I'm like the first healthcare provider to like ask them how they're feeling and actually care and like years, like we really get something. We get some patients who have been like shoot up and spit out by the health care system, and no one's ever given a ship and we all, we all are very good at giving

a ship. So um. Yeah, it really seems like just like everything that's wrong with this country gets thrown at like you specifically, because this is like like every every sort of like every bit of racism, every bit of sexism, like every like failure of the health care system, like every every like and it's not even like everything on a political level and on a social level that goes wrong with people's lives. Yeah, I think it comes up a lot with stigmatized health care UM like abortion and

then also hormotherapy I imagine was pretty similar. Is you're facing a lot of obstacles that are put up by the communities, the institution, and the health care system. The employer is like your family. There's a Remember we did an interview with a promotion activist from Mexico. One of the things that she was talking about was, um, she called it social decriminalization. Oh, is it kind of destigmatizing?

Like yeah, yeah, but it's like, like I think she didn't talk about it a huge amount, but it seemed like the concept behind it, it was like, Okay, so you have legal you have like legal criminalization, but then yeah, like social segmatization means that it's still not really legal because there's there's like there's you know, there's like social laws against the rights. You have to like deal with both.

And that that struck me as like a really I don't know, it's a really powerful like way to think

about it. I guess. Is it kind of like a moral thing where people think, like it's not okay to get an abortion, so you get like that pressure and that, Yeah, and I think and also I mean, like it's not it's it's it's the pressure like applied on a person from just like you know, like I mean in Mexico is a lot of like people who a growing up Catholic, right, but also like it's the pressure from your family, is pressure from your friends, it's a pressure from everyone around you,

and you have to like socially like legalize it. Because Crystal has been doing this work longer than I have. Like I said, I've only been working at our current job for a year, which I love. UM, But definitely when I started, UM, there were people in my life that I didn't think, we're gonna get weird about it, because I know a lot of liberal people. Most of all of my friends are very liberal, very open pro choice,

like very union friendly. And immediately I noticed that when I started talking happily about abortions, people would get really quiet and really awkward. Um, and they would be like that's great, I'm happy for you. But then that was like it like I couldn't and I'd be like no, but like abortions and then they're great, They're great. People need them. It's an essential service. And so I just upped up the anti more and I started talking about it a lot more. This is what I gotta do,

gotta weed out the week. Like if you're uncomfortable with my job, job, I'm not going to talk about it. But yeah, that is a component to like also on top of literally everything else, like um, you know, like how hard the job is and how then we got to like rally as a union and get better wages and and then we can't even sometimes talk about it because because the stigma like with friends or family, like I can't talk about my parents or I can't talk

with my parents about my job. So it's just like this whole big part of my life because I'm pretty much like an abortion access activist and I just can't talk about it and with them, which is just you know, it's it would be nice if I could, but I can't, and I just kind of deal with it. And then also um even tiny normal situations like getting a haircut or getting an uber, it's people ask you what you

do all the time. I lie every time, But that's a decision you have to make because sometimes I lie and sometimes I don't know what it is just going to tell the truth, and it's like a gamble because I've told the truth before and then an uber driver

starts praying for me. And then I've told the truth before and had someone um like open up to me, and then we have a great conversation and then I've told the truth before and had really awkward conversations were like I support abortion, I think some people have too many and it's like, why are you telling me to get out here? But um, yeah, this was a decision

that I made for myself personally because of this. One time I took an uber to work and I mentioned what I did, and then that guy um started like talking about me to the antis in front of our job and they were like talking about it was it was actually it was a woman. It was a it was a female Uber driver. I mentioned this to her um, and she went up and was like, I think that like what you guys are doing. It's like she was talking to the anti specifically. She was like, what you're

doing it is too aggressive. You need to buy the building next door, Oh my god, set up shop there and make it less antagonizing so people want to listen to you. And then immediately in the group chat, everybody was like, who's talking to the antis? And I'm like, I just mentioned that I worked there. Um. It was just a lot. So after that, I was like, on my way to work at the very least, I'm just not going to talk about it. I'm gonna be like

I work at a doctor's office downtown. It's like risk assessment. Yeah, I feel like the antis learned my name by listening for the uber drivers and I've got an uber drivers. They're like, who are you? What's your name? And I'm like, I'm not going to tell you because there's a dude standing there that wants to follow me. So you're gonna deal with that a brew driver. Yeah, we gotta switch

up patterns when we come into work sometimes too. And I do what I actually started, Um when I call an uber to work because I don't have a car all the time because I don't get paid that much.

But U when I have to uber to work, Um, I've started getting dropped off like somewhere else and just walking because it's just too too many problems, too much, Like I got, I get dropped off at like a different location, like a couple of blocks away from work, at a different spot usually, and then I just walk in.

Like if you you might just want to go to work and drink your coffee and you have like your uber driver joining the protests outside, it's like then it's worse because they know they picked you up, they know where you live and they know your name, your name, they want to shout your name out the door. It's like, because, yeah, the protesters learned my name and they like chant my name and we're like, I'll walk behind and like the

whispering my name. I'm like, what is this? This is kind this is kind of kinky, but like yeah, and we decide that they don't actually know who you are. They just like every do with banks. Yeah, yeah, yeah, So for the listeners, I have like pretty blunt banks. Yeah, but I'm not the only worker in the building obviously who has banks. But so everyone in the buildings like Crystal, Crystal. I think everybody with banks worts your worker named Crystal.

I guess that's reassuring, but also bad for other people with banks because they might get killed. Yeah, it's like funny but not funny. I'm just you got were trying to make light of it. We all we have to. Yeah. So the other thing I still wanted to ask about was Crystal. Yeah, you've had like the bosses doing disciplinary action for stuff that you've been doing in terms of unions stuff. We'll talk about that a little bit technically pre disciplinary, but I mean, like, what does it matter

because like the point is the same is is intimidation. UM. It's very easy to do, is to get your lawyer, get your HR and have them talk to someone, and then everybody knows about it because everybody talks at work and bad gas travels fast and UM, then they and the whole idea is to to scare people into not talking to reporters, not talking to UM people about what's going on. And I feel like it's difficult to talk about what's been happening like this is like I keep

saying it, it's a it's a national health crisis. It's a disaster, it's a tidal wave, it's a hurricane, and it's generational trauma. We're using all of these words, and then like I feel like being I'm pressured into not even talking about it because I'm talking about everything. I'm talking about how we're understaffed, I'm talking about how we're seeing patients from all over. I'm talking about, UM, how

how traumatizing it is. And for whatever reason, it's just more comforting for some of these organizations to hide under the table with their lawyer and just like shaking their boots and say, like we could be sued for this and we could be sued for that and what if

that happens? What if this happens? And like for me, it's like, well, you know what, what what if someone dies because we can't get them in and they can't get to us because of legislation and there being no health care infrastructure because part of healthcare is also getting to the appointment. Um, so if like none of that exists and like people are suffering because of it, Like I just can't keep my mouth shut about that. And I definitely feel like as like somebody a member on

the bargaining team, and I also am ced our rally. Um, I feel like there's been a lot of pressure on me and my big mouth. Um. I feel like I've they're trying to intimidate me and scare me. And I'm

blessed for a reasons. Number One, UM, my dad, who is otherwise conservative and doesn't support anything that I do, but he was a union stewart, and growing up, I would see him resolving conflict as a union stewart and that was very influential and inspirational to me because it really instilled some good values, even though we don't have

the same values obviously, but and you didn't. But there's that, Like I I developed like a strong sense of labor rights and labor activism from him and then too, my first career choice was a middle school teacher, so I've taught seventh and eighth grade for about seven years. So like, literally nothing scares me, because after you've talked to a cafeteria full of a hundred and twenty thirteen year olds, it's like that's it. That's like the scariest thing ever.

Um So I'm not really afraid of the bullying and the intimidation. Um, which is good because it definitely is very effective and I'm sure a lot of people would be pissing themselves, but um, I'm pissing uself a little bit, but I'm fine. Um, I have a second job after all that, Like that's like fun, the fact you have to work another job. Like and they're like one of the things I noticed is they're they're doing they're doing the working you for thirty five hours and not forty

because yeah, so don't benefits. I don't know. Like the impression that I get from this and I think that makes you really angry is like it really feels like like the like how worried they are about being suited. It feels like like the fact that that's sort of like the basis of all this, and just like they they they're behaving as if they've already lost and they're trying to like like claw and hold onto whatever they have.

But it's like if if if you're if you're fighting from the position of we have already lost, you're you're just gonna keep losing. And it's like and and and you know it's not just that it's like okay, like if they were just doing that, but then you know, like not passing, like not literally forcing everyone else who's working with them to also be in the same sort of defeatism, like it would be different. But it's like it's like no, that they're they're then inflicting that on you,

and it's just infuriating. Yeah. I think this also, um to segue to something that actually had happened to me today. Um as part of um, you know, being in a call center for an abortion provider is that we I think this instills like a sense of fear for providers as well, um, for their own personal safety. It just makes it feel bigger because you have all these other people would be like, well, it's it's like, these are all these things that could happen to you, this is

what might happen to you. UM. And I think that it makes providers have to evaluate, you know, their own risks to what they do. UM. And if you are somebody with not as strong values for this work, like it's not a strong an opinion towards this work, it

causes UM, you to just neglect patients because UM. I had an incident that happened today where we had somebody call UM from a different state where abortion is not legal, and they had their best friend in the car with them and they were like, my friend is like actively hemorrhaging. She's been like bleeding for days. UM, do you have like an emergency appointment? Like we could drive up to p A. UM, Like what do I do? She's been to her doctor three different times and they refused to

treat her because they like viable. And in my brain, I'm just shaking because I'm like, this is a h this is your job, Like you're the first thing as a doctor is to make sure that your patient doesn't die, and they might die and I'm not a doctor. UM. And so I was like, if your friend is losing so much blood that you are worried for her safety. UM. I know on the phone they were talking about how she felt like she was like getting dizzy and like

losing a ridiculous amount of blood. And I was like, I strongly suggest that you go to a hospital where um abortion is legal, since you're planning on, you know, coming up for an abortion anyway, UM, because in that case, they would have to treat you no matter what. UM. And if you know it's going to result in an abortion, then at the very least you're protected because you're here

in your cross state line. And I'm like, because any any hospital has to treat you, UM for something that's serious, and it's it's scary to think that there are definitely other other providers and other places where this kind of thing is also happening. UM. And I just worry that, you know, Um, what if I was ten minutes, Like what if I was two minutes late, what if I was thirty seconds? Like what if I told her to wait? Um?

Like some places kind of have to um or I told her that I couldn't help her, Like some places kind of have to with these laws. I don't think that I could live with the guilt of that. M hm um. It's just another another added trauma to the day. And I feel like a lot of people said and like these people suck, But a lot of people were

saying that, like stuff like this wouldn't happen. I know for a fact that I had so many I'm very vocal about oortion access in my work, and I've had people tell me like, people won't be hemorrhaging and driving across state lines, and I'm like, absolutely, they will be. Absolutely, And this was like a month ago, and then well

more than a month ago. Time goes fast, but like this was like prior to dobs, I should say, but um, and it's just when they were telling me, like I don't believe you, and I'm like, what do you mean you don't believe me? This is the most believable thing.

And then to have had people say that it wouldn't happen and to call me a liar and like a drama queen, and then now to like, I mean, I wasn't I didn't get a call like that, but like to hear like my coworker and like and then just like hearing it happened elsewhere, because like you know, we have comrades and and Union UM siblings in Ohio UM with other unions, and they've talked about it happening, and just so hearing my my um my peers talking about

it and just knowing like we knew this would happen, and we I just it feels like we just like walked right into it with no plan. There's still no plan.

People are still in cars drive across state lines while actively hemorrhaging, and I don't know what it will be done other than us workers really stepping up and hopefully the community then supporting us UM, because we can't do it without community support, like like Elizabeth was saying before, you know, oh, and Elizabeth was actually talking about before about the food that we've been getting from the community.

And this also made me think of what it looks like to turn up for workers in general, because you know, we're all workers here and like we know what it feels like where you're too busy to stop and eat and you're just going through your day and you're running

on fumes and you're exhausted. But the fact that our community was like feeding has been feeding us, and like turning up for us to the point where like I was, having good, healthy food confused me from day to day in that well since then and then it really got me wondering like, is this is what it likes? This is what it's like when you have well fed workers

and that are cared for. So, you know, if the only people answering the call for these these people who need healthcare are us, We're exhausted, we don't have time to go out and get food, especially since we've got people following us down the street whatever, um while we go get a hot dog trying to bother us, um. But then to have like the community bringing us food and then being well fed, it was just like, oh my god, what if all workers were well fed and

all communities turned up for their workers. Wouldn't that be so nice? And it got me thinking like like wow, this is like a really positive thing that is not really talked about. Like I mean, we talk about feeding people, but like what if workers were well fed? Like I don't like healthcare workers. It's just it's been really nice. And I love our community. Um, I love our city. I love the organizations that have been organizing it. We're

incredibly grateful. Yeah, they're fantastic, they're they're so good to us. Um. I know that for those couple of weeks where we had food in our breakroom, UM, I think we worked a lot better. Everybody was in much better moods. I didn't get shaky hands, you know. Yeah, we were all like really excited to see each other and talk to each other and talk about our days. Um just over like actually good coffee. And it was just a huge

morale boost to have the community supporting the workers. And then now we have the community coming to our union rally saying we support you, we want you to get paid more, we want you to have better staff, and that is just like so necessary right now because we need we need the community, we need everyone. What else can listeners who are decord like want to help but are not in the industry do just uh to support

you all well? And I guess on two levels, like one is like like what what can they do sort of in general in their communities and then to specifically to help y'all with your fight with the hospital clinic just a little clinic, just a tiny, little, tiny little guy. UM. I know that for us specifically, I think do what you do best if you are a person who likes to make art, um, we love seeing your drawings. We

love seeing like your handwritten notes. UM. If you're a person who makes a really good cup of coffee, or if you're a cafe who just wants to bring us coffee, we love coffee. UM. If you're a bakery that wants to donate like donuts or you know, cheesecakes, we will happily eat them. Um. Yeah. If you want to, like send us a bluetooth speaker so we can listen to

music during the day. Whatever you do best is what we would love as long as it comes from like you, comes from your heart, like we love um weighted blankets and fluffy things and snacks and just um all of those things that come like from the heart make us feel like it's worth it um at least from the community. UM. And things also that we don't have to think about um. Because as beautiful as make your own taco kids are, we still have to have time to make our own

tasso ta. Yeah. So if if there's anything that you could just like throw at us and it's already like put together, like assembled, has very little thought, like a um, a zombie or a toddler or a burnt out abortion worker and you know, put two and two together. We love those two. And you could also follow our union UM and there's actually a bunch of abortion care worker unions. We're not the only one, we are many. We are

legion UM. So you can really follow any of us and just boost what we need because right right now the p p F A union like New York City San Francisco is needing a lot of boosting what they're what they're doing. Goot Mocker union needs a lot of love and support. But our union UI Local six Night six UM. Our social media is at p p w P Union UM. Not to self vote, but if you go on there, there are videos of our rally and I need leader a shaped putata if anything wants to

see us busted open, it's pretty it's pretty cool. We busted open a Uterus shape pinata at our rally and as we brought up a UM union family child because it was it was the son of a local union member. We brought him up and we helped him splash the panada, the Uterus panada, and as he was swinging it was like, this is what we think about low wages. This is what we think about scotis, this is what we think about understaffing. And then candy just like burst out of it.

It was like a normal birth, you know. Yeah, glitter and candy pop out, very realistic. Actually abortions to people don't know this, but glitter always comes out during an abortion. Can confirm there's gonna be there's gonna be like three people who actually believe you. They're gonna they're gonna like tell their friend this, and their friends gonna be like,

what are you talking about that. You're like, no, no, I heard it on a podcast, or like the servings sprays glitter when you when you touch it, Dilating the cervix is really just opening it up so that it litter come out. Yeah. I guess. Well okay, so logistics wise, yeah, if you send me links, I will we will put them in the episode description. Um. Yeah, and yeah, I guess. Do you two have anything else that you want to say? Um? I don't think so, other than like thank you for

having guess. Um, this is super fun. We had a great time. Yeah, me too. Yeah, it was good. I love talking about abortion. Oh yeah, oh my god. Me and Elizabeth on the phone, just gabbing away, and we'll we'll be on twenty on a call twenty minutes talking to like someone who who needs help, and then we'll like get off and then we'll be gathering about whatever for like ten minutes and mostly TikTok's mostly TikTok. But um, yeah,

I know. It's it's so important too that we can be platformed as like abortion care workers, as union members, as people working in a stigmatized field during a crisis. It's very It means so much, and it's meant a lot to me to see how many abortion episodes this podcast, Like, yeah, you're really cover and everything. Yeah, I was looking them up and I was like, there's it's it's every angle of abortion care and I love it. We love to see my knowledge too, and we love to see it.

You're gonna run out of topics, so eventually, but you really should have an episode about the serve ex glitter. Yeah, so this will this will be our actually wait are you full episodes actually booked me the second apul fulls episode. More people need to know about this phenomenon alright, that this this has been make it happen here. Uh, you can find us in the places where you know where to find us, because we say this at the end of every episode. H yeah, thank you too. Again, thank you.

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