In 2023, 1 out of 5 patients seeking abortion care traveled to another state for care. When access to care was restricted in for folks in North Carolina, the next closest state for care was Virginia. People now travel from all over the Southeast to receive care in a variety of locations in Virginia. Since the physician workforce in Virginia is not able to meet that demand, doctors also travel there to provide care. In this episode, Jonas and Bev first tell their stories of how they ended up doing this work and then they take you to a clinic in Virginia where care is provided with fewer restrictions and a little bit of trail magic.
This episode is entitled “Trail Magic.” Here’s the link:
Trail magic is defined by the Appalachian Trail conservancy as:
“Finding what you need most when you least expect it.
Experiencing something rare, extraordinary, or inspiring in nature.
Encountering unexpected acts of generosity that restore one’s faith in humanity.”
Traveling two and half hours one way for a day of clinic is exhausting. Constantly fighting to maintain human rights for our patients is exhausting. For patients, the barriers to care they face are exhausting and at times insurmountable. Through these challenges, we find examples of “trail magic”, and the clinic where we work in Virginia is an example of that magic. For the two of us, making this podcast and working with Jane Marie has been part of the “trail magic”. Despite the challenges we face in our work, there is beauty in the resistance.
Last summer I wrote a perspective piece called “Trail Magic” that was published in JAMA. The positive responses from that article were heartwarming. The piece was really meant to be a love letter to all of those who are doing this work and still finding what they need most, when they least expect it. I think we can all use some hope and inspiration right now.
Photo: Bev and Jonas on the trail
It’s both exciting and sad that we have reached the finale of the season. Considering we really had no idea what we were doing or what we were getting into, we’re celebrating that we made something that has been meaningful to our listeners and our community We are grateful for all who have listened and spent some of their time learning about abortion and hearing some of the stories we have highlighted. We hope this has given you some of the tools to have fruitful conversations about a controversial topic. We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who agreed to be interviewed for the show and shared their very vulnerable stories with the rest of the world. We’re incredibly appreciative to our families for dealing with the fact that we took on an extra unpaid hobby/job for the past few months.
Our hope and plan is to see you back for a second season. We are taking a pause to rest and to raise some funds to support this ongoing work. If you are interested in supporting us, please reach out for more information about how you can support us.
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