On September 13, I will swim in open water - originally planned for the Statue of Liberty and now in a clean water lake, not for sport, but as a statement.

This swim is personal. My mother stood on picket lines demanding the right to choose, not for her but for my generation and all who would follow. I watched as girl friends struggled to come to terms with no access to safe care. And before Roe v. Wade, too many women died because they were denied access to reproductive healthcare and contraception.

In 2022, the Dobbs decision marked a devastating regression. Rights weren’t lost — they were taken. Today, women are being sidelined, stripped of control over their own bodies. And once again, women are dying.

So I’m swimming to raise at least $20,200 for Planned Parenthood to symbolize the Dobbs decision year — and to fund what still must be fought for.

This swim is for my daughter. For my grandchildren. For every woman who deserves to determine her own health and future.

Each woman has the right to decide her own fate — one made in consultation with her personal medical providers, not the government.