'You feel unseen': Annual Plan C bake sale takes on new meaning ahead of possible Roe v. Wade reversal

Natasha Gaskill remembers one week of her 16th year well. She had two doctors appointments — one to fill a cavity, the other to abort an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.

For Natasha, neither procedure was more traumatic than the other.

"It wasn't a big deal. There needs to be some normalizing around the fact that (an abortion) is literally healthcare," said Gaskill, now a mother of two sons and owner of A Squad Bakeshop and the founder of Plan C: Cookies for Choice, an annual bake sale that raises funds for Planned Parenthood Southeast in Savannah.

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As the Supreme Court decision that could strike down Roe v. Wade — the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that held women have the right to abort pre-viability (24 weeks) without undue interference from the state — looms closer, Savannah bakers are coming together for Plan C's third annual bake sale, where close to 30 volunteer bakers sell 200 boxes of assorted cookies to support reproductive rights and access to safe abortions.

Gaskill started the fundraiser in 2019 after learning of one in Atlanta, and decided to start one in Savannah as the political agenda moved toward restricting access to abortions nationwide.

Gaskill said the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, revealed in a verified leak from Politico, reminded her of how she felt when former President Donald Trump was in office from 2017-2021.

"Women don't matter. Our opinions don't matter about our body. What we choose to do with our body doesn't matter," Gaskill said. "You feel unseen in this conversation that's all about what is inside of your body."

Should the court vote to overturn the 1973 ruling sending the determination back to the individual states, a state law could go into effect in Georgia that would outlaw any abortions passed six weeks, or when a fetal heartbeat is detected. The 2019 law is being challenged in Superior Court, and a decision on its legality will probably be made after the Supreme Courts vote this summer.

Last year, Plan C raised $20,000 for the local Planned Parenthood clinic, which provides affordable and safe reproductive services, including gynecological exams, birth control, mammograms, and abortions, in the Savannah-Chatham area. Nearly 30 chefs and restaurants participated, but the numbers have dropped this year.

Gaskill said the lower participation stems from staffing challenges plaguing the restaurant industry, and online targeting some chefs experienced after participating last year.

"There was just a lot of damnation and calls on our character," Gaskill said about some of the negative response they received last year. "But I don't care."

Private chef Rubi McGrory almost opted out of this year's event, but decided to bake her pandemic-era recipe for "jammy shortbread bars."

"Baking is my superpower," McGrory said. "I am not the kind of person who feels really comfortable standing in front of a crowd and getting them all riled up or anything like that. I'm not the kind of person who's gonna go out and get in hardcore debates with people. This is a way for me to use my skills."

Cookies from 23 local chefs at restaurants like Savoy Society, The Grey, and Sea Wolf on Tybee will fill boxes sold for $60. The boxes are pre-sold online, but any extras will be sold at the event's tent at the Saturday Forsyth Farmer's Market. T-Shirts designed by local artist Panhandle Slim will also be for sale. All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood Southeast.

Activist-based bake sales are a nationwide trend right now, Gaskill said. Bakers Against Racism is a Baltimore, Maryland-based fundraiser that raises money for racial equity and, most recently, to provide aid to Ukraine. This year, Gaskill hopes their money can go towards ensuring the protections afforded in Roe v. Wade are cemented into federal law, which President Joe Biden, D, has vowed to help accomplish.

"We're trying to figure out how we turn this from something so volatile that can be taken away into something that can no longer get taken away," Gaskill said. "And that's gonna take cash."

The event wasn't scheduled in the wake of the Roe v. Wade news last week, Gaskill said. It's always on Mother's Day weekend.

"It's totally by design, because motherhood should be a choice."

Zoe covers growth and how it impacts communities in the Savannah area. Find her at znicholson@gannett.com, @zoenicholson_ on Twitter, and @zoenicholsonreporter on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Plan C bake sale to benefit Planned Parenthood