Today marks the 39th Anniversary of Roe vs Wade, which ruled that abortion was a fundamental right under the United States Constitution. I was born with the right to choose by just eight years.... eight years. Prior, many women had no other choice than to seek illegal abortion care. The days of back ally abortions are dark and many women in desperate situations lost their lives and the stories of those are traumatic to say the least.
I've since spent the last 10 years working in the reproductive choice movement with Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation, a clinic in Maryland and most recently I had the opportunity to work for an abortion provider.
The choice when and if to parent seems like a 'no-brainer' to me. Don't we say that parenting is the hardest job you will ever have? If that's the case, then shouldn't every pregnancy be a wanted pregnancy? Women do not seek abortion as a form of birth control. It always made me laugh internally at the intellect of people who have said to me, "I'm pro-choice, but I'm against women who use abortion as a form of birth control". My reply, "I'd like to meet these women who like to spend $350 plus to spend one to two long days sitting in a clinic to have the contents of their uterus expelled". The reality is that we should trust women to make important parenting decisions. Sixty percent of women seeking abortion care are already mothers. They understand the responsibilities of motherhood and we should trust them with their choice.
On this anniversary we should remember, choice should not be a privilege of some but a fundamental right for women. Every woman's story is unique and personal. Dr. Tiller said it best, "Abortion is about women's hopes and women's dreams".
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