Why am I so fiercely pro-choice? My own life is the reason but it is so much more. The sense that women do not have agency over their own bodies and lives infuriates me. Why do politicians want so much control over this issue? I think I know why. Why do people take sides without knowing the thousands of nuanced reasons have abortions? I think I know some of the reasons. Today the country is literally using this issue to determine who will be the President of the United States! All the while, women and doctors are fleeing red states to save their own lives and careers (doctors fleeing) leaving the less fortunate to suffer and die- in America 2024!
Abortion is not a cut and dry decision made by a person that results in a terminated pregnancy at a specific point in time in a pregnancy. There are literallly thousands of situations and reasons that women choose to abort and none of those reasons is anyone else’s business- it is between that woman and her doctor, her family and her God. Politicians have no say in this!
Why do politicians think they should be controlling women? The reasons are many and they are all despicable. Politicians (Republicans), want to control women’s access to reproductive care including abortion claiming to be “pro- life”. This lack of access affects every part of a woman’s life and well being. Examples listed below:
- A woman who is forced to carry a pregnancy that she does not want causes extreme mental distress and suicide risks.
- Women who are victims of rape and incest subjected to forced birth are than abused again by the criminal who attacked them.
- Women in forced birth situations are denied opportunities in education and the workplace (all part of the Republican plan to oppress women).
- There are literally THOUSANDS of pregnancy complications that can cause the death or permanent disability or loss of fertility to a woman forced to carry.
- Women who miscarry or have a fetus with a condition not compatible with life and do not have access to abortion care can and will die from sepsis or other adverse outcomes of carrying a dead fetus to term.
- Women who don’t have full bodily autonomy are not considered full human beings but birthing machines for the state .
- Republicans have said out loud (Mike Johnson) that they must outlaw abortion to create more workers to support social security.
- Republicans believe that more white babies must be made available for adoption and they are concerned about being outnumbered by people of color.
- Abortion is a private decision between A WOMAN, HER FAMILY AND HER GOD!
- So called pro- lifers are really and truly “pro-death” of women and girls - using the phrase “baby killer” to further vilify them!
These extremists must be stopped and educated as to what abortion care really means. The rhetoric is dangerous and disgusting and endangering women and girls everywhere!
My Story
I had my first baby boy in 2004 with no complications and a happy, healthy pregnancy.
My next pregnancy came a little over a year later. We were so happy and excited! A happy ending was not to be as we discovered our baby died at 19 1/2 weeks ( I was 20 weeks). Our lives were turned upside down and the anguish was indescribable. I could not think or interact with anyone, I was inconsolable and devastated. We had amazing doctors that explained everything that needed to be done to save my life. My life was then prioritized which is the correct decision. The baby needed to be removed but since I had a prior c- section, I could not deliver the fetus - so we had a “dilation and evacuation” which is an abortion procedure for later losses. The doctors skilled in performing these lifesaving procedures are currently fleeing red states which is extremely dangerous for all women. I recovered physically and needed a support group to recover mentally . However , I went on to experience this very same scenario FOUR more times in a row. I was literally suicidal except for wanting to be alive for my little boy. The fifth baby that died also had a life-threatening complication called “placenta acreda”. This is when the placenta grows through the uterus and attaches to other organs. This removal of the dead fetus was so extremely dangerous, I was given Catholic sacraments - anointing of the sick and last rites. My poor husband was told that if they didn’t come out of the operating room in 2 hours that I didn’t make it. The operation was 4 hours and required balloons in my arteries to prevent me from bleeding out into the table and dying. All of these consecutive losses were SOUL CRUSHING.
With the help of some incredible doctors, we were able to go on and have a second baby against all odds. I’ll never ever forget these years of my life and I have PTSD from all of my near death experiences.
After all of this, I watch helplessly as the most extreme and draconian abortion bans are now preventing women like me from obtaining not only life-saving care but the ability to go on and have the family they want so desperately. It’s heartbreaking for sure, but for me I just feel rage. Rage against extremist Republicans who think there is a magic “number of weeks” that people should agree on that would acceptable. There is no magic number - pregnancy is a medical condition with complications throughout. These dire situations are not the business of any politician! I am alive with a beautiful family because of the protections of Roe V Wade which needs to be the law of the land again.
