We cannot return to my grandmother’s era where large segments of women could not access family planning education. Across the world, the legal and economic battle to retain reproductive rights for women is ongoing. In the process, these rights are slowly becoming a luxury for the wealthy. Poor, young, and marginalized women lack the resources […]
There are, without doubt, millions of people alive today in part because their parents did at one point choose abortion. It might not be the traditional way of celebrating Mother’s Day, but around this time of year I make a habit of taking some time to consider the many ways the United States screws over […]
From the pro-life protesters in my hometown to the voters in Alabama: If you support Roy Moore, you do not get to call yourselves pro-life. My hometown has an abortion clinic. It is Hagerstown Reproductive Services, situated between the driving school and the county license board. When you turn the corner on to Washington Street, […]
Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how easy it is to lose my autonomy and authority over it. I’m sitting here, 23 weeks pregnant. I felt her start moving about two weeks ago, bubbles and flutters that turned into a random jab, an unmistakable punch or kick. My friend sent me […]
Adoption is a complex billion-dollar business that often increases inequality. In their efforts to cure what they see as a moral crisis infecting our nation, the anti-choice movement has historically thrown their power, money, and influence behind their two favorite antidotes to abortion: abstinence-only education and adoption. In any era when reproductive rights are being […]
The more we become aware of how this unholy trinity of ignorance, silence, and shame is deployed against women, the better we can defend ourselves and our inherent ability to make the best decisions for our bodies and well-being. At 17 years old I found myself flipping through the Yellow Pages for answers. I needed a […]
And what to do if your child was told by someone else that abortion is wrong. In coming decades, better birth control like long-acting IUDs and implants may make elective abortion virtually obsolete. But for now, unsought pregnancy is still painfully common; over a million American women have an abortion each year. Women end pregnancies for many reasons, […]
Paul Ryan’s attempts to defund Planned Parenthood should frighten you. But the Panel’s recommendations should terrify you. Last Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan, announced attempts to defund Planned Parenthood during the Republican’s push to pass an Obamacare repeal bill. Immediately, and rightfully, outrage followed with an explosion of tweets, columns, and rallies in support of […]
Death is the one thing that connects us all, and yet, it is one area in which we are least prepared. Sometimes, spending a day in a car with someone you’ve never met can not only change how you think about death, but also change how you live your life. Years ago, I was driving to another city […]
It’s simple: I must not impose my beliefs, my choices, on others. As the presidential campaign has ground on, I’ve wrestled with a fundamental question: As a Christian who believes that life begins at conception and thanks God his son’s birth mother chose adoption, how can I not vote based solely on the issue of […]
My abortion allowed me to be the best mom I could be for the son I already had. When I became pregnant with my son, I was a 24-year-old sixth-year senior studying English, with no real prospects for a stable post-graduation life. It was a scary time in my life, even though it was also […]
Have you had the chance to sit and chat with a woman who was forced to give birth to a child? Hi, Donald. Can I call you Donald, at least for now? I loved “The Apprentice.” My mom and stepfather (let’s call him dad because I do) watched too. Sometimes when we got together we’d chat […]
