Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Columbus, OH
I share my story because abortion was an easy choice for me to make. It was empowering and not difficult or sad as I had believed in the past. Abortion can be beautiful. My abortion was beautiful.
How I honor my abortion: I honor my abortion by doing work that brings us closer to liberation and Reproductive Justice.
There’s a good chance that you support abortion rights if you clicked on this story. You may already suspect that the title of the article is purposely attention-getting and even mildly tongue-in-cheek. You understand that there is no perfect reason to have an abortion; or, rather, that every reason is the perfect reason — as long as the person making the choice was able to decide for themselves, and follow through on that decision without unwanted interference.
For some, beautiful probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind when thinking about the process of getting an abortion, especially in states hostile to it. In fact, navigating the plethora of anti-choice restrictions across the United States can seem anything but beautiful; it can feel terribly overwhelming and invasive, particularly for low-income people, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and young people under 18 who have to go through the process of a judicial bypass.
After navigating various political obstacles to access abortion in the first place, the decision to share our stories should be our choice, on our terms, and when we feel ready. While abortion storytelling can be an empowering experience, if it leads to harassment, including death threats and sexual harassment, like the study found—even when the storyteller uses a pseudonym or alias—then there is clearly always risk involved.
On January 2, 39 GOP Senators signed an AMICUS brief urging the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that secured the legal right to abortion. In the brief, these senators, along with 168 Republican members of the House, asked the sitting Supreme Court Justices to revisit and overturn Roe v Wade when they consider a case based on a Louisiana law that could severely limit access to abortion in the state.
During Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, actress Michelle Williams used her win for best actress in a limited series to emphasize the power of supporting working women in all aspects of their lives, including being able to choose what to do with a pregnancy.
