Last night I made a Google Search for something that as a self-proclaimed feminist and pro-choice person I should have made long ago. Prompted by my newfound knowledge that Whoopi Goldberg had a coat hanger abortion, I wanted to know more about that process. As horrible as that sounds, I just needed to understand what that was.
That simple search changed my life,
We talk about back-alley abortions as this unimaginable, not-so-distant past that we never hope to repeat. Right now, with the impending appointment of a new Supreme Court Justice, there is a likely chance that the legality of Roe v. Wade will be examined. This could push us back 45 years and usher in a new generation of women risking their lives to end a pregnancy.
This new Justice could be held responsible for a new string of deaths. From women bleaching their uteruses, attempting to "stab" their fetuses with a needle, overdosing on drugs believed to induce labor, or the infamous coat hanger. None of these are safe options. They pose an extreme health risk to the mother and, if the fetus were to survive, it would face life-altering effects.
Roughly 68,000 women die each year from unsafe abortions worldwide, and this number would only increase with the passage of anti-women, anti-safety acts.
So let's think about the reality of the situation. Pro-life advocates advocate for life, right? But for who? The fetus who isn't even born, or the woman who is risking her life?
And okay, let's take this a step further. Once the child is born, who will care for it? What if it faces a life of uncertainty, from parents who don't want it or the potential for extreme medical danger?
And what about the women who can't safely carry a pregnancy, and know that if they do there is a chance they will lose their own lives? Shouldn't Pro-Life supporters want these women and the future children to be safe?
My late-night search broke my heart. This isn't a future that I want to live in. This isn't the world I want for my daughters and granddaughters.
Maybe I'm selfish for wanting safe abortions, or maybe I'm not. All I can do is march and vote and plea with the higher powers to make the right choice.
Make America safe for women.
