Public Perception and the Weaponization of Shame
ON THE 47TH ANNIVERSARY of Roe v. Wade (a ruling which didn’t begin abortions, but ended an era of women needlessly dying from them), and against the backdrop of anti-abortion measures being pushed through state legislatures across the country in record numbers— in the year 2020 — I am once again thinking about the time, just a few months ago, when my sister texted me this question:
“Without using google, what percentage of pregnancies would you estimate are terminated in the United States?”
As I stared at her text, blinking, it dawned on me that, despite how passionate I am about reproductive choice as a fundamental human right, I had absolutely no idea.
I thought about the fact that there are several states down to low single digit numbers of abortion providers. I thought states like Missouri, where there’s only ONE abortion provider left in the entire state (and the state recently had to back off a new cruel requirement of state sanctioned sexual assault in the form of compulsory, medically unnecessary vaginal exams on women prior to their unnecessary three day waiting period before terminating a pregnancy).
I thought about my own circle of friends and the sum total of first hand stories I’ve heard over the course of my life as a 48 year old woman. Not exactly scientific, but…
