Facebook
(The following is part of our weeklong Roe v. Wade Blog-a-thon)
A lot of celebrating has been going on this week, and with due cause. Not only have we seen the swearing in of a man who appears to buck the trends that our country has unfortunately followed for hundreds of years, we also see another year of Roe v. Wade ticking by, still holding strong.
Roe v. Wade holds a very special place in my heart. Growing up in a moderately conservative area of the south in the nineties, sex ed was minimal. Young women were still openly shunned for unplanned pregnancies.
As a sexually active young woman, I took it upon myself to be the "hookup" for my sisters in high school. I was always prepared with condoms and packs of HBC that could be used for emergency contraception, if necessary.
Then I got my first request for abortion information.
While I had been armed with a general knowledge of Roe v. Wade, I took this opportunity to really do my research and find out what exactly this monumentally historical ruling meant for the young woman who had asked for my help, and what it meant for all of the rest of us, too.
What it meant was that she had a choice. She was able to finish school with no one any the wiser, without the social stigma that came from being "that pregnant girl" that wasn't allowed to continue her involvement with extra-curricular clubs and priveledges.
It meant that we ALL had a choice. It was an honor that we were able to make this decision for ourselves when we needed to.
My "mission" from that point on was not only to provide these girls, these friends, with information and tools, but also to provide them with history and instill in them the pride that I had because the women before us had fought and won. It was my "mission" to make sure I did everything to ensure that these sisters would join me and many others in the ongoing fight to make sure that Roe v. Wade would continue to protect the girls that came after us, and those that came after them.
I proudly display a t-shirt today that says "Roe v. Wade All The Way" while my four year old rocks her "My family is pro-choice" shirt. I've stopped off at the clinics that I've visited for years and brought them little treats, just to say "Thanks."
Somewhere, somehow, I hope that someone close to them has taken Linda Coffee, Sarah Weddington, and Norma McCorvey aside today and thanked them on behalf of the women like me everywhere who celebrate the courage they had to fight for what was, and remains, right.
No Comments.
[Add New Comment]