Facebook
Yesterday, I participated in the Summer Celebration of Choice. This event, framed by pro-choice groups as a peaceful presence, is a response to the Summer of Mercy 2.0 organized by Operation Rescue. The Summer of Mercy is a nine-day protest of Dr. LeRoy Carhart’s clinic in Germantown, MD, with the goal of “destroying” Dr. Carhart and shutting down his clinic. I like actively opposing abortion clinic protests because they’re just one example of the many things that make abortion inaccessible to all kinds of women. Other barriers to access include cost, stigma, parental notification laws, and much more. Until access is a reality, “choice” means nothing.
One thing I noticed while talking to various feminist, socialist, and abortion rights activists at the Summer of Choice was a new dedication to directly confronting the stigma surrounding abortion. I had many conversations with people about the need for abortion stories to be told more often and in more public spaces. Multiple people told me their abortion stories during the gathering in Germantown. It would make a lot of sense for the abortion rights movement to begin utilizing storytelling as a method of gaining support. A recent study done by the Public Religion Research Institute found that people ages 18-29 are more likely to support abortion rights if they know someone who has had an abortion. Storytelling campaigns featuring individual experiences can help people recognize the complexities of certain issues and see beyond oversimplified claims such as “abortion is murder.” It has worked in advancing the goals of other movements; LGBTQ –rights activists and undocumented DREAM activists can attribute much of their success to their own storytelling campaigns.
During the Summer of Choice gathering, I actually forgot that the anti-choicers were down the street protesting the clinic. The atmosphere at the peaceful presence was full of discussion, networking and friendly debate. Situations like these are wonderful for exchanging ideas and building relationships between different people and groups. Thank you, Summer of Mercy 2.0, for giving us a space to organize for abortions rights!
The Summer of Celebration of Choice will continue through Monday, August 8. To register and learn more, visit www.summerofchoice.com.
By Alicia Dudziak
