Why this mother cares about protecting abortion rights
My husband asked if becoming a mother changed my position on the right to abortion. I paused for the briefest reflection and said what I knew to be true, “I believe in it now more than ever.”
I would never wish an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy or delivery on anyone
As a mother of two who loves her children more than words can describe
As a woman who had “easy” and “healthy” pregnancies that completely flattened me
As a woman who birthed a 9.5 lb baby and endured a displaced pubic symphasis and diastisis recti
As a woman who suffered perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), which started in my second pregnancy and changed my wiring in such a way that I still need to manage the shadows of it today (my children are 7 and 9)
As someone who often found herself at or beyond my capacity, even though I have “easy” kids, financial and housing security, and a devoted husband who provides and participates
As someone who believes in family planning
As someone who relies on birth control because my family is complete and I still want sex to be part of my marriage
As someone close to couples (gay and straight) who brought children into their lives through IVF and others through adoption
As someone close to women who choose to remain single and without children, and other women who are single mothers by choice
As someone close to families who have faced the decision to terminate or maintain pregnancies after prenatal testing revealed abnormalities, malformations, and unviability of fetuses, and risks to the life and safety of the pregnant women
As someone close to families who have endured miscarriages of wanted pregnancies and suffered the unthinkable death of a beloved young child
As someone close to adolescents, both girls and boys, who grappled, along with their parents, with whether or not to terminate pregnancies when we were teenagers
As someone who has empathy for survivors
As someone who has seen women inextricably bound to psychologically and physically abusive men who fathered their children
As someone close to women and men who have endured sexual abuse and suffer durable psychological effects
As a realist
As someone who believes the pursuit of consensual physical pleasure is a fact of life
As someone who can empathize with others who think abortion is killing, even if I don’t agree with them, even if they cannot acknowledge the validity of any other perspective
As someone who’s built a business devoted to helping moms because we live in a society that doesn’t
As a compassionate human being who understand this is not a decision made lightly
I would never wish an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy on anyone
I believe abortion is healthcare, and as such it should take place in medical settings such as hospitals and be covered by insurance.
I believe women’s rights are human rights.
I believe in our democracy.
I believe in supporting — with my vote, my money, and my time — political candidates and organizations who support women. Now more than ever before.
Mom-Win: Do your part
- Make sure you’re registered to vote (Search your state + secretary of state to learn how and the deadline)
- Make sure you know how and when to vote in your state (on election day or by mail-in ballot)
- Read up on the consequences of increasingly limited access to abortion including the intention, as written in Project 2025, to withdraw the abortion medication mifepristone from the market.
- If you can, give your time:
- Volunteer to work at the polls
- Volunteer for state- and national-level campaigns you believe in
- Write postcards
This post was all about the importance of protecting abortion rights. If this meant something to you, you might also like these posts from the archive:
All I know about diversity and inclusion I learned at my kids’ preschool
Black Lives Matter, My Limiting Beliefs Don't
Living Through the Unknown (Spoiler, unknown is all it’s ever been)
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