Saporta Reporter: The National Abortion Federation’s Blog.
I was surprised, though not shocked, to learn that one-third of women of child-bearing age have had an abortion by the age of 45. For too long this debate has been abstract, with the women who have actually lived these choices marginalized and shamed into silence. I think more women who have gone through this need to speak up, to denfend their right to do what they did and the rights of all women to have the same options in the future. For too long the other side of this issue has made it about the fetus- when does life begin, does the fetus suffer, etc. We need to take back the issue and make it about women again. Women take a huge risk, physically and emotionally, when they are pregnant. Women suffer from unwanted pregnancies, no matter what options they choose. Women die in incredible numbers when safe abortions are not available to them. Women are already living, breathing people with needs and wants, hopes and dreams, families and careers and futures that are affected by these issues, and women deserve the right to make medical decisions with the help of their doctors and without the interfearance of the government.