Rachel Maddow and NPR had good coverage of Roe's 40th anniversary. Amanda takes a look at what they got right. Also, Captain Awkard comes on to tell everyone to love themselves. Well, most of you, anyway.
It's no big surprised that a majority of the under-30 set doesn't know the name Roe v Wade. After all, they grew up in an era where the debate about reproductive rights was about more than legal abortion, but also contraception and sex education.
Struggling clinics. Generational divides within the movement. Fluctuating poll numbers. Controversy over the pro-choice label. As a recent post by Tracy Weitz reminds us on the latter count, these are not new stories. But let me challenge the idea that we are losing.
Abortion or no abortion is a choice, but that is not the choice of the United States government, that is not the choice of men. It is the choice of that soul housed in that vessel that is the body.
People should be given the chance to make the decision whether to parent without judgment or stigma. Abortion is (or should be) an option. Women should not feel ashamed for doing what is best for them.
I grew up in a conservative area and had internalized some challenging attitudes about abortion, poverty, and the death penalty—attitudes aligned with policy that worked against my (and my family’s) interests. Still, I discovered that I was ready to drop everything for a friend who needed my help. Eventually, I learned to hold this level of compassion for complete strangers, too.
