We need more advocates who are willing to tackle both the controversial and “safe” causes of the 358,000 maternal deaths that take place each year. Whether a woman risks dying from a botched abortion or from bleeding after childbirth, her life counts and every effort should be made to save it.
Being a queer mama of color, in all of the ways that we are queer mamas of color, means that we have to talk about race, immigration, disability, class, gender, gender identity, and sexuality. We have to name these things because they shape how, where, when, and why we parent.
This Mama’s Day, I encourage all women to stand up and say, "Mamahood by Choice!" Becoming a mama should always be a decision that a woman makes with her partner—and not because she doesn’t have access to family planning.
