How to Really Defend Planned Parenthood

[Novara]

3. When I was young my girlfriends and I kept $200 in reserve in case we got pregnant

We were young (18-21) and we knew now wasn't the time to be tied down, so we kept our abortion funds in reserve. We talked about it. We drove each other home and we nursed each other through them. We didn't pass any judgment and there was no stigma. This was in the late 70s - early 80s. None of us planned to be pregnant and we all used birth control. But we knew that sometimes despite precautions, the unthinkable happened. Many of my friends had abortions. I didn't, but I was prepared, just in case. I knew where to go and I had money saved up. It was just something we all took for granted at the time. No judgment, no stigma. We talked about it and shared our stories with each other.

The defensiveness of abortion supporters pisses me right the fuck off. We don't have to be apologetic, we don't have to couch our support in bullshit like "abortions should be legal but rare." It's a constitutionally-protected right and a good choice for many women who cannot have a child for one reason or another. There should be no stigma. There should be no shame. Feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and keeping quiet about abortion only feeds into their narrative. When we do that, they win. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.