Why I am Pro-Choice.

I've always been pro-choice, call it the effects of being raised by a NARAL mother, my natural inclination towards being more politically liberal, or the fact that I'm a woman and it intimately impacts my life. My pro-choice support was milquetoast and largely theoretical, usually followed by the statement, "I support access to abortion, but I'd never have one."

And then, of course, I did.

The wrong guy at the wrong time at the wrong bank balance--the moment the test turned the wrong color I realized that my choice would impact the rest of my life (and his and potentially someone else's) and it became overwhelmingly clear to me that I should have the say in what direction my life would take--all I had prepared for and all that I wanted was at stake and hinged on my ability to make that choice. The very idea that a politician, a religious movement, or some nut in front of a clinic could or would want a hand in what was happening in my body, my future, and my world seemed obscene and ridiculous (until I realized that it was very much a possibility). In that instant, being pro-choice became so much more than a political affiliation, it became a right that I was willing to fight tooth and nail for.

And I did.

After my abortion, I started to escort at the local clinic. I've been threatened, intimidated, photographed, insulted, and almost maced (thank you leaf blowers for your instant brand of karma). I've had the nut on the corner threaten my life (he let me know he was anti-abortion, not necessarily pro-life). I've seen a such an incredible variety of women go through those clinic doors with stories and choices I can barely understand, let alone judge. I've given money and time to Planned Parenthood. I've had some difficult discussions about my choice to have an abortion with people in my life who would have just assumed thatabortion was a choice made by "other" people. Much of the activism has been unpleasant, but it's necessary and important work. The right to determine what happens to my body; to be legally considered as more than just a uterus; to know that the children who are born are wanted and provided for; to have a hand in what happens in my future; and the knowledge that other women are free to make their own choices--this is worth it and this is why I am pro-choice.