I have always been pro-choice, believing that every woman should make the best decision for themselves. When I got pregnant at 22, I was a new college grad, had just been fired from my shitty paying job, and my family was losing our home of five years. To top it off, I was having a baby with someone I knew wasn’t right for me. I shared with my then-boyfriend that I was considering abortion since neither of us could afford a child. He blasted the idea and condemned abortion on social media. Although he never said my name, I knew he was talking about me, and I felt deep shame. I was young, scared, and unhoused. I couldn’t bear the thought of other people condemning me, so I continued the pregnancy and carried it to full term. He told me he would take care of us. I believed him.
Shortly after giving birth, my child’s father and I broke up. The promises he made of taking care of our baby did not happen. It took me almost three years to find a job with a living wage and flexible hours to afford a home for us. If I did not have the support of my family, I do not know how we would have survived.
BlackLove.com Articles:
Why Every Black Woman in America Should Stand Up to the Abortion Bans
How I Healed After My Abortion and Helped Other Women Do the Same
The Black Maternal Health Issue You Haven’t Heard of: HELLP Syndrome
Whatever your reasoning for considering or getting an abortion, it is your right to choose. No one should feel bullied into making a decision that will impact you for a lifetime, not by a loved one, and especially not by the government. Having autonomy over your life plays a fundamental role in shaping well-being. The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade has made that autonomy of choosing when you will have a family much more difficult. And now more than ever, we have to unite to make sure we can make the best decisions for ourselves.
Best States for Reproductive Rights
Abortion is legal in the following states. Few to no restrictions exist, and abortion is accessible:
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- New York
- New Jersey
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Illinois
- New Mexico
- Montana
- Washington
- Oregon
- Nevada
- California
If you live in a state other than those listed above, you live in state where abortion is mostly accessible, restricted, or severely restricted. Sadly, abortion is no longer available in Texas, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, and Alabama.
Abortion Access Funds
The National Network of Abortion Funds removes financial and logistical barriers to abortion access for members. There are over 80 organizations in the NNAF network. And can connect you with a local fund to support your financial and logistical needs as you arrange for your abortion.
Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Dick’s Sporting Goods are among other companies that will reimburse travel expenses for employees who have to go to another state to get the procedure.
Social Resources
If you are looking for a virtual and in-person community that focuses on the health and reproductive rights of women, these five organizations can help you:
The Black Women Health Imperative is leading the effort to solve the most pressing health issues that affect Black women and girls in the U.S.
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, femmes, and girls.
Forward Together unites communities to win rights, recognition and resources for all families.
Power to Decide are working to ensure that all young people — no matter who they are, where they live, or what their economic status might be — have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child.
The Guttmacher Institute website provides up to date information of state laws and policies about abortion. They are a leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) worldwide.
How to Help a Woman in Need
There are many ways you can support a woman after she has had an abortion. Physical, financial, and emotional support are key during recovery. Check-in with her often by asking how she’s feeling and if she needs anything:
- Water
- Food
- Extra pillows
- Heating pad
- Pain medication
You can offer to drive her to and from the clinic, perhaps pay for the gas needed to get to the destination.
Lastly, consider donating to a local abortion fund to help someone in need. According to Fortune, the costs of abortion are skyrocketing. “The longer journeys clients must make to access abortion health care have substantially increased the cost of an abortion for patients and for the groups assisting them in states like Texas where abortion has been significantly restricted. Those costs extend far beyond the price of the procedure, and include childcare expenses, flights, hotels, lost wages from missing work, and more.”
There is still work to be done. Now is the time to join the fight. Abortion justice cannot wait.
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