LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I chose, and it was my right

Posted

To the editor:

I chose.

In 1996, when I was in my late 30s, I exercised my right to a safe, legal abortion at a New York City hospital. The decision was not a complicated one. I was married and had a 2-year-old.

For a number of reasons, I had never wanted to have more than one child. In the 26 years since, I have never regretted my decision. It does not weigh on me in any way. I am glad that at a time when I made this decision for my life, I was able to do so safely and legally.

My privacy, and the right to privacy generally, is very important to me. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, however, changes the cost/benefit equation involved in my own personal privacy decisions regarding my abortion. I believe that we have reached a moment in which it will be helpful for people who have had an abortion(s), if they so choose, to share that fact publicly.

If they so choose.

No person should reveal that they have had an abortion if they choose not to. Should they choose to share that they have had an abortion, no person should feel compelled to reveal anything about their abortion.

I believe that, like people in the LGBTQ+ community who choose to “come out of the closet” — and like people who have suffered sexual assault and harassment who choose to declare “Me Too” — people who have exercised their right to abortion can help build the power of the pro-choice movement’s demand for the reinstatement of federal protection of abortion. They can help to normalize abortion by publicly stating “I chose.”

I am a white, cis-gendered, heterosexual woman, and thus a person with considerable privilege in our society. I stand in solidarity with those who will be harmed first and worst by the heinous decision of the Supreme Court. As the movement for Black Lives stated after the ruling was announced:

“Let’s be clear: Any limit on access to abortion disproportionately harms Black women, girls, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people, who have been subjected to a long history of reproductive control rooted in the brutal legacy of enslavement.

Denying access to safe, legal abortion and gender-affirming health services is a continuation of that troubling history.

“Full access to abortion care is a necessary component of freedom for all Black people. Banning abortion care is also an attack on poor people, who are disproportionately Black. In contrast, the wealthy in this country always have — and always will have — access to abortion care, regardless of the laws in place. The violence of these laws will only be inflicted upon those who cannot afford to be above them.”

Health care is a human right. Abortion is health care. I chose abortion.

The Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade attacks human and constitutional rights at their core. It is a profoundly racist and classist decision. It cannot stand.

Jennifer Scarlott

abortion, pro-choice, Jennifer Scarlott, US Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade,

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