It’s really weird that we get this story about a completely unlikeable female abuser who portrayed herself as a victim at the time when abortion, framed as the only choice anyone could make regarding their body autonomy, is being threatened. But we all know that it is larger than that, and the “populist right” with their shit eating grins know that too. And anyone with a brain knew how the right would position itself after the “blue” assault on bodily integrity became too big of an embarrassment to ignore any longer.

As someone who has always supported what is called “choice”, I’ve often said that the way to ensure that there are fewer abortions is to maintain their legality, safety, and accessibility. In such a world, poor, abused, and uneducated women would have more opportunities for self determination; they no longer have to fall into those categories at all and can exert more control over their reproductive capabilities. Even in my adolescence during the 90s, people did not want to discuss how the menstrual cycle works, as if it was taboo. Twenty years later, that has all but disappeared. We have apps for that now, and plan B is as easy as walking to the pharmacy when a condom breaks. There’s really not much shame left, and for all the faults of digitization, more information is available for all women to make smarter decisions and never have to “choose”, sans harmful and damaging hormonal pharmaceuticals as well.

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