Abortion, always a hot ticket issue, has become even more in the United States, especially in light of VP nominee's Sarah Palin pro-life - even in the face of rape - stance. In the upcoming election, several states are attempting to limit women's access to abortion, including California, who, once again, is trying to pass a parental notification law, Prop 4. Let's not even get into South Dakota's Measure 11, which would essentially ban abortion in the state, except in cases of abortion, incest or if the mother's life is in danger, and would imprison doctors who performed abortion.
One of the most problematic things about the abortion debate, aside from the gross misinformation about the topic and the opining of people who have no business saying anything about it, is that the "discussion" of this topic is nearly always done so with hate and fear. The issue of "choice", the act of abortion, and what happens when a woman makes this choice, is always discussed in hushed tones. No doubt this adds to the mixed emotions many women feel about abortion, as so few of the stories of these women get told or are taken seriously.
Enter MyAbortion, an anonymous blog by a woman who has been writing, in detail and in a quite compelling manner, about her abortion, the emotional aftermath, and what it feels like to deal with the pregnancy itself. (She described how her breasts "ballooned up to the size of pork buns").
What's most interesting about this blog is the brutally honest manner in which this woman is telling her story. Her dark sense of humor about the topic will no doubt leave a few people turned off, but I think it's refreshing to see the myriad of feelings a person can have about this situation.
Nerve.Com says they're "conflicted" and that this blog is "horrifying". I am not "conflicted" and I find this blog to be totally non-horrifying as a voice such as this is very needed. My question is, why is this so horrifying? Why is this a part of the feminine experience that has to be kept in secret, in hiding? Many women who have abortions get them because they want them, and they are not sorry. And why should they be? It is possible for women to see unwanted pregnancies as a foreign entity taking over their body and not as a cute, cuddly baby that they are killing?
If we're going to say we're pro-choice but not be comfortable with the idea of women exercising this choice and talking about it with a big, giant set of balls - then what is the point?