I didn't know about Blog for Choice Day until it was over, but had to pass along the link to this powerful, thoughtful post by Elizabeth of Spilt Milk.
Trust Women means trusting that women not only have the right to soveriegnty [sic] over our bodies, but that we are capable of making decisions about them. Trust Women means that a pregnant woman can choose for herself what is best for her body and her life. Trust Women means that a woman is – and should be – in charge of whether she wants to be a mother, and when, and how many children she will have.
I hope you'll follow the link and read her entire entry. "Choice" is about so much more than abortion. I was reflecting yesterday that the first time I really had any idea about my own menstrual cycle (beyond the 28 day average, a basic mention of estrogen and progesterone, and the concept of ovulation and uterine lining) was when I researched birth control pills on my own, in a public library, at age 19. I didn't have any understanding of cervical mucus until I was 29, after I gave birth to my first child and started reading Taking Charge of Your Own Fertility. (My OB later disregarded my conception date because he preferred to go by LMP and his ultrasound. Guess who actually knew when I got pregnant?) My parents are both medical professionals (one is an obstetrical expert), I was a "well-educated" youth at the top of my classes with a love of and aptitude for the sciences, and I entered adolescence, adulthood, and parenthood with more than an average level of information. So why didn't I know these very basic things? Why is "average" so low? How can we expect women to have a fighting chance at reproductive autonomy if they know so little about their own bodies and the rights that affect them?
Choice is about educating children, giving trust, refraining from shaming, offering options, honoring pregnancy, allowing autonomy, supporting birth, caring for victims, supplying information, respecting differences, providing funding, letting women make their own choices for better or worse. It is sex ed, freedom of sexuality, abortion rights, adoption options, healthcare funding, home birth and VBAC, hysterectomy options, breastfeeding, contraception. It affects women at all stages of life.
Trust Women.
To read more Blogging for Choice 2010 entries, see the list on their sign-up page.
