What is your definition of viable? Capable of surviving birth only to die hours later in pain? Weeks later? Capable of breathing but with no higher level brain activity? 10% chance of survival? 5%? Does the definition change for a mother that has her own health risks and doesn’t want to die for a child that will be…

People need to understand that it is abortion, so they can understand that when politicians talk about banning “late-term abortion” this is what they want to outlaw. Politicians who ban late-term abortion would have forced this woman to give birth only to watch her baby choke to death.

This is what late-term abortions are. If we vote for politicians who outlaw late-term abortions, this is what we are outlawing. When we outlaw late-term abortions, we are forcing a woman who very much wants to be a mother to either give birth to a baby only to watch her child die in pain, or forcing her to wait for…

Hey, thank you for saying that bit about how you felt nothing for the fetus you carried. Sometimes, it seems that the only way to justify an abortion is to talk about how conflicted you were about it. Sometimes, you don’t have any connection to it. And that’s fine too.

This is the situation you should consider.

It’s becoming more taboo by the year. “Late Term” are the evil abortions where babies are developing and identifiable performed by the truly awful people .......... it creates really easy rhetoric, visuals and a lot of people who would be OK with an abortion at 6 weeks couldn’t fathom it as 20 weeks, because at that…

I had an abortion at 14 weeks when I was 19. I still have a lot of feelings about it because I am one of those people who is haunted by every decision I have ever made, but any regret I have had or have now is instantly overwhelmed by this intense sense of relief. I got pregnant back packing in Europe, and when I got…

I was in my late 20s when I was having a conversation with my mom about my cousin, who had 2 miscarriages and was really struggling emotionally. She told me that she’d had a miscarriage between me and my oldest brother. I had no idea! It’s just not something that people talk about. Of course, at the time she lost the…

Exactly. I have a friend who, at 28 weeks, was told her baby had died. She had to go into hospital —- to the maternity wing no less—- and endure an induction and traditional delivery. Her husband, ironically a physician, could not handle it, so I sat with her. She was not treated with any sort of compassion by staff,…

Ugh— you probably also had to deal with the well-meaning strangers talking happily to you about your pregnancy.

Did you read the “all our rights are intertwined” line at the end? Read it again. And again. And once more, for good measure.

What a fucking read. I’ve had an abortion and the entire time (12 whole week, that’s not much) I just wanted it OUT. I felt nothing about it from the very beginning, so I can’t imagine how fucked up this experience was for this woman who wanted to carry the baby to term. The amount of pain involved is also..man...some…

No. The headline is bang on. The writer is making a VERY specific point.

THIS. When I was younger, still living at home with my conservative parents, I took a political science class at the local college. We had weekly debates, and for the reproductive rights debate, I took the anti-abortion side, because that’s what I believed. The professor asked if I thought abortion was murder and…

Powerful interview, Jia. Should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to deny reproductive rights to women — you know, like their mothers, sisters and daughters.

I have to stop 3/4 through and come back to this later.

I just want to highlight this passage for anyone who skims or just jumps to the comments. Because truer words.

I just still can’t wrap my head around the fact that this is what it’s like to receive a legal, medically necessary procedure.

Here’s a link to Dr. Hern’s clinic for anyone interested in offering support directly to the people who work there, and here’s the National Network of Abortion Funds. The George Tiller Memorial Fund specifically goes to late abortions.

My heart broke into one thousand pieces for this woman. my god. MY GOD. I CANNOT.