“Simply put: we are witnessing the most dire threat to abortion access in our lifetime” – the Women’s March website

Given what happened in Texas recently, this is not an exaggeration. And it’s why tens of thousands of people protested at over 600 demonstrations across the United States this weekend demanding equality for women, demanding reproductive rights for women. Reproductive rights are human rights, women must be free to make decisions about their own bodies. 

 

It IS personal. As Rachel O’Leary Carmona, the Executive Director of the Women’s March, told CNN:

"I think it's important to understand that pretty much everybody knows somebody that's had an abortion. It's important for us to hear all these stories. It also is a bit of a tragedy that you know, folks have to put their pain out on display for us to be taken seriously. So what we're trying to do today is make sure we all lift our voices in solidarity with each other to make sure the folks in power hear our message."

 

“… pretty much everybody knows somebody that’s had an abortion.” I have had an abortion. I have no shame about the choice I made for my body. And I will continue to use any platform I have to advocate that every woman should have the same right that I did. Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence are using their considerably bigger platforms as well. 

 

That was Saturday. On Sunday Jennifer was photographed heading to an exercise class in New York. JLaw has never been one to set up pap shots, and I don’t think she called the paparazzi on herself for this set. But. I would like to believe that she maybe won’t mind these shots as much, knowing that the sight of her in form-fitting clothing, showing her pregnancy, combined with the timing of her attendance at the women’s march, can further the narrative, and continue this vital conversation about abortion access and reproductive rights. 

And by the way, this isn’t just an American problem. For those of us who don’t live in the United States, this could happen in our countries if we don’t stay vigilant. Here in Canada, Frederique Chabot, Director of Health Promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights has said that barriers to abortion have been “persistent” in Canada for decades. So don’t think for a second that there aren’t people in Canada watching what’s happening in the States, hoping to engineer the same bullsh-t north of the border. There are people who insist that abortion in Canada is no longer an issue. But then again, if we sleep on it, we might wake up one day and find ourselves in the same situation.