Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: What Does "Reproductive Justice" Mean To You?

By Novelly's Head Youth Designer, Cat Martinez.

The phrase "reproductive justice" is a commonly used term when discussing topics that vary from birth control, personal autonomy over one's body, and most commonly...abortion. In honor of our mini-campaign on Reproductive Rights, here are the responses collected when members of our Novelly team were asked the question, "What does the term reproductive rights/justice mean to you?"

Here is what a member of our executive team had to say:

"To me, reproductive rights are about the right each person has to control their own body. In some cases, a democratically elected government may wish to encourage members of its society to take certain actions (drink plenty of water in the summer, eat five pieces of fruit a day, etc.) but ultimately each person owns their own body and should be able to treat it how they deem fit. This goes for everything from voluntary body modification (earrings, tattoos, split tongues) to gender affirmation surgery to the ability to control one's reproductive system how one desires. This means that everyone should have access to the birth control medications or devices or surgeries that they want — free, on-demand, and without apology. We should organize our society around guaranteeing these rights for everyone."

Here is the response from a member of our board of directors:

"I am very lucky to have been in a position to have control over my reproductive rights and health most of my life. I had an abortion when I was 18 and not in a position to become a mother. I called on the resources I had for the situation and was supported by my family. 11 years later when I became a mother, it was because I was ready and made that decision. The fact that the education, resources, and support afforded to me because I was born in the US in 1980 on the west coast to 2 white parents is, I realize, something that is not a global norm. I think education and resources are the first things that need to be made available to women everywhere but also this is a hot button issue socially, almost everywhere. I for one still get heated at the hypothetical sitch that if men were the ones who carried children, abortions would be available like haircuts. Which is awful but true. Anyway, I digress... The good news is the social aspect, at least in the US, has become a front runner in the conversations being led by the next generation of strong young women–and we need to keep it going."

Here is what our youth designers had to say about the topic of reproductive rights:

"Reproductive justice to me means I have a choice with my own body. I can choose to enact my reproductive rights at any time, without being told by someone of a higher power. Reproductive justice also means that I am allowed to do what I want with my body and don't need to be pressured by society."

"My understanding of reproductive health is this: the rights and access for women, regardless of any socioeconomic or personal distinctions, to healthcare options that allow them to have greater autonomy over their body, health and, as a result of the two, their lives. It's much bigger than just healthcare though: it's also about what happens after-the-fact, in how they continue to receive care and good quality of life after childbirth, for themselves and their family, and enforcing preventative measures against sexual abuse and its possible consequences."

"I am very pro-choice. I think that it should be completely up to the mother/family to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy. As long as the child has not been born, it means that the child still does not have any emotions or knowledge. However, a hungry/abused/orphan child does. If the family cannot take care of the child, I think it's better for them to wait until they are ready/capable to support a child. And the only person who can decide that are the parents."

When having a discussion about sensitive topics such as abortion. Differing views and ideas are vital to facilitating good discussion. Here is a perspective from another member of Novelly:

"Reproductive justice, to me, means the right to have children or not. If you want to have children and are capable to take care of them, then go for it. Have a child and take care of him/her. If you do not want to have a child, then that is your decision. However, if you decide to have a child then decide to have an abortion, then what is the point? What is the point in going through all that trouble just to have a child and then decide to kill that child? The child who does not have a say in this process? I understand that there might be some complications with the baby that might kill the mother, but to kill the child because you cannot support him/her? That is worse than murdering someone because you have not let this special child live their life."

Finally, here is Novelly CEO Anna Casalme's perspective on abortion and how her views have changed over time:

"I grew up in a very conservative, Catholic household....I remember going to church on Sundays and there would be crosses set up once a year for the unborn. There would be sermons by the priest to pray for all of the people who had abortions. I was very staunchly pro-life when I was in high school, and this carried through some of college. But now, I've completely shifted and changed in terms of how I feel. My stance is that I think that we should trust women to make choices regarding their own bodies, regarding their own reproductive health, regarding how, when, and if they want to have families. I think abortion is one of many options, and I think it's an option that needs to be less stigmatized....it's something that we need to be more comfortable saying out loud."

Regardless of your personal opinion on abortion, it is important to acknowledge other viewpoints. Only by having opinions from both sides, pro-life and pro-choice, can we accomplish mutual respect and come to the table with the common goal of a consensus on the sensitive and controversial topic. So I pose the question to you, our readers, what is your stance and what is your story?

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: Riflemen

By Zenab Ahmed, a member of NYC for Abortion Rights

Please note, this is an excerpt from the longer story.

*****

I don't know what time it is. The air is chilly, with a soft breeze combing through the grass. Alicja and I are sitting on a swing, watching the sky turn purple while her little brother runs around with my phone. I tell her that the sunset is the same colour as her hair. She looks at me blankly and says "you're gay," which by now I know means that she feels vulnerable.

"I don't know what to say when people ask why I decided to transition," I tell her while spinning my seat to make a knot in the rope. "I feel like they want a whole inspiring story that I don't have."

"You should ask them why they decided to be cisgendered and straight," Alicja mutters while lighting a small piece of hashish to roll a spliff. "Keep an eye on Kristof, will you?"

Alicja drains the joint while Kristof runs around trying to find Pokemon.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Obviously," I say.

"I was in the park with Ryan once," she begins after a sip of water. "It was really late and these two guys came up to us. They started talking, and the one guy was getting really close to me. He started whispering in my ear, and brushing my hair, and running his fingers up my leg. And Ryan was ... frozen in place. He didn't say anything. I remember that the other guy kept trying to get Ryan to leave."

Kristof starts giggling and chases a firefly.

"That was just a lot, you know? Just the knowledge that I came that close to getting raped, and that even when I was with my friend, this guy somehow had complete power over the situation."

I pause. "Yeah, I remember there was this time in London where I—."

"Zenab," Alicja interrupts. "You do this a lot where I tell you something and then you immediately start telling your own story."

I sigh and look away.

"I'm sorry." She looks at me with an expression I can't read.

"It's okay, you just do it a lot. Why don't you just tell me something nerdy, because you're a giant nerd?"

"Okay. Well, I was reading about Act XVI, which was the legal code that the British Raj passed in 1860. There is a section of it that prohibits 'induced miscarriages,' which is the basis for modern bans on abortion in South Asia. It has an Islamic rationale that is somewhat legitimate, but it's actually an essentially Christian logic."

"How is the logic Christian?" Alicja asks while rolling another spliff.

"Well, it's based on a fixed notion of morality, where things are either legal or illegal, and right or wrong. Before the British got to India most people led their lives in ways that weren't constantly referring to rules, or whether 'x' or 'y' activity is acceptable. Like, people just got abortions because that's what they needed to do, and didn't necessarily make it a whole religious question. But even if they did, a lot of even conservative Islamic scholars will concede abortion is fine up to three months based on a hadith about capital punishment. ."

"So it wasn't haram?"

"It just mattered less. But then European legal frameworks made everything black and white. Things had to be in this box or that box. Abortion was either entirely halal, or no one was allowed to do it at all. Part of it was also that the imperial elites were backing legal frameworks with the strongest parallels to Protestant Christianity and Victorian morality. They said those groups were more civilised, and shaped their laws in an English direction. But then a century later they changed their minds, legalised abortion in Britain, and labeled South Asians as uncivilised for the opposite reason."

Alicja stares at me with her beautiful green eyes. She exhales a puff of smoke. I panic. I ground myself. I calm down. I return her gaze. She kisses me. "It's getting dark, we should get Kristof home."

As we walk, it begins to rain. Alicja, Kristof, and I run home, where Alicja's parents are waiting for us with barszcz. Later that night, Polish television broadcasts an Islamophobic speech by the leader of the Law and Justice Party. Alicja tells me that she gets sad when she thinks about how we wouldn't be able to hold hands outside in Poland. I kiss her on the nose and say it's the same in Pakistan.

She starts crying in my arms.

****

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: 1 in 3: Women are allowed to prioritize their own lives (3)

(Your mental health...)

I was 21, a junior in college, and I didn't even know I had had sex that night because I was in an alcoholic blackout. I knew "something" had happened with a guy I knew that night, but I didn't really want to know. I had been raised Catholic, and I was adopted, so I considered myself pro-life. I started planning on how I would do the same thing my birthmother had done (ironically, at the same exact age I was) and give the baby up for adoption. But after I confided in my parents, they came down to see me in college and told me they would support me if I chose to have an abortion. Suddenly, something that I couldn't even consider an option 2 minutes earlier became my choice. Both of my parents took me to have it done and sat with me and held me after. (Yes, they are bad ass rock stars). I also left the doctor's office with my first birth control prescription so that I would never have to make that choice again.

20 years later, I don't regret it. Not for a single second.

ANONYMOUS

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: 1 in 3: Women are allowed to prioritize their own lives (2)

(Your own decisions...)

nobody ever thinks it'll happen to them.. before knowing i would experience it first hand myself i had always been pro choice and always a self advocater that women have rights and their own free will with their body. i was 17, two months from being 18 when my boyfriend at the time came inside of me without consent and laughed in my face when i asked about it and told him i was not ready to bring another life into this world. he told me that if he did get me pregnant and i had an abortion he would hate me forever and never talk to me again... a month went by and my period was late and was beginning to feel unlike myself when i decided it was finally time to take a test. i woke up before school on the 15th of january and peed on a stick. i waited and the next thing i knew there were two very solid lines in front of me. i started shaking with fear with my boyfriends words imprinted on my brain as i went to show him.. he burst with excited until he saw me crying and got angry with me. i knew i had to go through with the pregnancy for him or atleast that's what i thought. everyone around me had me so brainwashed and clueless as to what bringing a baby into the world actually meant and made it seem like everything was okay.. i put in a show and acted like this is what i wanted to keep everyone else happy. they were excited and i lived in fear of hurting anyone or losing anyone. i was miserable. i was killing my self. i lost myself. three months went by and they were the worst months of my life. i continued to hurt myself over and over again this whole time to refrain from hurting anyone else. i didn't want anyone to think negatively of me. i reach my breaking point. i had no feeling for the fetus inside of me. i barely acknowledged the fact it was there and just played along with everyone else's happiness. but the day came where i had enough. i was tired and hurt by living in everyone else's shadow that i knew it was time to speak up and tell them how i had really been feeling. that i cried myself to sleep at night begging god to take it away and to make it stop. nobody understood. they were only worried about how they felt, to take in consideration of how i was feeling. how i had really felt the whole time. they only cared about themselves, they forgot to ask what i wanted. this is not what i wanted. and i told them. everyone's initial reactions were rash just like you'd expect but i found a few good people on my side. with a little bit of common sense in their brain. i was merely 18, still in school, struggling with my mental health, working a minimum wage job, living under someone else's roof. my parents are not in the picture and i had no one to help. how could anyone be okay with me having a baby? i know i was not okay with it. i made my decision. it hurt me to have to hurt anyone but i got over it eventually and was able to follow through. my sister, her boyfriend and my bestfriend traveled and stayed over night with me 2hours away for my procedure. it has been three days since and i have been walked all over, called many names including a murderer but i would not take my decision back for the world. nothing anyone says or does could make me regret it. i chose life that day. i chose my life. i saved my own life that day. and those who choose to look at it otherwise have that choice just like i had mine. when i came to out of anesthesia after my procedure and was actually coherent, everything just felt right in the world. i felt alive for the first time in four months. i felt like i had finally woken up from a never-ending nightmare. to the women reading this and going through something similar, you are strong. this is a strong choice, not a weak one. people are going to talk. people are going to hate. people are not going to understand. but those people don't matter. you have people who love and support you. you just have to be willing to look past the ones who don't. do not feel shameful. this is not a shameful act. you overcame something most people would never be able to do in their lifetime. you are amazing. it's your body, do with it what you want to. it's your life, live it how you want to. it's your choice, you chose what you want to. god gave us free will for a reason. do not let anyone take that away from you. "God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes, because maybe then you really might know what it's like to have to choose."

ANONYMOUS

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: 1 in 3: Women are allowed to prioritize their own lives

(Your relationship...)

My reluctance to share my abortion story is not due to shame or trauma, but anger at the fact that people feel the need to judge each woman's story.

Pity my story if I was raped as a little girl by my father; cry for me if my unborn child was diagnosed with a terminal illness or malformation...

My story has no trauma or sadness. Mostly full of gratitude for the people who supported me.

I was a young woman, just married and barely 20, in the mid 70's. The birth control pill was still fairly new with no time for many long-term side effect studies. As a teenager, I had obtained birth control pills from Planned Parenthood. The people there had always been great, supportive and non-judgmental. Although I later had insurance through my job, I continued going to Planned Parenthood, not only because they were so great, but I also felt it was the only place where they took time and I actually got a thorough physical.

After about 3 years of taking the pill with no side effects or problems, I started getting ill at work in the morning. I would turn green, get dizzy and almost fall out of my chair. This continued for a week or so before I returned to Planned Parenthood. I had an episode while talking to the nurse and almost fell off the exam table. She told me to stop taking the pill immediately and handed me a bag of condoms and spermicidal foam.

My husband and I had no experience with either. The foam irritated and burned us both. Each month we avoided pregnancy made it that much easier to be slack and take more chances. Of course about 6 months in, the inevitable happened and I became pregnant.

We again returned to Planned Parenthood to confirm (this was before home pregnancy tests) and again the women there were all so supportive and great. The problem was, the women there knew I was married, knew both my husband and I had jobs. When the nurse came in to tell me I was pregnant, she was excited for us. All I could think about was the awful stories she must see every day coming into her office. To her, a married, and what appeared to be stable woman, was in front of her who should be happy to hear she's pregnant.

I didn't have the heart to tell her this was an unwanted thing for us. I was able to obtain an abortion through a local GYN that was partially covered by my insurance. It was an easy procedure. I went into his office saying I knew I was pregnant and didn't want to be. He also was very supportive and took great care of me. Afterwards, we were more careful with condoms; later trying IUD's (that were disastrous) until finally finding a lower dose birth control pill.

This happened when I was 21. We waited until I was 29 before we had our first child. I knew that when we were ready to have a child, we would do it right. I had been able to save money to be able to enjoy a lengthy maternity leave. My husband and I were 21 and 19 when we married. We knew the odds of us still being together after marrying so young were pretty slim. Having an unwanted child at that age would have ruined our marriage and our future would have been fairly predictable.

We are now married 44 years with 3 daughters and 2 grandchildren. We are so grateful that we were able to have control over our lives and have children when we wanted. This isn't a sad story that "justifies" our decision. I'm not a victim. I made a decision on how I wanted to live my life and have never been sorry.

For some to tell me I murdered a child; I would say that's the same as your wishing my other children dead, as my husband and I know we wouldn't have stayed together to have these children all those years later. We were too young. We made the life we wanted. Again, I'm grateful.

JEAN

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: 1 in 3: Everyone has a different reason for wanting an abortion (3)

(Whether you already have children and don't want more...)

I'm married to my high school sweetheart for just under 15 years and have an almost 7 year old. We didn't want more children, much to our families shock and disapproval. I was told by 3 Doctors that I was 1) too young- under the age of 30 2) only had 1 child 3) had to get my husbands permission. I had my husbands full support as we had our 1 child but I was confused and furious over reasons #1 and #2. How could I be considered "too young"? Who were these Doctors to tell me what I couldn't do with my own body? I was 28 years old, I knew what I wanted and was told "no".

Next option was long term birth control. Ex: IUD. I wanted a non-hormonal IUD for my own personal reasons and it didn't give me any problems for over a year. Then in Dec of 2016 my period didn't come but I had some spotting and thought, it's coming. It wasn't enough spotting to be considered a period and I told my husband about it. I couldn't sleep so around 4 a.m. I drove to Walmart for a test and took it when I got home. I was still partly in denial because I didn't want another baby and my IUD was still in place doing it's job, supposedly. When I saw the positive test I yelled, screamed, and most of all cried with my husband. This wasn't what I wanted and I was mad at my body for betraying me. My doctor confirmed my pregnancy that week and said I'd most likely miscarry after the IUD was taken out. But when I didn't, I started looking for an abortion clinic. I cried for days before and after my abortion. I was so angry and disappointed at my body and my husbands sperm if I'd being completely honest. And looking back I don't have guilt or regret, because our choice was what was best for our family.

Though I've supported women having the right to choose, I didn't think I'd be the one to make that particular choice. My husband did get a vasectomy a month after our abortion and if I could I'd get my tubes tied as a back up plan. My pregnancy happened because my IUD had shifted a smidgen to where it was ineffective. Plain and simple. I didn't have any pain to let me know it wasn't in it's proper place. These types of situations happen, whether we want them to or not. We made our choice and we answer to no one but ourselves.

KALI

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: 1 in 3: Everyone has a different reason for wanting an abortion (2)

(Whether you became pregnant by your abuser...)

When I was 16 I was in an abusive relationship with a man about 4 years older than me. I lost my virginity to him, and I got pregnant the first time we had unprotected sex. I didn't even realize that I was pregnant until I missed my period a second time, having never really had regular periods. I had no one to talk to. I took myself to a Planned Parenthood 5 towns and 3 bus rides away to take a pregnancy test and to discuss options. I was alone, scared, and way too tough to admit it. I ended up getting an abortion at 12 weeks, after working hard to raise the $450 I needed to go to a clinic, and taking many, many buses to doctors in towns far, far away.

This story could begin with the guy who impregnated me. I was young, I was naive, and I just wanted to be loved. I had run away from home to spend time with him that summer, and as we approached late August, reality was setting in — I needed to go home, and maintain an A average during junior year of high school so that I could get into a good college. Truth be told, for all my tough girl rebellion, I was also a perfectionist overachiever who wanted to lead a responsible life. This guy saw me pulling away, returning to high school life, and he needed to do something to keep me bound to him. So he convinced me to have unprotected sex. I remember thinking, "It's not going to happen the first time."

But should this story really begin with him? Or should it begin with why I ended up with this guy in the first place? I was 16, I desperately wanted a boyfriend, preferably one with a car who could sweep me off of my feet and take me away from the immature and uncool world of suburban high school. So I ended up with this horrible person – he was a drug-dealing tattoo artist who couldn't pay his electricity bill. I had no self-worth, no sense of healthy boundaries, and no understanding of love. I was an easy target for his manipulations.

Where was my self-worth? Where was my understanding of what love was supposed to look like? Maybe this story should begin there. I could write a memoir blaming my mom, but I'll leave that for another story. Honestly, for all her unloving ways, I've actually come to have empathy for her, after 20 years of therapy. She grew up in an extremely abusive household, had a physically abusive drunk for a father, and never learned to love herself. She didn't know how to communicate love, tenderness, positive reinforcement, healthy boundaries, or any of that. She shut herself off a long time ago.

So maybe this story begins with my grandfather. The abusive alcoholic that beat my grandmother and their daughters. Maybe he was a product of abuse, or maybe he was the product of a society that condoned this type of behavior. Maybe this story begins somewhere else.

The story does not begin or end with me. When I woke up alone in an abortion clinic when I was 16, screaming in pain, not knowing where I was going to spend the rest of the day because I couldn't go home, all I knew was how to put one foot in front of the other. I made the choice to terminate that pregnancy because I was not ready to have a child. I was not emotionally mature, I was in an abusive relationship, and the cycle would have just continued. So, I went back to Trigonometry, graduated with that A average, went to college, and got away from that guy. Over the next 20 years, I learned to love myself and to set healthy boundaries. Now that I'm almost 40, I'm having my first child. I've been in an incredibly loving and supportive relationship for nine years, and married to that amazing man for five. I also have a beautiful career and have helped thousands of children over the last 20 years. There was no other way, this was the path that was meant for me.

ANONYMOUS

Reproductive Justice Mini-Campaign: 1 in 3: Everyone has a different reason for wanting an abortion

(Whether you were going to miscarry and wanted to avoid more pain...)

When I was in college, I was in a serious relationship and sexually active with my now-husband, then-boyfriend. I was on hormonal birth control. I worked for a large animal veterinarian, administering medication, often working alone during nights and evenings. One summer I began spotting through my birth control, spoke to my doctor about it, and was told it was normal and I shouldn't worry, so long as I was taking my pills at the same time every day, and I was, so I brushed it off and continued to live my life as usual. In September of that year, I felt "off" and something compelled me to take an at-home pregnancy test. It was positive. I visited a local planned parenthood and had a blood test to confirm.

After further discussion with a doctor, it was discovered that one of the medications I was handling at my job could be absorbed through the skin and interfered with my birth control. I wore gloves while handling it, but because I often worked alone, trying to administer it to unruly large animals, it often ended up coming into contact with more than just my hands.

It was a tough situation. I told my boyfriend, and we both told our mothers. My mother was pressuring me to have an abortion, but I was hesitant. I knew in my heart, this man was the man I would marry, and we had talked about having kids in the future. I thought that we could make it work, no matter how difficult it would be. He volunteered to drop out of school and get a full time job to support us while I was pregnant and finishing my degree. Our lives were about to change drastically, and it was terrifying, but we were prepared to handle it.

At 10 weeks I went in for my first prenatal check up and ultrasound. At this appointment I had blood work done, and an ultrasound. My bloodwork was indicative of a miscarriage. My pregnancy hormones were low. The ultrasound revealed a fetus that was undersized for how far along I was. It had a heartbeat, but the heartbeat was slow and erratic. The placenta was separating from the uterine wall. The doctor didn't know why. He said there was a chance the placenta would reattach and everything would be ok, but that was unlikely. He told me what to expect in a miscarriage, and that that was the most likely outcome. I was supposed to come back at least weekly for check ups. I'd probably miss school. I didn't like the idea of missing class. It was my senior year and I was taking a lot of difficult courses related to my major. I didn't want to upset my GPA or my ability to graduate on time, and it terrified me not knowing when or where the miscarriage might happen. I was over 100 miles away from any family, and lived in a shared living space. I didn't even have my own bathroom. I had no idea how I was going to handle a miscarriage with nowhere to have it in peace and privacy.

It was then that I decided to abort. My boyfriend was supportive. I took a friend with me and we drove 2 hours away to the nearest clinic that would perform one that far along. I did it on a Friday, so I had the weekend to recover and wouldn't need to miss class. I would have had to go out of state for one that could do it with sedation, so I had a D & C while completely awake and fully feeling. It was the most awful, painful experience, and I couldn't hold still on the table. The abortion doctor couldn't get everything out. I had a room mate take me to the ER the next day, where they did another D & C, this time with sedation.

I regret not going out of state to do it with sedation the first time. I'm disappointed that there weren't nearby facilities available to do it. It cost me a lot more than it should have, and was a much more painful experience than it needed to be because of that. At the hospital, I was told I have a uterine septum, and that was why I lost this pregnancy. It implanted in the wrong place, so I would have miscarried. Even with the expensive, round-about way I had to do it, I'm still glad I got the abortion when I did. I didn't end up missing any class, and made a full recovery within hours of the second D & C.

ANONYMOUS

The Protestors Pt. 3

As part of our Reproductive Justice campaign, we’ll be reading stories together that showcase reproductive health and rights. We’re also be discussing them on Instagram, so stay tuned.! The excerpts for this week come from ‘89 Walls by Katie Pierson. To learn more about ‘89 Walls and the author, go to her website. ‘89 Walls is also available for purchase on Amazon.

Out of the blue, Seth appeared on Quinn’s other side. He squeezed his arm around her shoulders, holding her mom’s relieved gaze for a grim second before facing straight ahead toward the entrance doors. Quinn took a shuddering breath to get some oxygen to her strangulated bloodstream. They could do this. With Seth’s help now, they started pushing ahead. Quinn’s terrified tears pooled again and spilled over, but now the entrance waited only six feet ahead, five.

“You’ll go to hell for this! The rabid-looking teenager shouted in her face while walking backward in front of her. Dots of white spit gathered in the corners of his mouth. Quinn stiffened inside the support sandwich that Seth and her mom had formed. Fierce and calm. Seth shrugged forward until he stood less than a foot away from the guy. He suddenly seemed taller than his five foot ten inches.

“Anti-choice men can go fuck themselves,” Seth said. He pulled the door open and held it for Quinn and her mom, letting it close behind them with a faint whoosh.

They paused inside the foyer, doing a silent check-in with each other.

“Christ almighty,” Quinn’s mom said. That seemed to about cover it.

The Prostestors Pt. 2

As part of our Reproductive Justice campaign, we’ll be reading stories together that showcase reproductive health and rights. We’re also be discussing them on Instagram, so stay tuned.! The excerpts for this week come from ‘89 Walls by Katie Pierson. To learn more about ‘89 Walls and the author, go to her website. ‘89 Walls is also available for purchase on Amazon.

“Don’t let them murder your baby!” the old man begged her, six inches from the right side of her stony face. His age shocked Quinn - she wasn’t in the habit of getting jostled and yelled at by old people. “You have other choices!” he screamed. “We can buy diapers! Please let us help you!”

The Chevy Impala girl spun around on her heel, startling the old guy and forcing him to take a step back. “You ain’t got nothing to offer me! You understand what I’m saying?” she warned in a slow, shaky voice. With her left hand, she started ticking the fingers on her right. “I’m poor. I’m black. I’m flunking high school. My ma finds out about this and I got no place to live. You hearing me?” She got right in the old guy’s face, forcing him to step back. “You ain’t got nothing to offer me!”

The Protestors Pt. 1

As part of our Reproductive Justice campaign, we’ll be reading stories together that showcase reproductive health and rights. We’re also be discussing them on Instagram, so stay tuned.! The excerpts for this week come from ‘89 Walls by Katie Pierson. To learn more about ‘89 Walls and the author, go to her website. ‘89 Walls is also available for purchase on Amazon.

With zero warning, the tall shrubs by the entrance spewed out a teenage guy with a crew cut, four pale middle-aged women, and an elderly man. The old wielded a laminated poster of a bloody, dismembered fetus. The group of them blocked the way to the clinic entrance, circling Quinn, her mom, and the other girl, and shoved leaflets in their faces.

“Don’t kill your baby! Please! We can help you!” Their eyes blazed as their voices screamed. The signs showed blood and tweezers and tiny limbs. One poster said, “One Dead, One Wounded.”

Quinn’s stomach lurched. Her knees wobbled. Her mom took her arm and fastened her eyes on the front entrance twenty feet away. Quinn desperately needed a bathroom.

The old man shook his bloody sign in her face, making her jump. Quinn got it. She really did understand that he wanted to protect human life. By why did he assume that a tiny embryo mattered more than Quinn’s whole future? Why did those screeching Bible beaters think the answer to stopping abortion was to shame and scream at petrified teenage girls in parking lots? Why weren’t they screaming at politicians for free birth control or something?

Ready or Not?

As part of our Reproductive Justice campaign, we’ll be reading stories together that showcase reproductive health and rights. We’re also be discussing them on Instagram, so stay tuned.! The excerpts for this week come from ‘89 Walls by Katie Pierson. To learn more about ‘89 Walls and the author, go to her website. ‘89 Walls is also available for purchase on Amazon.

“Jason and I started having sex,” Quinn said.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. Why does anyone have sex? I couldn’t come up with a good reason to keep saying no. We’ve been together since November.”

“Hitting the five-month mark doesn’t sound like a good reason to say yes.”

Quinn could hear Sarah frowning. “I’m not saying we’re not in love or anything. We’re in lust.”

“So the sex is good then?”

“Good?”

“God, Quinn, can you hear yourself? Don’t do it. You’re not ready.”

How would you and your friends describe reproductive justice? Reply or reblog with your thoughts! 

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At Novelly, we believe in storytelling and it’s power to improve sex education. Read our wattpad original - Why She Left #storytelling #novelly #booklover #wattpad #reading

This black history month we also honor human and women's rights activist Loretta Ross shares how heartbreaking events earlier in life led her to stand up and become a prominent voice for reproductive justice, especially, and proudly, among women of color. Thank you to makers for sharing her story. #blackhistorymonth #makers #storytelling #reproductivejustice #feminist #WOC

People’s real lived experiences – the stories of our lives – show that we need access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care services, including birth control, abortion, and care during and after pregnancy. We have the right to determine if, when and how many children we should have. And we will not be shamed into silence. Not now, not ever again. Visit 1in3campaign.org to learn more and read stories #storytelling #womensrights #sexed #abortionrights #1in3

Check back this entire month for featured young adult novels covering dating violence. As these stories reveal, dating abuse doesn't always leave behind bruises. #teendatingviolence #sexed #violence #YA #youngadult #storytelling #awareness