Name: The Unapologetic Abortion Storyteller
Brand: huffpost.com
SKU: huffpost-com-1621
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 78 (1 reviews)

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The Unapologetic Abortion Storyteller

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As someone who is so unapologetic about her abortion now, it’s hard to picture you keeping your abortion a secret. Can you talk to me about what those first few years were like after your abortion? What prompted you to start talking about it? I’m assuming you ended up telling your family about your abortion? Through your work with We Testify, you talk a lot about the power of telling your abortion story, both your own experience and also helping others tell their abortion story. What’s so powerful about telling your own abortion story? Why is it so important to carve out that space? “You’ll see a lot of people who are like, 'Why are you having sex if you can’t afford kids?' Because sex is joy and pleasure and human connection. Deep down, they do not believe that people who can’t afford leisure – Black and brown people, immigrants – are entitled to joy or relaxation.”Neither were describing my experience, or how it connects to the sociopolitical experiences of Black and brown folks, queer folks, trans folks, immigrants, low-income people in this country. Even when I started sharing my abortion story, the people that I met first were white. I felt like, ”Where are my people?” That’s when I started to realize that racism and anti-Blackness still operate within social justice spaces. That felt important to me, to not only create something where people who had abortions are sharing their stories, but particularly to support all of the folks whose voices are actively pushed out of the conversation.I’ve heard you talk a lot about the misogynist and racist roots of the anti-abortion movement. On a national level, I think people somewhat understand the sexism that’s inherent in the anti-abortion movement, but not necessarily the deeply entrenched racism. Can you talk to me more about that? The anti-abortion movement has worked really, really hard to lean into the misogyny, particularly misogynoir, of pregnancy and sexuality. And the root of that issue is that white supremacists do not believe that Black and brown people should be able to have sex and procreate on their own terms. It has to be terms dictated by whatever conservative white supremacist culture is reigning at the time.AdvertisementThat conflicting narrative and how that fits into capitalism is really on the nose. As a country, we don’t want to pay for child care, we don’t want to pay for paid time off. Back in September, you wrote an article in Rewire News about how the possibility of Roe falling next year is because of anti-Blackness and racism. In the article you wrote: “Because of its own internal racism, the reproductive rights movement is ill-equipped to meet the challenge of this moment.” Talk to me about that.Advertisement“I want a political party that is willing to love me, and everyone who has abortions, in public, out loud. We are not your dirty little secret.”You’ve been doing this work for a long time -- nearly 10 years, you said. What is your ultimate goal, especially as we look ahead to a possible future without Roe?AdvertisementAbortion reproductive rightsroe v wademisogynoirRenee Bracey ShermanDo you have info to share with HuffPost reporters? Here’s how. Go to HomepageNewsletter Sign UpHuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox.Successfully Signed Up!Realness delivered to your inboxBy entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.Close

As someone who is so unapologetic about her abortion now, it’s hard to picture you keeping your abortion a secret. Can you talk to me about what those first few years were like after your abortion? What prompted you to start talking about it? I’m assuming you ended up telling your family about your abortion? Through your work with We Testify, you talk a lot about the power of telling your abortion story, both your own experience and also helping others tell their abortion story. What’s so powerful about telling your own abortion story? Why is it so important to carve out that space? “You’ll...

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Senior reporter  @HuffPost covering gender + politics, focused on repro justice & gender-based violence. (she/her)  avagianos@protonmail.com or DM for Signal

Alanna Vagianos

At HuffPost, we put people first. We believe that real life is news, and news is personal.

The Unapologetic Abortion Storyteller

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