Trusting Women to Know Themselves

by Roxann MtJoy · 2010-01-22 15:50:00 UTC
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Dr. Tiller, the recently slain abortion doctor, often wore a button that said "Trust Women" and I've been thinking lately about what that means to me. Too often, I hear anti-choicers say that women use abortion as a form of birth control, that they will regret their decision, that they made their mess and now they must lie in it. I'm sorry, but none of those arguments demonstrates any trust in women. In fact, those arguments seemed based on the idea that we can't trust women to make the decision on whether or not to have an abortion for herself.

We need to trust that women know their own bodies and minds. We need to trust that they are capable of making decisions that are both informed and deeply personal. We need to trust that each woman knows her situation better than we do and that she knows what she can and cannot handle.

Today is the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. That means we've officially had 37 years to wrap our brains around the concept of a woman's right to choose. In nearly four decades of choice, I think women have more than earned our trust. I find it telling that Dr. Tiller's button didn't say "Trust Doctors" or "Trust Government" or "Trust Religion." It said "Trust Women," and that's exactly what we should do.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rizome

Roxann MtJoy is a freelance writer who previously worked as a case manager at a domestic violence shelter. She is currently attending graduate school for theater in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
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