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Who Should You Listen to on Abortion? People Who’ve Had Them

Two women standing facing their backs,side-hugging eachother. One is wearing a hospital gown, has long hair. The other woman has brown curly hair, is wearing a blue dress.
By Curated Content Blog Roll Categories Communities and Sexuality July 15, 2017

When I arrived at the clinic in Washington, I looked for the young woman I was waiting for. Her body was covered with tattoos of birds and stars. She hugged me with a warm smile and introduced me to her boyfriend. He didn’t look at me. In fact, he didn’t look me in the eye for the five hours we sat together in the waiting room.

I assumed it was out of shame until I noticed the white supremacist tattoos on his shaved head, neck, forearms and knuckles. As a black woman, I was scared of him. Yet I felt a bond. They had driven several hours from Virginia to avoid the numerous restrictions on abortions there. He was returning from jail. She already had a child and wasn’t ready for another. I knew the feeling well.

To read the full article, please visit the New York Times.

This article was written by Renee Bracey Sherman and originally published in the New York Times. Renee Bracey Sherman is a member of Echoing Ida, a black women’s writing collective, and the senior public affairs manager at the National Network of Abortion Funds.

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