So I'm here in Atlanta at the National Summit to Ensure the Health and Humanity of Pregnant and Birthing Women. Shit is awesome.

There are a ton of amazing women here—some from pro-choice organizations, some from pregnant and birthing women’s rights orgs, midwives, doulas, you name it.

And Lynn Paltrow, the Executive Director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, is—as someone so accurately put it during the morning’s events—a rock star.

There’s a ton to write about, and there’s not wireless in the conference area so I snuck up to my hotel room real quick (fuck you Hilton $12.95 a day for internet). So here’s the short version.

Paltrow spoke a lot about the myth that there are different kinds of women—women who have abortions and women who have babies. The fact is, of course, that we’re all the same women. (After all, 61 percent of women who are going to have abortions are already mothers.)

But because of the pervasiveness of that myth, we haven’t been working together. And the thing is, we need to be. Because the same rhetoric that say women are murderers for having abortions also says that women are murderers for not giving birth appropriately.

We’re living in a time where pregnant women are roundly punished—whether they decide to terminate the pregnancy or carry it to term. Paltrow told stories of women who were put in jail for having a stillborn, women who were forced to have C-sections against their will (one of whom died) and other such ridiculousness.

Paltrow’s, and the conference’s, aim seems to be making those connections between women who advocate for pregnant and birthing women and women who advocate for abortion rights—because we’re all fighting for the same thing really. Something Paltrow said really resonated with me: how our capacity for getting pregnant is what connects us all in this mess of discrimination and punishment.

In any case, I’m rambling because I have to run to another session. Amanda has more.

Oh, and a big thanks to reader Brett who hooked us up at No Mas Cantina last night and took us out for drinks. Sweet.

7 Comments

January 19, 2007 6:29 PM

[0+]  trulyequal said:

After all, 61 percent of women who are going to have abortions are already mothers.

It's not that I don't believe you Jessica, but can I have the sourcing for the above? I'd love to pass that statistic around. Thanks.

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January 19, 2007 10:32 PM

[0+]  Jessica said:

that stat came from paltrow's speech, i'll see if i can find the source.

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January 20, 2007 8:45 AM

[0+]  Stacey said:

The statistic cited by Paltrow comes from The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

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January 20, 2007 9:46 AM

[0+]  jane said:

*raises hand* I had an abortion at age 23, and am now at age 36 a mother of two. My body, my decision with respect to each pregnancy. And unlike the plaintiff in Roe, I have no regrets.

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January 20, 2007 2:00 PM

[0+]  joyinrevolt said:

What about women who can not reproduce? Does that not "connect us all in this mess of discrimination and punishment"?

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January 20, 2007 2:18 PM

[0+]  Jessica said:

You're right, I really should have said that it's the perception of women's capacity to get pregnant-whether they are able to or not-that links us, at least in terms of a conversation about repro justice.

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January 21, 2007 4:01 PM

[0+]  joyinrevolt said:

It was great meeting you this weekend.

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