Abortion access matters!

I was three years old when abortion was legalized in Denmark. I have a distinct visual memory of this. My parents had a tiny black-and-white television which was propped up into the top left corner of a bookshelf, and I could see a tally of people voting in parliament. My mother was watching intently, so I asked her what was going on. She said, they are doing something very important for women. She said, this is historical, or this is special, or words to an effect that helped me understand that this was not something that happened every day and that it really (really) mattered.

Sometimes I feel like I must have made this memory up. I was so young. And yet, I have an embodied feeling of being there, of watching my mother’s intensity, of seeing the votes tally up on the tiny screen.

Either way, I have not altered my opinion about abortion very much since that time. As a researcher, I have spent years talking to women about the abortions they have had, the abortions they wanted, the abortions they were denied. I have spoken to women who thought they’d never consider an abortion, but when pregnant found they needed one for so many reasons. I have spoken to women who never thought they wanted kids, but when pregnant found they needed to carry to term. I have never spoken to anyone who was swayed by abortion legislation not to terminate a pregnancy they needed to end, though I have spoken to many who were endangered by the choices they had to make under restricted laws.

I know in my bones that abortion is a healthcare procedure some people need. That no one gets pregnant in order to have one. And that no amount of legislation or rules can make that reality go away.

And I know that abortion access matters deeply and is something special, something important, something we need to cherish and celebrate. I have known this since I was three years old. Today I am breathing into that feeling, knowing that we have work to do to make it real.

Next up: tonight! In studio! Evening vinyasa flow at YogaSole in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn at 6pm EDT. Come on out!

Also, if you are interested, I’ll be teaching morning mindfulness next week, May 16-20 at 7am at YogaSole. Each morning we will start with 15 minutes of guided mindfulness meditation, then move into a 30 minute all-round asana flow to gently wake up the body, and finish with 5 minutes in silent savasana or seated meditation. While every day's practice will build on the day before, every session is stand-alone and can be taken as such. No prior experience of meditation or asana practice is needed. If you are in Brooklyn, come wake up with me!