Tag: reproductive autonomy
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Abortion and Suicide Risk: What a California Medi-Cal Study Found
Conversations about abortion should leave room for honest questions about mental health. One frequently cited study using California Medi-Cal records reported a higher rate of suicide deaths among women who had abortions compared with women who delivered. Understanding that finding requires looking at both the numbers and the study’s limitations. What the Researchers Found Published…
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Before You Call Life a Gift, Evaluate the Branch
The In Between: For the Woman Deciding Whether to Continue Her Pregnancy I was listening to an Alan Watts lecture once, and he made an observation that stuck with me. Imagine an alien arriving on Earth and trying to understand what this strange planet does. It might look around and conclude: The Earth peoples. The…
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Celibacy Is Sexier Than Abortion
There is something attractive about a woman who knows what she wants, understands what she is unwilling to risk, and can say no without negotiating against herself. A woman can desire a man and still decide that sleeping with him does not fit the future she is building. She can enjoy attention without offering access.…
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A Baby Cannot Guarantee That a Man Will Stay
By L.A. Loss & Abortion Doula “Once the baby comes, he’ll settle down.” “He wants a child, so he must be serious about you.” “Having a family will bring you closer.” These statements offer reassurance, but they promise something pregnancy cannot guarantee: a man’s commitment. A man can want a baby without being prepared to…
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The Permanence of Pregnancy
By Los Angeles Loss & Abortion Doula (This article is written for women who may be pregnant or waiting on results. Considering the option of abortion.) There are few moments in life that cannot be undone. A spoken apology may repair a relationship. A career can change. A home can be sold. Money can be…
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F#ck Like You Live in Georgia
Before you have sex with a man, ask yourself: If I became pregnant by this man, would I trust him with what comes next? Would I want to raise a child with him? Could I depend on him during a medical emergency? Would he respect my decisions? If the relationship ended tomorrow, would I still…
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Saturday at the Thrift Store
The Music Behind Intention Last weekend I took a small trip with a friend to a local thrift store. It was the kind of place filled with narrow aisles and quiet clutter—rows of old kitchen appliances that I had last seen in my grandmother’s kitchen, shelves of mismatched mugs, boxes of faded board games, and…
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Before the Test
Preconception Reflection & the Wisdom of Rilke A Doula’s Guide to Listening to Your Life Before Pregnancy Begins Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet is a small but powerful book composed of ten letters written between 1902 and 1908. A young aspiring poet named Franz Kappus had reached out to Rilke for guidance,…
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To Be or Not to Be… Pregnant?
The Hidden Responsibility Women Carry Between Pregnancy and Possibility “To be or not to be.” Shakespeare gives Hamlet this line at a moment when he is suspended between action and inaction, torn between suffering through the pain he feels or ending it altogether. In the play, Hamlet has just learned that his father was murdered,…
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Frankenstein, Reproductive Power & the Responsibility of Creation
An Open-Thought Reflection for Women at the Crossroads of Choice (For Women Not Currently Pregnant – Possibly Waiting on Results…) Yesterday, I finished reading Frankenstein — Mary Shelley’s original 1818 novel — and I was struck not just by its gothic power, but by how deeply it speaks to reproduction, creation, and the fear that…