From surviving medical emergencies to pursuing careers, education and family on their own terms, readers share what reproductive freedom helped them build.
Four years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, it’s clear that reproductive freedom is not an abstract political issue. It is the freedom to build a life.
This week, we’re launching The Majority campaign—and we want you in it. The ask is simple: Finish the sentence, “Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to …”
The responses so far are from women and men, parents and nonparents, abortion patients and birth control users, people who needed miscarriage care, gender-affirming healthcare, fertility treatment, or simply the ability to decide their own future.
These are some of the stories we can’t stop thinking about.
Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to:
“Without this option, I would have lived the better part of my teenage years in almost daily pain.”
“I had an abortion at 21. I still had to go to a different state, but I got to live the life I wanted. I was in the military at the time and not ready for motherhood.”
“To respect my wife’s choices of her body and bring our children into this world on our terms.”
“… If life ever threw me a ‘curveball’, as it relates to my reproductive health, I could do whatever I needed to take care of me.”
“My parents came from India to America for the promise of freedom, and that promise includes the ability to make my own decisions about my body and future.”
“A career not dependent on a man.”
“Man here. It’s not my place to decide what others can or cannot do. These are personal decisions made with varying circumstances. Why would I take away your right to do what you feel is appropriate for your life?”
“Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to watch my little sister grow up. At only 11 years old, she experienced hormonal imbalances that caused nonstop bleeding and left her only hours away from needing a blood transfusion.”
“When I was 16, I was impregnated by date rape (didn’t call it that at the time). … Even though the trauma of the abuse lasted for decades, I was not tied to my rapist/abuser whose family would have insisted on keeping the baby.”
“I was able to get free birth control and health services through Planned Parenthood … while going to college. … I graduated and toured Japan and the USA with my band. Put out over 20 records and recordings. I pursued my dreams as a young musician. I was able to marry, work on my masters and had 2 healthy children when I was able to provide for as planned.”
“… Getting an IUD in college eliminated my period, which helped alleviate some of my gender dysphoria at the time—giving me the freedom to be in my body a little more easily.”
“Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to built the life I want myself, not one that was forced upon me.”
Our lives depend on this right. Share your story with The Majority campaign. Every answer is one more piece of proof that reproductive freedom is required to build the life you want—not one forced upon you. Join us, and tell others: #TheLifeIBuilt.
Look to these trusted groups if you or a loved one needs to know more about reliable abortion care:
- A one-stop-shop for abortion seekers: I Need An A
- Safe websites to buy abortion medication: Aid Access, Plan C Pills, Abortion Finder
- If you need help affording abortion care, contact an abortion fund near you.
- To protect your digital privacy when planning your abortion, click here.
- For free legal help as a patient or doctor, call If/When/How’s Repro Helpline: 844-868-2812
- For medical advice, contact the Miscarriage & Abortion Hotline: 833-246-2632
- If you need to know the abortion law in your state, look to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Ensure work like this article continues
At Ms., we believe the stories that shape women’s lives deserve serious, sustained coverage. That’s why, since 1972, we’ve reported on gender, politics, democracy, reproductive freedom, economic justice and culture long before the mainstream press caught up. Our journalism remains independent because it is funded by readers—not advertisers, corporations or billionaires. If this story mattered to you, please consider supporting Ms. by making a tax-deductible donation, becoming a member to receive a magazine subscription, or gifting a membership to a friend. Your support helps ensure that feminist journalism not only survives, but thrives.
