If you’ve seen Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s posts about freezing her eggs on Instagram, you’ve likely heard about the backlash she’s facing from folks who have called her, at turns, hypocritical, insincere, selfish and, at 36, too old to be a mother.
Funny how we didn’t hear such outcry about age when Jon Hamm announced around the same time that he’s becoming a father at 55. Or when Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino—and believe me, I could go on—welcomed new children at 64, 79 and 83. Or when Second Lady Usha Vance, at 40, announced earlier this year that she was expecting.
None of us deserve an explanation from AOC about why she is making the choice she is making. That’s the whole point: It’s her choice, and we have the right to make the choices we want about our bodies and our reproductive lives. Full stop.
And there’s power in talking about it, on our terms. That’s why so many women are feeling seen and reflected in AOC’s posts, and why it’s so empowering to have her make this decision out loud.
That is also why Ms. has launched The Life I Built, a campaign inviting people to share their own stories about egg freezing, IVF, birth control, abortion and more—and the power of reproductive freedom to shape the lives we build. Telling these stories is one way we continue to shatter the silence around reproductive decision-making.
As we know, the same obsession commentators have with AOC’s fertility journey is matched by the obsession lawmakers have with controlling women’s reproductive lives.
That obsession is shaping actual federal policy, especially now that Todd Blanche is officially in charge of the Department of Justice and the Trump administration’s antiabortion agenda.
And it’s part of the Trump administration’s larger attack on science itself—from attempts to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci for saving millions of lives during the pandemic, to RFK Jr.’s recent vaccine schedule change that leaves kids at risk for the sake of political talking points.
These attacks on reproductive healthcare and on children’s healthcare, and the politicization of scientific fact, all come from the same governing impulse: ideology and power taking precedence over evidence and individual autonomy.
But right after Blanche threatened to use any means necessary to limit access to abortion pills, a new telehealth service based in Europe, At Home Abortion, launched with the mission to provide FDA-approved abortion pills, 24/7 clinician support and care for as little as $0 in all 50 states—unbeholden to Trump’s directives.
“We’re here to make it as easy, safe and available as possible for people to get care,” a representative from At Home Abortion told Ms. contributing editor Carrie Baker, “and we want to support people all the way through.”
That contrast matters. At every level—from strangers scrutinizing a congresswoman’s fertility decisions to government officials attempting to dictate whether and how people can end pregnancies—the question is the same:
Who gets to decide?
The answer should not be complicated:
We do.
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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
- Other websites to explore all your options for abortion care: Plan C Pills, Abortion Finder
- Safe websites to buy abortion medication: Aid Access, Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, Hey Jane
- If you need help affording abortion care, tell your telemedicine provider or 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—or contact Pregnancy Justice.
- 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. or Guttmacher Institute.
