The stories, released just days before the 43rd anniversary of landmark women’s reproductive rights case Roe v. Wade, range from life-threatening medical issues to becoming pregnant by an abusive boyfriend.
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Elizabeth Banks, Retta, Dascha Polanco and other actresses came together to tell real abortion stories as part of the Center for Reproductive Rights’ Draw The Line campaign.
In another, Polanco shares Kayleigh’s story, a woman who was secure in the knowledge that having an abortion was the best choice for her to make but faced barriers to obtaining an abortion legally. Women across America submitted their stories for the actresses to perfom, intending to show the various and complicated reasons women choose to end their pregnancies.
Sharing abortion stories has also become a legal strategy.
“When my water broke at only 15 weeks into my pregnancy, I knew I was in pre-term labor and my son would not survive…When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor confirmed my fear: I would lose my baby and there was nothing we could do to prevent it. So, I asked for an abortion, but my request was denied”.
Why does a woman choose abortion?
“The stories highlighted by these incredible actresses tell the important and moving story of women who face many obstacles to access their constitutionally-protected right to an abortion”.
The reality is that one in three women in the US will have an abortion at some point in her lifetime.
Banks, Polanco, Mary McCormack, Mercedes Mason, Bellamy Young, Amy Brenneman and Retta present emotive stories from teenagers, students, nurses and mothers who shared their experiences for the Draw the Line campaign. And for the last 43 years, our constitutional rights have protected each of those women’s decisions. These stories illustrate what’s at stake: the decision to go through with a pregnancy is a supremely personal one that has very real physical and mental health implications. Our nearest option was hours from where we lived, and at a time when I could barely afford gas.
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The videos can be found on the Center for Reproductive Rights’ website, and they’re asking everybody to tag tweets and other social media posts to #drawtheline against attacks on safe, affordable, and accessible abortion.
