37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Its more than 40 years since I sat in a hospital conference room, interrogated by men who held my fate, my family, and my choice in their hands. After all these years, I can still feel the humiliation, the shame, and the anger.

I remember being about 10 years old and coming home from my Catholic school asking my mom if abortion was wrong. My own mother was one of "those" people. People who have had abortions.

Despite the cold, a dedicated group of women and men, showed up at the steps of the Supreme Court at noon on January 22. I asked people what choice meant to them and snapped some pics of the rally.

On the anniversary of Roe, I continue to be a pro-choice, reproductive justice advocate because I don't want others to choose for me or my sisters. As a daughter of immigrant parents, I refuse to let the anti-choice movement define who I am and who they think I should be.

Colorado women at a "Remember Roe" event tell of the driving forces behind their advocacy for choice in a state in which "personhood" threatens Roe, and conservative lawmakers try to kill a bill banning gender rating in insurance policies.

The 37th anniversary of Roe v Wade is one largely of disappointment for abortion rights supporters, especially given how many felt a year ago when Obama took office.

This morning, as I updated my Facebook status to celebrate the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade with a message about how thankful I was that I have the right to make personal decisions about my body, I would never have guessed how many anti-choice comments I would receive -  and from my friends and family no less! 

To me, trusting women means working for a world in which not only a woman's decision about whether to continue a pregnancy but also the meaning she ascribes to that choice are entirely hers alone--free of barriers and judgment.

The one advantage of coming from conservative roots and growing up to be an anti-racist feminist radical, is that I still get where conservative folks are coming from, as much as I may disagree with aspects of conservative belief - like the attempt to take away people's right to choose. I honestly do believe that we should respect all the different life choices that people can make, from the most traditional, to the most marginalised. I support any life choice; except the one that tries to take other people's choices away.

In 10th grade, my teacher for a class on National, State, and Local Government changed how I viewed the abortion debate forever.