Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
This post is going to be very open, very real, and it will probably offend some people. But I honestly just don’t care. If this post ends up offending you, then you aren’t the kind of person I want following me on my journey, so you can stop. I refuse to stop advocating for my health or any other woman’s health, I want my blog posts to educate people. I want to be a voice for the people that can’t find theirs. The situations I find myself in day in and day out are incredibly real, and I want to show every part of them, good and bad. So, I hope you can learn something by reading this today. Let’s talk about Methotrexate first. I did a very detailed post about it a few months ago, so feel free to read that as well. But I’ll go over the basics again. I take Methotrexate once a week, it is my immuno suppressant. It’s also a chemo drug, but it has been shown to help people with autoimmune diseases such as Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. It basically stops my body from attacking itself, and it has 100% saved my life. It gave me everything back, the ability to move my joints, the ability to get down the stairs in the morning, the will to keep going even when things seem impossible. Above all, it gave me my quality of life back, and for that I will be forever grateful. There’s one catch though. I’m not allowed to get pregnant on it. In a lot of cases, Methotrexate is used to treat ectopic pregnancies. It can also lead to a greater chance of miscarriage and birth defects. Also, it can be very dangerous for the woman who is pregnant. The most severe birth defects that Methotrexate can lead to are neural tube defects that affect the brain, spine, or spinal cord. It can also cause defects in the collarbones, teeth, and eyes. It is incredibly dangerous for a woman to carry a child that she got pregnant with while taking Methotrexate, it could absolutely be life threating for me if that was to happen. The really raw, real & honest truth is, if I did end up getting pregnant on Methotrexate, I would have to get an abortion. I would not have a choice. And, I’m okay with that, because I have to be. It’s something that I’ve already come to peace with, because it’s something that I’ve had to think about a lot. I don’t like that I have to think about it, but it is a situation that I could very well end up in, so it’s not something that I can ignore. Of course, I plan on taking every precaution necessary to not end up in that situation. I have to be off of Methotrexate for 6 months before I even start trying to have a baby, and I also can’t breastfeed while taking it. But, if I ever did find myself in that situation, I hope that I would have access to a safe abortion. What’s going on in the country right now is scary. We have certain people wanting to take those rights away from us, and I’m terrified. And so many other women are terrified too. Because, anyone can choose to have an abortion, it’s not just me. My reasons might be different, but those reasons shouldn’t matter. I support any woman who chooses to get an abortion, no matter the reason or the situation. Because (and this may be shocking to people) nobody has the right to judge another woman’s decision to abort. It IS NOT your life. It DOES NOT affect you in any way. Women should not be afraid in the year 2020 that we are going to have our reproductive rights taken away. How is that fair? How is anybody okay with that? It’s so mind blowing to me that I even have to write this post. But I am. I’m writing to educate, I’m writing for my rights, I’m writing for all of the women who are so afraid right now. And, I also want to point out, that there’s nothing I want to be more in my life, than a mother. This post isn’t about not wanting to have kids. Nothing about this situation is taken lightly, none of the things that I have thought about have been easy to think about. I lie awake some nights terrified that I never will be a mother. But that doesn’t change the fact that I would have to get an abortion if I got pregnant on Methotrexate. And, I’ll say it again, I and every other woman need access to SAFE abortions. We need SAFE places to go. We need access to checkups, medication, reproductive education, and birth control. News flash: accessible birth control is non negotiable. These are OUR bodies, OUR choices to make. So, to all the women out there who have gotten an abortion, are thinking about getting one, or know somebody who has, I support you & and stand by you 100%. I am proud to be pro choice, I’m thankful that I was raised to be that way. This is real, unfiltered, messy life. These are hard choices, hard thoughts, hard situations. Don’t judge anyone for the things that they choose. I wish that this was something that I didn’t have to think about or talk about. But it is. I will stand up for what I believe is right, and I have no shame in that, So, again, if this post offends you, I don’t care. Abortion is a right, period. I hope you can all realize that, and accept it. I started this post with a quote from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought for our rights with dignity and grace. She was the definition of what it takes to be a strong woman in a man’s world. I’m going to end with another quote from her, “real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” I definitely took that step today. Once again, abortion is a right, and please register to vote.
Chronically Elle 