Why Childbirth and Abortion Are Not Separate Issues by Erin Sagen — YES! Magazine
Every year, over 900 women in the United States die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, the highest rate of maternal mortality among wealthy nations (higher than many developing nations as well). The reason? The lack of adequate medical care for women in the US.
And every US citizen should be up in arms about the very real "systematic dismantling of dire medical care for millions of women and gender-variant folks, resulting in more violence against them that is both direct, such as anti-abortion terrorism, and indirect, such as restriction to access and further criminalization of poverty." A great article by Erin Sagan in Yes! Magazine.
“But another experience of reproductive health has been missing from public debate. Like abortion, it also affects women of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities; their health, relationships, and self-identity. Like abortion, it can be hugely relieving or deeply traumatizing. Like abortion, it’s an issue of reproductive rights. It’s pregnancy and childbirth, and it’s been left out of the conversation for far too long.”