It seems like maybe a good time to restate this
We need to reframe how we think about the uterus. The uterus is not a nurturing organ; it doesn't need to be. A fetus is frighteningly good at getting the resources it needs to nurture itself; if placental cells are implanted anywhere other than the uterus, (most often the fallopian tube, but also sometimes the bladder, the intestine, the pelvic muscles and connective tissue, and the liver) they will rip through a body, slaughtering everything in their path as they seek out arteries to slake their hunger for nutrients. A fetus will happily grow in any of these places, digesting and puncturing tissue, paralysing and enlarging arteries, raising blood pressure to feed itself more, faster, ( it's no coincidence that genes involved in embryonic development have been implicated in how cancer spreads) but it will be unable to be ejected.
Rather than a soft cosy nest, a uterus is a fortress designed to protect the pregnant person from the developing cells inside them. Because of our huge and (metabolically speaking) expensive brains, human fetal development requires unrestricted access to a parent's blood supply, which makes pregnancy (and miscarriage too btw) incredibly dangerous for the carrier. The uterus has evolved to control and restrict whether placental cells can get that access, and to eject the fetus before it develops enough to kill the host. The function of the uterus is to protect the parent's life. The very structure of the uterus very firmly prioritises the life of the parent over the life of the fetus.
Even with modern medical care, at least 800 people die EVERY DAY from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes, according to WHO data. Among developed countries, the United States has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, and Texas has one of the highest rates within that. This rate disproportionately impacts the poor, and BIPOC.
Pregnancy is not a joke. It is a life-threatening event, a parasitic attack on a human body; just one we have romanticised and been desensitised to. The miracle of birth is that we have a specialised protective organ designed to, if all goes well, let us survive it. It doesn't always go well. It is life or death. Someone who chooses to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and carry a fetus to delivery is legitimately choosing to risk their life to do it. Nobody else has the right to make anyone do that, and nobody should be punished or vilified for not wanting to do it.
Abortion bans are terrorism.
Abortion bans are white supremacy.
Abortion bans are oppression.
Abortion bans are class warfare.
Abortion is a human right.
*EDIT- since this seems to be getting some attention, let me take the opportunity to point out my deliberate non-gendered language and remind you that not only women get pregnant and require access to abortion care. Many trans men and trans masc and non-binary folks run these same risks and are often left out of conversation around reproductive rights. Please be mindful and inclusive of these marginalised people.
We need to reframe how we think about the uterus. The uterus is not a nurturing organ; it doesn't need to be. A fetus is frighteningly good at getting the resources it needs to nurture itself; if placental cells are implanted anywhere other than the uterus, (most often the fallopian tube, but also sometimes the bladder, the intestine, the pelvic muscles and connective tissue, and the liver) they will rip through a body, slaughtering everything in their path as they seek out arteries to slake their hunger for nutrients. A fetus will happily grow in any of these places, digesting and puncturing tissue, paralysing and enlarging arteries, raising blood pressure to feed itself more, faster, ( it's no coincidence that genes involved in embryonic development have been implicated in how cancer spreads) but it will be unable to be ejected.
Rather than a soft cosy nest, a uterus is a fortress designed to protect the pregnant person from the developing cells inside them. Because of our huge and (metabolically speaking) expensive brains, human fetal development requires unrestricted access to a parent's blood supply, which makes pregnancy (and miscarriage too btw) incredibly dangerous for the carrier. The uterus has evolved to control and restrict whether placental cells can get that access, and to eject the fetus before it develops enough to kill the host. The function of the uterus is to protect the parent's life. The very structure of the uterus very firmly prioritises the life of the parent over the life of the fetus.
Even with modern medical care, at least 800 people die EVERY DAY from pregnancy- and childbirth-rela
Pregnancy is not a joke. It is a life-threatenin
Abortion bans are terrorism.
Abortion bans are white supremacy.
Abortion bans are oppression.
Abortion bans are class warfare.
Abortion is a human right.
*EDIT- since this seems to be getting some attention, let me take the opportunity to point out my deliberate non-gendered language and remind you that not only women get pregnant and require access to abortion care. Many trans men and trans masc and non-binary folks run these same risks and are often left out of conversation around reproductive rights. Please be mindful and inclusive of these marginalised people.