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Men stood alongside women this week at a demonstration at the Alabama state capitol to protest the state's new extreme anti-choice law. (Photo: @ACLUAlabama/Twitter)
'Speak Up and Be Allies': Men Asked to Join Women in Sharing Stories of Abortion
"Women should not have to face this fight alone. Men, it's on us to listen, to speak out, and to take action."
May 17, 2019
As women on social media this week responded to the latest extreme anti-choice laws passed in Alabama and Missouri by sharing their own experiences with abortion, some rights advocates called on men to join in the campaign so that reproductive justice work doesn't fall solely on women.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also called on men to speak out forcefully in opposition to Alabama's near-total ban on abortion, the eight-week ban which passed Friday in Missouri, and six-week bans which lawmakers in Georgia and Ohio recently approved.
"Women should not have to face this fight alone," wrote Booker in an open letter published in GQ Friday. "Men, it's on us to listen, to speak out, and to take action. Not because women are our mothers, sisters, wives or friends--but because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies."
Actress Busy Phillips won praise from reproductive rights groups earlier this month when she announced on her talk show that she had obtained abortion care as a teenager. Her story sparked an online campaign in which women around the country shared their own experiences using the hashtags #ShoutYourAbortion and #YouKnowMe.
"I know there are a lot of men out there who have partners who've had abortions," tweeted TV host Padma Lakshmi shortly after Alabama's law was passed Wednesday. "It's time for you to speak up and be allies. Women don't get pregnant alone."
\u201cI know there are a lot of men out there who have partners who've had abortions. It's time for you to speak up and be allies. Women don't get pregnant alone.\u201d— Padma Lakshmi (@Padma Lakshmi) 1557931592
"Really waiting on those 'I'm so glad the woman I impregnated was able to get an abortion' tweets/essays/think pieces from men!" tweeted journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Friday. "I see all these women putting themselves out there."
\u201creally waiting on those "I'm so glad the woman I impregnated was able to get an abortion" tweets/essays/think pieces from men!\u201d— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@Taffy Brodesser-Akner) 1558118791
\u201cI see all these women putting themselves out there. Men, as my mother says (she only speaks about sex in cliche), it takes two to tango!\u201d— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@Taffy Brodesser-Akner) 1558118791
As the calls mounted, a number of men spoke out about how abortion rights had affected their lives.
\u201cA long time ago an ex of mine got pregnant. We had used birth control but it still happened. We thought we were being safe enough. It was her choice to abort and I supported her. I'm so grateful we had access to abortion. Men, tell your side of the story. #ProChoice\u201d— Kristian Bruun (@Kristian Bruun) 1558104797
it's weird how little we as men talk about how abortions have saved our lives...
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
when i was 22 my partner found out she was pregnant in the bathroom of the Tisch building. I did not know what to do. I was terrified. She knew right away she did not want to have a baby now. I knew that what she knew was clearer and made more sense than the mess in my brain
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
who knows what my life would have been like if I, a skinny 23 year old aspiring artist and writer would have become a father? I think a lot of dudes need to do more than claim solidarity and outrage. We need to admit culpability and involvement. We need to admit responsibility.
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
\u201cMy life would be very different without access to abortion. When I was 22, a woman I was seeing got pregnant. She was almost 20. I was still in college. We worked together at a bar and had been sleeping together for maybe 5 or 6 weeks.\u201d— Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton (@Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton) 1558014106
\u201cI'm glad she made that choice. I'm glad the choice was available, safe, affordable, and easy to access. I'm horrified that there are (mostly white male) Republicans trying to deny that choice to millions of women.\u201d— Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton (@Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton) 1558014106
Groups leading the resistance to the extremist Republican agenda since President Donald Trump took office have noted that women and people of color have largely led the way in fighting against harmful, regressive policies.
Daily Action, a progressive group formed after Trump's election which connects voters with their representatives via phone and encourages them to engage with elected officials, found that 86 percent of its users are women. MTV also conducted a survey in 2018 that found young women were more likely to have donated to a campaign, signed an online petition, volunteered for a political cause, and attended a rally since Trump took office, than men.
Women's rights advocates this week argued that men must stand alongside women to fight against policies that in the past they may have felt didn't affect their lives.
"For men, abortion is not something many feel the need or desire to talk about--it's too uncomfortable," wrote Booker. "But that's a trap--and one we need to get out of immediately. Men need to acknowledge that they benefit from abortion rights and reproductive health care, too."
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As women on social media this week responded to the latest extreme anti-choice laws passed in Alabama and Missouri by sharing their own experiences with abortion, some rights advocates called on men to join in the campaign so that reproductive justice work doesn't fall solely on women.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also called on men to speak out forcefully in opposition to Alabama's near-total ban on abortion, the eight-week ban which passed Friday in Missouri, and six-week bans which lawmakers in Georgia and Ohio recently approved.
"Women should not have to face this fight alone," wrote Booker in an open letter published in GQ Friday. "Men, it's on us to listen, to speak out, and to take action. Not because women are our mothers, sisters, wives or friends--but because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies."
Actress Busy Phillips won praise from reproductive rights groups earlier this month when she announced on her talk show that she had obtained abortion care as a teenager. Her story sparked an online campaign in which women around the country shared their own experiences using the hashtags #ShoutYourAbortion and #YouKnowMe.
"I know there are a lot of men out there who have partners who've had abortions," tweeted TV host Padma Lakshmi shortly after Alabama's law was passed Wednesday. "It's time for you to speak up and be allies. Women don't get pregnant alone."
\u201cI know there are a lot of men out there who have partners who've had abortions. It's time for you to speak up and be allies. Women don't get pregnant alone.\u201d— Padma Lakshmi (@Padma Lakshmi) 1557931592
"Really waiting on those 'I'm so glad the woman I impregnated was able to get an abortion' tweets/essays/think pieces from men!" tweeted journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Friday. "I see all these women putting themselves out there."
\u201creally waiting on those "I'm so glad the woman I impregnated was able to get an abortion" tweets/essays/think pieces from men!\u201d— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@Taffy Brodesser-Akner) 1558118791
\u201cI see all these women putting themselves out there. Men, as my mother says (she only speaks about sex in cliche), it takes two to tango!\u201d— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@Taffy Brodesser-Akner) 1558118791
As the calls mounted, a number of men spoke out about how abortion rights had affected their lives.
\u201cA long time ago an ex of mine got pregnant. We had used birth control but it still happened. We thought we were being safe enough. It was her choice to abort and I supported her. I'm so grateful we had access to abortion. Men, tell your side of the story. #ProChoice\u201d— Kristian Bruun (@Kristian Bruun) 1558104797
it's weird how little we as men talk about how abortions have saved our lives...
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
when i was 22 my partner found out she was pregnant in the bathroom of the Tisch building. I did not know what to do. I was terrified. She knew right away she did not want to have a baby now. I knew that what she knew was clearer and made more sense than the mess in my brain
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
who knows what my life would have been like if I, a skinny 23 year old aspiring artist and writer would have become a father? I think a lot of dudes need to do more than claim solidarity and outrage. We need to admit culpability and involvement. We need to admit responsibility.
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
\u201cMy life would be very different without access to abortion. When I was 22, a woman I was seeing got pregnant. She was almost 20. I was still in college. We worked together at a bar and had been sleeping together for maybe 5 or 6 weeks.\u201d— Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton (@Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton) 1558014106
\u201cI'm glad she made that choice. I'm glad the choice was available, safe, affordable, and easy to access. I'm horrified that there are (mostly white male) Republicans trying to deny that choice to millions of women.\u201d— Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton (@Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton) 1558014106
Groups leading the resistance to the extremist Republican agenda since President Donald Trump took office have noted that women and people of color have largely led the way in fighting against harmful, regressive policies.
Daily Action, a progressive group formed after Trump's election which connects voters with their representatives via phone and encourages them to engage with elected officials, found that 86 percent of its users are women. MTV also conducted a survey in 2018 that found young women were more likely to have donated to a campaign, signed an online petition, volunteered for a political cause, and attended a rally since Trump took office, than men.
Women's rights advocates this week argued that men must stand alongside women to fight against policies that in the past they may have felt didn't affect their lives.
"For men, abortion is not something many feel the need or desire to talk about--it's too uncomfortable," wrote Booker. "But that's a trap--and one we need to get out of immediately. Men need to acknowledge that they benefit from abortion rights and reproductive health care, too."
As women on social media this week responded to the latest extreme anti-choice laws passed in Alabama and Missouri by sharing their own experiences with abortion, some rights advocates called on men to join in the campaign so that reproductive justice work doesn't fall solely on women.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also called on men to speak out forcefully in opposition to Alabama's near-total ban on abortion, the eight-week ban which passed Friday in Missouri, and six-week bans which lawmakers in Georgia and Ohio recently approved.
"Women should not have to face this fight alone," wrote Booker in an open letter published in GQ Friday. "Men, it's on us to listen, to speak out, and to take action. Not because women are our mothers, sisters, wives or friends--but because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies."
Actress Busy Phillips won praise from reproductive rights groups earlier this month when she announced on her talk show that she had obtained abortion care as a teenager. Her story sparked an online campaign in which women around the country shared their own experiences using the hashtags #ShoutYourAbortion and #YouKnowMe.
"I know there are a lot of men out there who have partners who've had abortions," tweeted TV host Padma Lakshmi shortly after Alabama's law was passed Wednesday. "It's time for you to speak up and be allies. Women don't get pregnant alone."
\u201cI know there are a lot of men out there who have partners who've had abortions. It's time for you to speak up and be allies. Women don't get pregnant alone.\u201d— Padma Lakshmi (@Padma Lakshmi) 1557931592
"Really waiting on those 'I'm so glad the woman I impregnated was able to get an abortion' tweets/essays/think pieces from men!" tweeted journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Friday. "I see all these women putting themselves out there."
\u201creally waiting on those "I'm so glad the woman I impregnated was able to get an abortion" tweets/essays/think pieces from men!\u201d— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@Taffy Brodesser-Akner) 1558118791
\u201cI see all these women putting themselves out there. Men, as my mother says (she only speaks about sex in cliche), it takes two to tango!\u201d— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@Taffy Brodesser-Akner) 1558118791
As the calls mounted, a number of men spoke out about how abortion rights had affected their lives.
\u201cA long time ago an ex of mine got pregnant. We had used birth control but it still happened. We thought we were being safe enough. It was her choice to abort and I supported her. I'm so grateful we had access to abortion. Men, tell your side of the story. #ProChoice\u201d— Kristian Bruun (@Kristian Bruun) 1558104797
it's weird how little we as men talk about how abortions have saved our lives...
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
when i was 22 my partner found out she was pregnant in the bathroom of the Tisch building. I did not know what to do. I was terrified. She knew right away she did not want to have a baby now. I knew that what she knew was clearer and made more sense than the mess in my brain
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
who knows what my life would have been like if I, a skinny 23 year old aspiring artist and writer would have become a father? I think a lot of dudes need to do more than claim solidarity and outrage. We need to admit culpability and involvement. We need to admit responsibility.
-- carvell (@carvellwallace) May 16, 2019
\u201cMy life would be very different without access to abortion. When I was 22, a woman I was seeing got pregnant. She was almost 20. I was still in college. We worked together at a bar and had been sleeping together for maybe 5 or 6 weeks.\u201d— Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton (@Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton) 1558014106
\u201cI'm glad she made that choice. I'm glad the choice was available, safe, affordable, and easy to access. I'm horrified that there are (mostly white male) Republicans trying to deny that choice to millions of women.\u201d— Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton (@Evan @evansutton@mas.to Sutton) 1558014106
Groups leading the resistance to the extremist Republican agenda since President Donald Trump took office have noted that women and people of color have largely led the way in fighting against harmful, regressive policies.
Daily Action, a progressive group formed after Trump's election which connects voters with their representatives via phone and encourages them to engage with elected officials, found that 86 percent of its users are women. MTV also conducted a survey in 2018 that found young women were more likely to have donated to a campaign, signed an online petition, volunteered for a political cause, and attended a rally since Trump took office, than men.
Women's rights advocates this week argued that men must stand alongside women to fight against policies that in the past they may have felt didn't affect their lives.
"For men, abortion is not something many feel the need or desire to talk about--it's too uncomfortable," wrote Booker. "But that's a trap--and one we need to get out of immediately. Men need to acknowledge that they benefit from abortion rights and reproductive health care, too."
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