Greta's Story
By Greta — Fellow, Patients to Advocates
It’s funny how something awful can make you smile – how adversity galvanizes hope and passion. And not to sound cliché somehow, but I’ve been thinking lately about how the Supreme Court is an integral part of what determines the rate at which our society evolves. How that small group of judges is clearly a huge factor in the degree of progressiveness our government and laws have.
They seem so official, and they seem so absolute. But you know what else determines our culture and communities, and maybe to an even larger degree? Ourselves and our stories. Listening to someone’s story can change the way you think about everyone you know and meet.
Sometime in the early spring of 2018, I found myself at a Cathedral in downtown Cleveland that I hadn’t known existed before. It was located right across from a new multi-service bus station, but I’d never noticed it beyond the bustle of travelers. It was beautiful – mystical in the pews, modern in the entry and reception space.
I sat on a bench near the door fussing over a script I’d written for my minute-and-a-half in the spotlight at a pro-choice event celebrating Roe v Wade. I was trying to look casual, but I felt like I’d landed there by chance, fresh out of the nine-month-long advocacy and leadership fellowship at Preterm, my local abortion clinic.
But when I got up to speak, there was nothing out of place. The crowd listened intently as I told my abortion story. To my pleasant surprise heads nodded as I poured my heart out about how my daughter, about two-and-a-half months old at the time of my abortion, was the driving factor in my decision to have the procedure.
The crowd look relieved when I explained that despite our backstory of struggle, my boyfriend had solid clean time after his relapse into heroin addiction — also a factor in my unexpected pregnancy and abortion.
I summed everything up in about two minutes, rambling with eagerness that this movement of women’s rights and reproductive health access was inspiring and a great source of joy to me. People clapped. I felt accomplished in the most meaningful of small ways.
The Trump Administration may think they’re special and can stall the progress of our communities with an awful nominee for the Supreme Court, but they’re nothing but a setback.
After being in that cathedral hall, celebrating the history and monumental success of our movement, of Roe v Wade, I have nothing but hope and confidence for us to find a way to keep people safe and healthy. Roe didn’t happen by accident or luck. It happened because people did not give up. It was the result of abortion patients being visible when we were told not to be.
If Roe gets repealed sure there will be heartache along the way, but generations of pro-choice advocates will have to come together and bring the fight for reproductive rights back to the forefront of people’s awareness. As long as we keep sharing our stories and knowing we have each other, we’ll find a way to push back and do an enormous amount of good.