From a rousing, passing-of-the-torch speech from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to a career-defining address from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it was women — both the child-free and the moms — who mostly defined Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention.
President Joe Biden’s keynote notwithstanding, it wasn’t a seasoned politician, former party leader or Hollywood A-lister who delivered the most moving moment of the evening. Because an hour before the president delivered his address, three ordinary women stole the show with their brave and — incredibly awful — stories of life in a post-Roe world.
Women (and some men) are still being asked to tear themselves open again and again.
Amanda Zurawski, Kaitlyn Joshua and Hadley Duvall — three abortion storytellers who shared some of the most harrowing, painful moments of their lives in front of millions — crystalized a sickening reality. Women (and some men) are still being asked to tear themselves open again and again in order to prove we are all worthy of respect, autonomy and basic human rights. Women (and some men) are picking open scabs on live television, reopening intensely personal wounds for public consumption and discussion.
I don’t disagree with their inclusion last night. It was smart, and necessary, for the Democratic Party to not only center abortion, but also center abortion stories. The party has been playing a losing game of defense, with many leaders seemingly too scared to even say the word “abortion” out loud. Last night, the people most impacted by abortion bans and anti-abortion restrictions were finally front and center.
This shift is no doubt the result of decades of work from grassroots organizers and abortion advocates, such as Renee Bracey-Sherman and the team at We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of abortion-seekers, as well as Amelia Bonow, co-founder of Shout Your Abortion, a nonprofit dedicated to normalizing abortion. Studies have shown that personal stories are far more memorable, more powerful and more convincing than statistics, and Democrats are finally acting accordingly.
But these stories shouldn’t be necessary. We should not need to hear from a woman like Zurawski — who detailed just how excited she was to become a mom to Willow, only to go into early labor at 18 weeks and nearly die after she was denied a lifesaving abortion.
We should not be forced to relive the journey as Joshua was turned away from not one, but two Louisiana hospitals — despite her severe pain from a miscarriage — in order to better understand that comprehensive prenatal care must include abortion care, and that states that ban or severely restrict abortion access have higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. And it’s only getting worse.
Duvall, who was raped by her stepfather after enduring years of sexual abuse, should not have to recount the moment her pregnancy test flashed positive at age 12 for all of us to unequivocally call anti-abortion laws exactly what they are: inhumane.
“What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?” Duvall asked the crowd, sucking the air out of Chicago’s boisterous United Center.
What is so great about a country that has made such a question necessary?
What is so great about a country that has made such a question necessary?
Women revealing their forever-healing scars in a desperate plea to be believed, to be valued, to be treated as equal human beings. This is not a bug, but a feature of this country.
From Black women recalling their near-death experiences in order to highlight Black maternal mortality inequality and demand equitable prenatal care, to Indigenous women sharing their devastating experiences of sexual abuse to underscore the fact that an estimated 1 in 3 Native women will be raped in their lifetimes, to a woman detailing one terrifying moment in a department store changing room to prove a former president should never be allowed near the White House again, the path to progress has been paved by women’s pain — and their willingness to tell us about it.
So while I am forever grateful for Zurawski, Joshua, Duvall and every single abortion storyteller who has bravely made their personal story public, I look forward to the day when I never have to hear another story like theirs told in a basketball stadium again.
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