I used to be against abortion. I started to distance myself from the "pro-life" movement because of the hypocrisy.

You can't be pro-life AND pro-death penalty. If you are pro-life, you should be advocating sex ed and programs that support life AFTER birth.

From that point, there was a process of un-learning the lies I had been programmed to believe about abortion. I realized that, regardless of whether a clump of cells has a soul, it is cruel to force rape victims to carry their rapists child to term 2/?

Regardless of whether a clump of cells is a person (it is not), it is cruel to let women die from pregnancy complications that can be avoided by terminating a viable or non-viable pregnancy. 3/?

It is cruel to force poor women to give birth...but even more cruel to refuse to offer any support after birth (paid parental leave, childcare, ensuring that all children are fed and housed). 4/?

At first, I started rationalizing exceptional circumstances in which I felt abortion is morally justified: rape/incest, the fetus is nonviable, the person carrying the fetus might die from pregnancy complications. 5/?

I believe that all life has value, but at some point I started to realize that abortion could be kinder than sentencing someone to a life spent in poverty, especially in a country like ours that has virtually no social safety net and demonizes the poor. 6/?

I don't know when it clicked, and I'm embarrassed that it took so long, but at some point I realized that abortion is much more complicated than I had been lead to believe. For many pregnant people, deciding to get an abortion is a hard decision. For some, it isn't that hard. 7/?

Pregnancy is personal and there is no way for me, or anyone, to know someone's reason for terminating a pregnancy. And frankly, it's none of our business. Banning abortion would prevent those who just don't want a kid from aborting, but it will also kill many pregnant people 8/?

Banning abortion, especially while doing nothing to improve our welfare system, would exacerbate poverty. I'd also be willing to wager that it would increase violent crime, but I don't feel like finding a source on that. 9/?

My beliefs about abortion as a teenager/in my very early 20s was wrong. When I learned more about the issue, I changed my mind, and I am 100% willing to admit that I was stupid. 10/?

I don't want children, but I'm not sure if I would choose to have an abortion if I became pregnant. Luckily, I've never had to make that choice, and I hope my IUD keeps being a trooper. Regardless, all people should have the right to make the decision for themselves 11/11

Just want to add that I know that some people who do not identify as women can become pregnant. Sorry if this thread seems trans/NB-exclusive. I am trying to correct my language, and I will try to do better in the future. 12/11