A Christian priest has shared her own abortion story to make a powerful point, as the Roe Vs Wade debate continues in the US.
On Monday, a controversial leaked draft document – published by the news site Politico – appeared to suggest the majority of US Supreme Court justices would vote to overturn Roe Vs Wade – the historic case law that legalised abortion across America.
If the law is overturned, 26 out of 50 US states are expected to ban abortion.
The news sent shockwaves around the world, with women stepping forward to share their abortion stories. Lizzi Green, a priest based in St Albans, was among them.
In a Twitter thread that’s been liked more than 13,000 times, Green shares that she had two abortions. The first was after she was raped and the second was due to the fact that her pregnancy was endangering her life.
Although most pro-choice advocates would argue that a woman should not need to justify her reasons for seeking a termination, Green’s thread does highlight some of the many reasons women may seek an abortion.
“Abortion saves lives,” she writes. “But I’ve come to the conclusion that actually, people know this. You know the astonishing complexity of pregnancy, you know people get coerced, you know people are simply too poor to cope, you know all the myriad reasons someone might need safe access to abortion. The sickening thing is, you just don’t care.”
Hundreds of people have commented to thank Green for sharing her story, though anti-abortion campaigners have also quote tweeted the thread with strong rebuttals and, in some cases, hateful abuse.
“To those who have been kind, from both ‘sides’ of the debate, thank you,” Green said in a further tweet. “To those who have told me to die, to piss off (that was the polite one), that I’m a baby murdering heretic, [I] hope you find happiness, security and compassion soon.”
Elsewhere on Twitter, others have been sharing personal stories supporting the sentiment that “abortion saves lives”.
In one thread that’s been shared more than 200,000 times, a woman tells the story of her 16-year-old sister and her boyfriend, who ended their own lives because they did not have access to abortion.
Celebrities have also shared their own personal abortion stories. Singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers has been widely praised for de-stigmatising the issue after sharing an Instagram story about her experience.
As many have pointed out as the situation in the US develops: you can’t ban abortion, you can only ban safe access to abortion.