This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about how much harder it will be to keep my daughter safe if Roe is overturned. I wanted very badly to be a parent, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity.
But I’m also glad and grateful that I got to become a parent when I chose, at age 35 and again at age 37, when I knew I had the financial resources to be able to afford and support a child (whether or not my partner decided to stick around).
I’m also very glad that when I got accidentally pregnant twice at 18 (both birth control failures, not that it matters why), I was able to safely terminate both pregnancies, thanks to the existence of Planned Parenthood.
I want my daughter to have the same options, the same rights over her own body. I want my son to understand that if he contributes to an unwanted pregnancy, his parents will do their best to make sure that the pregnant person gets to decide whether they want to carry that pregnancy to term or not.
This holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914; arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.
In 1968 Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children. In the 1970s women’s groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.
To me, this day seems the perfect time to talk about the political concerns of mothers. If you do nothing else to celebrate the holiday, consider joining or starting a conversation on one of these issues. And a donation to Planned Parenthood today would not go amiss. Link in the comments below.
Happy Mother’s Day.