Last night I was like, "@rstevens I need a metaphor for a thing you do when there are unwanted consequences of something you did. You tried to prevent those consequences but shit happens, so here you are. It's not fun, but it's what you need to do." And he goes...
"Calling a towtruck."
So there you have it. The abortion analogy I've all been searching for: Abortion is the roadside assistance of reproductive health.
Nobody gets in their car thinking "Gosh I hope I get a flat/get in an accident," but if those things happen, you call a tow truck. And here's the kicker: it doesn't mean you shouldn't have been on the road.
People drive for all kinds of reasons. To go somewhere fun. To get away for a while. For work. For the hell of it. Those are all legit reasons to drive. Your car, your choice.
Sometimes really bad things happen - you get carjacked and left on the roadside in the middle of nowhere. With a flat.
Then you need roadside assistance AND the police, and neither should ask what you were wearing when you got carjacked.
Then you need roadside assistance AND the police, and neither should ask what you were wearing when you got carjacked.
Sometimes you have to call a tow truck and it means you miss out on the wonderful place you were going - your sister's wedding or your partner's graduation. It's so much worse than a fender bender and a bad day; it's a permanent mark of grief in your life.
At a time like that, you need a towtruck AND loving connection with friends and family.
You certainly don't need some sanctimonious asshole telling you how wrong it was to call a tow truck so you could even make it home on this day that was supposed to be joyful.
You certainly don't need some sanctimonious asshole telling you how wrong it was to call a tow truck so you could even make it home on this day that was supposed to be joyful.
And if you're like, "but Emily it's a life," I offer you this. medium.com/@enagoski/what…
So there you have it. Inspired by the women of Ireland, with whom I share ancestors, the ultimate analogy for abortion. It may even show you people in your life who kinda sorta believe women don't belong behind the wheel.
