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Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
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10 Oct, 7 tweets, 3 min read
As a legal tug of war continues over the Texas law that bans nearly all abortion care in the second largest state in the US, this is a useful article that places abortion laws in the US in a global context. washingtonpost.com/world/interact…
I have had an "illegal" abortion in Egypt and a "legal" one in the US.
I use inverted commas because I reject the State’s attempt to control my uterus. The State can fuck off with its opinions about what I can and can’t do with my uterus. That control belongs to me. feministgiant.com/p/abortion-is-…
Criminalizing abortion does not eradicate it nor does it make it rare.

“The harm of these draconian attacks cannot be overstated and they most acutely impact those who already face the greatest barriers to accessing care.” theguardian.com/world/2021/oct…
“Making access to abortion a reality for people across the globe requires so much more (than legality)." e.g. policies that cover the cost of abortion services and integrate it into the health care system & societal measures that destigmatize the procedure washingtonpost.com/world/interact…
It is in that spirit of destigmatizing that I finally wrote about my abortions. One in four pregnancies worldwide end in abortion. You know someone who has had an abortion, including me.

feministgiant.com/p/abortion-is-…
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More from @monaeltahawy

Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
11 Oct
Every time I see Ashli Babbitt trending, I will remind you:

Ashli Babbitt never imagined the Capitol Police would shoot her because the police rarely shoot white women, unless it’s a cop who shoots his wife at home. #AshliBabbitt #January6th

feministgiant.com/p/white-women-…
She never imagined she'd survive fighting for regime change “over there” only to die fighting for regime change “over here.” A 14yr Air Force vet who fought in Iraq & Afghanistan, she was the only person shot by Capitol Police while trying to storm the Congress of her own country
So eager of a footsoldier of white supremacist patriarchy was #AshliBabbitt that she was the first to scramble through a window in a door separating the insurrectionists from an area where members of Congress were sheltering from the mob.
Read 9 tweets
Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
29 Sep
Every time I write something I think is brave, I think "That's the bravest I'll ever be." And every time I start a new essay, I ask myself "Am I not brave?" Yes, I am. But courage wilts & withers when it is not challenged, like muscles that need heavier weights. So I dare myself
The above is about abortion. This is about shaving all my hair off. Always, always, whatever scares me the most, in just the thinking about doing it, is what I need to do the most.

Since publishing my essay about my abortions, I'm reminded of this:

I think twice, thrice, and often more before I share moments of vulnerability on social media. feministgiant.com/p/essay-fallin…
Read 7 tweets
Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
28 Sep
After my first abortion 25yrs ago, I couldn't talk to anyone about it. Instead, I would endlessly search for stories on abortion, to nurture my need for support and community. If that is you today on #InternationalSafeAbortionDay, I hope my essay helps you. Love and solidarity.
Here I am finally sharing for my younger self who had no one to talk to about her abortions; for anyone who recognizes that their abortion is considered especially shameful or outrageous because it does not follow the few acceptable abortion narratives. feministgiant.com/p/abortion-is-…
The personal is political, of course. Where I come from, the personal is more dangerous than the political.

I am from a country w/ the greatest number of women & girls in the world whose genitals have been cut in the name of controlling female sexuality refworld.org/pdfid/5a17eee4… Text: With an FGM prevalence of 87.2% among all women aged 1
Read 10 tweets
Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
28 Sep
The more marginalized you are, the sharper the blows of patriarchy and its attendant oppressions. In the US, gendered racism means that the victims who accused the singer R. Kelly of sexual assault were mostly ignored because they were Black women and girls.
Unlike the famous and privileged white women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, who were interviewed and invited to write opinion pieces, the victims of R. Kelly, many of whom were teenage girls, were rarely sought out by the media. feministgiant.com/p/how-much-is-…
According to a study published in 2017 by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, as early as age five, young Black girls in the United States of America are viewed less as children and more like adults when it comes to discipline in schools.
Read 9 tweets
Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
28 Sep
Sept. 28 is #InternationalSafeAbortionDay. Abortion should be safe every day. In 1996, I had an "illegal" abortion in Egypt. I was lucky.
I was lucky because when I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend’s cousin recommended an OB/GYN doctor in Cairo who performed abortions in his clinic. I was lucky because I could afford the procedure. feministgiant.com/p/abortion-is-… #InternationalSafeAbortionDay
In 2000, I had a "legal" abortion in Seattle in the US. Again, I was lucky. I did not have to drive for miles to access abortion care. I did not have to take time off that I could not afford from work or find overnight accommodations because there was no clinic in my town.
Read 15 tweets
Mona Eltahawy Profile picture
28 Sep
Today is #SafeAbortionDay. This is the first year that I have been able to say: I have had two abortions. I am glad I had my abortions. They gave me the freedom to live the life I have chosen. #Sept28 #AbortionIsNormal #AbortionIsHealthcare
I was not raped. I was not sick. The pregnancies did not threaten my life. I did not already have children. I just did not want to be pregnant.
#SafeAbortionDay #AbortionIsNormal
feministgiant.com/p/abortion-is-…
Criminalizing abortion does not eradicate it nor does it make it rare. It makes it dangerous and often deadly for the poorest and most vulnerable people who can get pregnant.
#SafeAbortionDay #AbortionIsNormal
Read 10 tweets

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