Recently, I addressed the 20-week abortion ban that passed in the U.S. House. I wrote about it because I couldn’t sit still, much less not stand up and speak out in the face of a ruling that subjugated women and jeopardized future parents like Ryan and me from being able to make the best choice for their unborn children. Whatever that choice happens to be, I believe our country must support these difficult decisions and do something when our rights start disappearing, state by state.

 

 

Then, Senator Wendy Davis stood up on the floor of the Texas Senate in Austin and didn’t sit back down for 11 hours. She read testimony from moms like me, she explained why the legislation put women’s health at risk, she galvanized an overflowing gallery of loud and proud Texan voters and supporters. I sent her a letter. Then, I wrote an op-ed.

 

 

I’m happy to announce that my hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, published that op-ed, “Abortion Choice Can Spare Future Pain,” in today’s paper and online. I encourage you to read it and comment if you’re so inspired. I encourage you to do something, whatever it is, in support of what you believe in, especially in the face of barriers.

 

 

Many of you know our story. You’ve followed along. You’ve saved me in that way. Now, it’s time to find out what the public really thinks. It’s time to find out how mothers who don’t know me feel.

 

 

Since losing Lorenzo and realizing that so few people truly understand our experience, I’ve clung to stories by other mothers like me who lost children like Lorenzo and who are surviving them each day. This solidarity is another lifeline… like Ruby, like the Chain-Link Heart Project, like the kiddos at the orphanage, like you all. As I’ve mentioned before, these women are brave to share their choices and their circumstances.

 

 

Now, that I feel stronger than I have in over a year, I must keep that bravery close and brace myself. I’ve read enough of these stories online to know that not everyone is supportive. In fact, people judge—openly and cruelly and often without any personal experience to rest their judgment upon. That said, I accept what comes with having choice. I remember that your body is most stable with both feet on the ground. And when I have Ryan and Ruby standing right there with me, when I know many of you are standing in support where you are, I know everything will be just fine. Maybe, even, some hearts will change along the way.