In our culture, the shame about accidental pregnancy is inextricable from the shame about having had sex. That disapproval of sex is one reason our record with contraception is so poor. If you’re not supposed to be sexual, you don’t plan for sex. You cross your fingers and hope for the best. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
I think women have the right to consult their own wishes, needs, and capacities and produce only loved, wanted children they can care for – or even no children at all. I think we would all be better off as a society if we respected women’s ability to make these decisions for themselves and concentrated on caring well for the born. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
A potential person is not a person, any more than an acorn is an oak tree. I don’t think women should have to give birth just because a sperm met an egg. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
I think the meaning of abortion is what the woman says it is: For a woman who wants a child but can’t have this one, it can be sad; for a woman who doesn’t want a baby, it can feel like a huge relief, like having your whole life given back to you. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
We need to say that women have sex, have abortions, are at peace with the decision, and move on with their lives. We need to say that is their right, and, moreover, it’s good for everyone that they have this right: The whole society benefits when motherhood is voluntary. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
Abortion opponents say women seek abortions in haste and confusion. Pro-choicers reply: Abortion is the most difficult, agonizing decision a woman ever makes. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
Abortion opponents know full well that the public would not abide putting women in prison en masse. Politically, it’s more palatable to portray them as irrational, ignorant, and childlike, perhaps even temporarily insane. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
Most Americans probably have no idea how hostile anti-abortion sidewalk counseling outside clinics can be. There’s a reason pro-choicers volunteer to escort patients as they make their way past angry crowds to the clinic door. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
Abortion is part of being a mother and of caring for children, because part of caring for children is knowing when it’s not a good idea to bring them into the world. Katha Pollitt Read Quote
