This special edition of the MSNBC Daily newsletter spotlights one of the most pressing and galvanizing issues of the 2024 election. While abortion is on the ballot in 10 states, it's clear this election will have a tremendous and possibly immediate impact on abortion access and reproductive rights in this country. What that means on an individual level varies widely, defying stereotypes and stigma. Our series was commissioned to illustrate the many different ways "reproductive care" manifests itself across America. And these six stories represent, through various lenses, the 1 in 4 women in the United States who have received or will receive some form of abortion care in their lifetimes. Some women who share their stories below are health care providers, some have required or were denied vital care. All speak in powerful ways about the importance of a medical system that acknowledges our right to vital health care, and warn of what happens when we don't have it.
My abortion took place less than three weeks before the ultra-conservative Arizona Supreme Court upheld a near-complete abortion ban that dates back to 1864.
Shortly after the Dobbs decision, I got a call from a longtime patient telling me that her 16-year-old daughter had gotten pregnant and that she had taken her to North Carolina for an abortion.
Texas' abortion ban creates significant barriers for both patients and providers, who risk severe consequences for offering, or in some cases even discussing, abortion services.
