Abortion and Life

In this week's Portland Phoenix, I write about Abortion and Life, a new book by feminist author Jennifer Baumgardner. In the book, Baumgardner suggests that by ignoring or simplifying the emotional nuance of a decision to terminiate a pregnancy, we do a disservice, both the women who make that choice, as well as to the movement that protects our right to do so.

In her book, Baumgardner writes about Exhale, an after-abortion counseling service whose founders are "part of a growing group of primarily young abortion supporters who believe that the way we practice and talk about unplanned preganancy and termination has to eveolve, or we risk alienating more women, including those who've had abortion experiences."

Now, in collaboration with the RH Reality Check Web site, Exhale is lauching Pro-Voice in '08, a video campaign that asks women to post a one sentence response to the question: What should the next president say to convey his support and his respect for your personal experience with abortion?

(The RH Reality Check Web site appears to be experiencing technical difficulties right now, so sorry for the lack of link.)

Here's Exhale co-founder Aspen Baker's You Tube call to action: