Let’s begin with a legitimate question: How obsessed does an abortion activist have to be to publish an article on Thanksgiving about not only how thankful she is for ending the life of her unborn child, but also featuring other “people” celebrating their abortions? The question is rhetorical, of course.
The above is exactly what abortion activist and “abortion storyteller” Nikiya Natale proudly did in an article for The Nation titled We’re Thankful for Our Abortions, with the subhead: “Many people who have abortions celebrate their experience. Here’s why my colleagues and I at ‘We Testify’ are thankful.”
Natale interviewed women who said that having an abortion — in some cases, more than one — has given them opportunities in life they wouldn’t otherwise have had. Which, not getting pregnant in the first place would’ve also done, but what do I know — I’m a guy.
After first obligatorily blabbering on about Thanksgiving being founded on “the unforgivable genocide of Native Americans,” and whining about how “her commitment to justice for all people (except for unborn children, apparently) makes it difficult for her to celebrate” things (she’s) thankful for, Natale finally discovered something for which she could be thankful: ending the life of an unborn child — twice.
I am grateful to have accessed my abortions in Texas while it was still legal in the state, and that my multiple abortion experiences now guide my work. […] I am thankful for both of my abortions.
I am thankful that I didn’t want to be a parent then, so I didn’t have to be a parent then. The blessing to plan a pregnancy and have a child when I wanted to have a child is something I have immense gratitude for. I really am thankful for it, particularly in this political climate and moment.
Natale went on to laud other “people” who “celebrate” their abortions, as well:
Many people who have abortions celebrate their experience. [sic] And since we at We Testify know this time of year can be especially difficult for people who’ve had abortions—who want to feel love and acceptance from their families, but who may not receive that validation—my colleagues and I are sharing appreciation for our abortions. No matter if it’s their first abortion or fourth, people should be supported in whatever they decide, every time.
In response to “How did you come to feel good celebrating and being thankful for your abortions?”, Natale laborious wrote about multiple examples of “people” grateful for their abortions. Among their responses:
CARINA REYES: My abortions meant the freedom to choose the direction of my life. I’ve had three pregnancies and two abortions. The first was in the context of a toxic relationship, and the second was after I had my first child. […]
EMMA HERNÁNDEZ: I had my first abortion at 21, and felt I had all the reasons to not continue with the pregnancy. I was in my senior year of college, didn’t have a job or a car, my father had recently been deported, and I couldn’t fathom a lifelong tie to a toxic relationship. If any life circumstance necessitated an abortion, surely it was mine. […]
SAVANNAH WILLIAMS: I never imagined myself as someone who would need an abortion because I never imagined myself as being pregnant at all. When I realized that I was pregnant both times, I was surprised. It made me realize that people can be pregnant at any time—I was pregnant as I walked across the stage at my high school graduation. I wasn’t exempt from it.
Um, “It made me realize that people can be pregnant at any time”? And, Ms. Williams “wasn’t exempt from it”? Should we tell her? And my “favorite”:
SAVANNAH WILLIAMS (BLOOMFIELD, N.J.): We’re coming up on the sixth anniversary of my second abortion and at that time I was moving into this apartment that I am currently moving out of, so it feels like the bookending of a chapter in my life.
When I think about how far I’ve come and the things I’ve been able to do—such as finishing college and starting my small business—I am grateful that I was able to do them without having to worry about making ends meet and struggling to care for two small children whom I wasn’t ready for. I am thankful for the freedom of self.
Too bad those “two small children” whose lives were intentionally ended before they were born didn’t have the “freedom” to say “No, I want to live.”
The Bottom Line
In my not-so-humble opinion, every one of the above examples, including that of Nikiya Natale, was about me, me, me, and completely devoid of taking personal responsibility for getting pregnant in the first place — most of them, multiple times. Then, ending the lives of their “mistakes,” for which they made choices that led to the conception of those “mistakes,” was easy: abortion on demand.
Obviously, I’m not a woman — although, throughout the article, Ms. Natale intentionally referred to pregnant “people,” so I’ll take the liberty to say that intentionally ending the life of an unborn child on the left has been reduced to little more than post-pregnancy protection from pregnancy.