What It Means to be Pro-Choice

This video captures a speech I gave in my public speaking class in 2019. Researching, preparing for and delivering this speech transformed me into the stark women’s rights and reproductive freedom advocate that I am today. I discuss the mindset behind my pro-choice identity as well as the motivations for and problems with being pro-life. Having delivered this speech before understanding the importance of trans-inclusivity surrounding narratives about pregnancy and abortion, I disagree with my statement that men can never get pregnant as it overlooks transgender people. If I were to deliver this speech today, I would instead say, “If you don’t have a uterus, you can never get pregnant.” What I didn’t understand, but would later learn, is that anatomy does not define a persons gender. This isn’t an opinion, it’s a fact backed up by experts. Transgender and non-binary individuals are regularly left out of narratives surrounding pregnancy, reproductive healthcare, and abortion rights. Thus, I wanted to acknowledge this small yet important distinction.