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Uninhibited Show NotesEpisode 5: Abortion with LouWelcome to Uninhibited, a podcast with the mission to discuss taboo, multicultural, multi-generational, and multi-layered topics that matter to women. Our host, Dr. Makunda Abdul Mbacke, is an Ivy-League trained OBGYN, practicing medicine in rural America. She is a mother, career professional, part of Generation X, and so much more.---1:29 - Today’s guest, Lou, introduces herself to us. Lou has worked in abortion clinics from 1990-1998, doing everything from scheduling appointments to going through informed consent, to assisting physicians with the abortion process. Importantly, Lou has acted as an advocate for women going through abortions.2:05 - Dr. Makunda asks Lou why she did this job, what was so important or fulfilling about it? Lou’s reasoning is gounded in her own traumatic and abusive childhood, feeding her decision that nobody should have to go through what she had to. Her participation and advocacy for abortion rights and access could help prevent unwanted pregnancies and unhealthy childhoods.2:50 - “Even though some people may feel that you’re taking life, in some ways, you feel that you’re giving life because of the difficult situations that you’ve seen some of the women were in.” - Dr. Makunda.3:10 - Dr Makunda asks if there is a typical woman who comes seeking help at the clinic. Who were the people, backgrounds, and circumstances that Lou interacted with?Lou explains that women who come to the clinic came from all walks of life, and had varied backgrounds and experiences. The one commonality that she witnessed was their emotional states. There was a lot of grief and shame, fear and self-hatred surrounding their need for an abortion - this is never a choice that anybody really wants to make.5:40 - “The statistics show that one out of four - 25% - of women in America will have a termination by the time they are in their 40s.” We all know someone who has gone through this experience and it shouldn’t make you think any less of them.6:53 - Why do you think the safe availability of abortion is important?Women should have the right to choose what to do with their body and what to do with their lives. It’s as simple as that. The abortion debate that lawmakers and society is having is not about children. It’s about control, it’s about ownership, it’s about possession and keeping women subservient to the desires of another.7:55 - Dr. Mackunda adds that the argument of the “pro-life” stance isn’t truly about protecting life, because those proponents have used violence against people who perform and advocate for safe abortion.8:36 - Have you been at a clinic where there’s been protesting?Lou explains how she’s walked through picket lines, had her photo taken, had her car license plate and information taken down, while the clinics that she’s worked at experienced bomb threats, distraught and violent partners of clients, and threatening phone calls.9:50 - Dr Makunda shares her own experience with Planned Parenthood and her interaction with the other services they provide (as abortion services only make up a small percentage). At 16, Dr. Macunda was contemplating becoming sexually active and made the choice to go to Planned Parenthood to discuss birth control options, leaving that same day with birth control pills. Having that choice and that resource made a world of difference in her own life.11:30 - Dr. Makunda and Lou discuss how they view women’s bodies in today’s society, talking about how women’s bodies and agency are very much under attack. The actions occuring are about taking away education, access, and control over health and wellness decisions that extend past abortion.12:36 - Lou and Dr. Makunda discuss how proper sex education and easy access to contraception can truly be part of the solution for America’s abortion issue.13:50 - Lou makes the excellent point that if the opposing argument was truly about children, then there would be societal support systems in place to help take care of and raise those children. Instead, what we have currently is a system that prioritizes making money, which forces many people into situations where they can’t make ends meet.14:30 - “It really is about women’s bodies, women’s voices, and women’s choices.” - Dr. Makunda14:57 - Lou tells us about some common misconceptions that women discussed with her in the clinics, as well as societal misunderstandings.One widespread misconception that women have is that they should feel ashamed about having an abortion, that they had somehow failed their biological perogative of having children.15:26 - Dr. Makunda asks Lou what scares her the most about what’s happening in America currently. Dr. Makunda elaborates that the scariest thing for her is that these new state laws limit safe abortions - dangerous abortions will still take place out of desparation and lack of access, which can lead to horrible outcomes for women.17:00 - Lou agrees, also saying that society needs to shift the conversation to understand the root of the problem and why there is such a need for this type of control. She is also concerned about how regressive these laws and viewpoints can be - women can be seen more as possessions to be controlled, which can have dangerous consequences.17:55 - Dr. Makunda brings up that this is an issue of wealth as well. Wealthy women will always have options and avenues to safe abortions. People with means will have their right to elective abortion protected because they can afford to pursue other options. Poor women without access to transportation, money, or support cannot access to such abortion options.19:44 - Lou relays a story that really impacted her during her time at the clinic. A woman, addicted to drugs, came in at 24 weeks, which was the legal limit for abortions. They started the 3-day procedure and educated the client that she could not use drugs while undergoing treatment. On the second day, the client explained that she had used, which meant the clinic team had to stop and reverse the procedure. A week later, the woman realized she was pregnant with twins and that her children would be born addicted to drugs. She begged the clinic to help her, but they were unable to assist because of the 24-week limit.22:30 - Ultimately, we need to work to keep abortion safe. As the #YouKnowMe campaign says, there are women who you know in your life who were able to make the right decision for themselves and their bodies. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is a deeply personal choice - it can be necessary from a trauma, it can be an economic decision, or a choice made by a young person so they can pursue a different course of life.24:20 - Lou ends on the point that it is our duty as adults to give our children the best that we can offer. If we’re unable to provide that, then abortion can be a responsible choice to avoid unnecessary suffering.