Analysis Of Reproductive Justice And Activist Ambitions By Deborah Walsh

Reproductive Justice and Activist Ambitions Deborah Walsh’s traumatic experiences have saved countless lives. The emotional and physical abuse she endured for over sixty years was transformed into the motivation to protect women’s rights to bodily autonomy. Living in the South for a majority of her life, Walsh describes in this interview her experiences with segregation, marriage, conservative protests, and, most importantly, the evolution of her career as an abortion provider. What began as a nursing aide position in a burn unit eventially led to ownership of a medical clinic, providing a wide range of resources for thousands of women. Listening to Walsh’s life story and hearing about all the hardships she has faced, it is easy to see the

Before getting this job, she always felt that abortion seemed “kind of rough, kind of brutal or something.” (Walsh 27.) She thought that abortion was ultimately wrong and that she would never make that decision for herself. But after witnessing some horrible cases of child abuse, she decided that she was pro-choice. “Universal scale of right and wrong, definitely an abortion is… nothing compared to this [abuse].” (Walsh 27.) This example goes to show that perceptions of morality and integrity can change as one experiences life-changing events like this. This was a huge turning point in Walsh’s life, even though she likely did not realize is at the

When she began her first job at an abortion clinic, she always made sure the women she cared for felt comfortable and safe. This clinic was one of very few that allowed the women’s children to enter the building and wait while their mother had her procedure. This is one major issue that stops women from seeking out abortions; they do not have a babysitter and cannot leave their children home alone. Walsh made sure this was an issue. Another concern Walsh wanted to address was for the women who had so little money that they could not afford food because they needed to pay for their abortion. She supplied food and beverages for every patient that entered the clinic so that their next meal was not a question. And when pro-life protests started, especially by the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, Walsh always ensured that the women were not threatened by the protestors and that they could physically enter the building, even if this meant carrying them on her back through the crowds of objectors. She continuously put her life in danger in order to help her patients. Without reproductive right activists like Walsh, abortion would be illegal everywhere, and thousands of women would die each year from unsafe, illegal abortions. Because Walsh dealt with the extreme anxiety and physical danger that came with working in a women’s health clinic, women who were terrified