I posted a few months ago that I had been interviewed for an article on abortion for Mother Jones. That article wound up not going through, but she saved my info and has now used it! The article just went up. 
I'm excited. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/01/republican-abortion-ban-20-weeks
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@Torchwood: it made me cry, but I'm so glad your story is helping to defeat these awful proposed bills.
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@Torchwood: I don't have time to read this right now, but I am looking forward to reading it soon. They were talking about the 20 week ban on NPR this morning and I was totally thinking of you! I am so glad that you shared your experience and am so impressed with your courage!
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These proposed bills are terrifying and your courage is inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing this and being so open with your story
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Ah, so proud of you for sharing your story - only good things can come of more women talking about this kind of thing!
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Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you for sharing.
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Okay I am going to venture out and say something that I hope is okay (and simultaneously out myself).
I consider myself to be pro-life in the sense I believe all life is valuable. I do not typically agree with most legislative proposals that try to restrict abortions, however. (I don't think they do anything to move forward, I think they are way of keeping their base happy without having to tackle the actual issues that cause women to have abortions). What I really support is legislation that increases women's economic ability (health care, mat and sick leave, education opportunities, affordable day care), and societal changes that reduce the stigma on young and single mothers.
That being said, I never really got the argument for allowing late term abortions. While I didn't feel all that connected to my babies in my first trimester, by the time I could feel them move they were very, very real to me.
And so I want to thank you for sharing your story. The love you had for your daughter is obvious and it helps me frame the debate in a different context. I think the only way we will be able to move past the debates and move into actual action is to recognize the humanity on both sides. Everyone is working towards a better world for women and children, despite having different ideas about what that entails.
So thank you. (And please know that even though I said I was prolife, I don't judge you. I know that I would have no idea what I would do in your situation and pretending like I know would be pointless.)
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Thank you for sharing.
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@Torchwood: Thank you for sharing your story. I think it's so important for people to hear personal stories like yours and I know it's a tough one to share because you open yourself up to criticism. I can't say thank you enough.
Today is the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade and I'm so glad the Republicans have canceled the vote and the bill was dropped.
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@jedeve: I had the same reaction to hearing @Torchwood:'s story. While I consider myself very liberal, I personally am not a fan of abortion, but I think it's an important right to have. I never understood the need for late term abortion and thought it was a horrific thing and why would anyone *want* to go that route? Hearing this story has really made me understand and empathize with why someone may need to make this choice and I am fully in favor of it now.
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@Torchwood:
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I've been wondering what happened with the story, thank you for sharing! You are so wonderful and brave for sharing your story, and I also think it's an amazing way to honor your daughter
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Thank you for having the courage to share your story. Women like you are the ones who change the world.
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That was really interesting, thanks for sharing. I think it's really great that your story is opening eyes and being shared
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Thank you for sharing!!!
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@Torchwood: I've followed your story but haven't really commented before. Anyway, I also want to thank you for sharing your story. I read the Mother Jones article and I think it's a good perspective, but I do wish the reporter had emphasized more how dire River's diagnosis was. I wish she'd been clearer that you and your husband were preparing to raise a child with special needs right up to the time you found out that the situation had taken a turn for the worst, and that it wasn't a matter of "the baby won't be perfect so I don't want it" but rather "the baby has no possible chance of any quality of life so we don't want her to suffer unnecessarily." I think she almost got there but not quite...but at any rate, putting a real person's experience against the debate is so important, so again, thank you.
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@ShootingStar: Well said and I agree.
@Torchwood: Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for sharing your story
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Thank you for sharing and shedding light on a very complicated and misunderstood subject.
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Thank you to everyone for the continued support! It means a lot.
@jedeve: Definitely okay! I've gotten a LOT of comments along the same lines. And 10 years ago I would have been right where you are. I was adamantly pro-life when I was younger. That changed well before all of this happened, but it was still eye-opening for me, because I'd never heard of or considered circumstances like ours.
@PurplePeony: I do agree that I wish she'd made that a little clearer. She didn't do terrible with it, but she could have emphasized some things a bit more. I think in the original article she had planned she would have, but this one was so long there wasn't much space. Originally she had interviewed several other women in similar circumstances (though I think ours was the most extreme) and the article was going to focus more on that. She also originally said she's share my blog link, which I kind of wish she had done. At least then people who were interested could go and see what I wrote, which I think does make those points much more clearly. But it also spared me comments from the crazies, so maybe not a bad thing.
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You are making a difference. You are making lives better. Thank you for sharing your story!
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@Torchwood: I continue to be amazed by your strength to keep putting your story (and yourself) out there. I hope that stories like yours are informative to those forming opinions and making decisions on these complex issues.
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I had to come back to add that I really think your story could have a significant impact on people. Probably about seven years ago I read a story in a magazine about a couple who went through a very similar experience to yours. I've always been pro-choice but that still really opened my eyes to a situation I hadn't considered before, and obviously I never forgot it. There will always be people whose minds can't be changed no matter what, but I'm sure there will still be some who read your story, get a change in perspective and never forget it
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Thank you for sharing your story.
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