Life Defenders

Women with disabilities face barriers to reproductive health and social biases exist that portray women with disabilities as asexual, infertile and incapable as mothers By  Erin E. Andrews, PsyD  for American Psychological Association  For most women, pregnancy is both an exciting and anxiety-provoking time. Women with disabilities may experience unique challenges and rewards. When I found out I was pregnant, I was overjoyed, but also apprehensive. I am a congenital triple amputee who uses a power wheelchair for mobility. I was less concerned about the effects of my disability, and more concerned about the attitudes of others toward my pregnancy. As a rehabilitation psychologist, I am well aware that women with disabilities face barriers to reproductive health and that social biases exist which portray women with disabilities as asexual, infertile, and incapable as mothers. My regular OB-GYN was not prepared to handle my pregnancy. Although she never said it direc...

We are all in this fight for the same reason - at least, I  would hope so. I would hope our only desire is to advance the cause, and not ourselves. Sadly, the deeper I become involved in the pro-life community, the more evident it is that isn’t always the case. We fight amongst one another, making personal attacks and picking one another to shreds. We limit our compassion to those we deem worthy of it. We allow our narrow-mindedness to reign when we throw our support behind political leaders and cry “fake news” whenever something doesn’t fit our narrative, all because they tell us they are pro-life. We don’t dare to listen to a point of view that challenges us to think outside of our deeply engrained systems , spouting off our perspective in comment sections for days, denouncing the valuable work of hardworking pro-life activists just because you disagree. We limit our compassion to those we deem worthy of it. Those outside of the arena; those in the nosebleed section ; tho...