Shame is a twisted thing. It’s a societal and patriarchal construct, one built around boxing us in, teaching us to behave according to some sort of moral, political, or cultural code. Unpacking and dismantling shame can be exponentially harder than establishing it in the first place, making the effort feel almost too monumental to tackle. That’s why I feel so strongly about giving space to those ready to talk about issues deemed ‘shameful’ – like abortion.
“When it comes to abortion, the personal is much more dangerous than the political,” writes Mona Eltahawy in this week’s Service95 long read – a story that stems from the perilous state of reproductive rights in the United States right now. For those who feel able to, speaking up helps vanquish the shame; then in our shared stories we can find common ground in “dragging abortion out of the shadows and into the public discourse as the human right that it is”.
Please read every word of Mona’s story. It has struck a chord in me, and I hope it does the same for you.
Dua x
