Hi, John, I’m Nelini Stamp, and I’m the Director of Strategy and Partnerships at the Working Families Party. First, I wanted to invite you to an Emergency Assembly on Monday I'm hosting along with Elizabeth Warren, Jessica Cisneros, Nida Allam, Summer Lee, and Erica Smith.
I also wanted to share my own story with you.
In September of 2021, I had an abortion.
I was new to Pennsylvania, a state with Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature, and nervous to even think about the process. I made my appointment, and asked two friends for help afterwards.
I documented that day for myself. I filmed getting ready, wearing a Britney Spears t-shirt and my hair up. I went to the clinic alone. Outside of the building, someone tried to intimidate me into leaving without getting the care I needed.
After the procedure, when I was healing, I took a few more pictures. The plants outside the window. The heating pad for my cramps. I documented it because things seemed gloom and doom-y.
Getting an abortion wasn’t an easy decision for me. But it was absolutely the right decision.
It’s my body and I don’t have to explain my choice, but I’m willing to. I was still battling long COVID, still dealing with extreme exhaustion and other lasting, debilitating symptoms. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever want to be a parent or not! But what it boils down to is that in September of 2021, I was not ready to have a child. Period. Full stop.
The day before I had my abortion, Texas SB 8 had just gone into effect, banning all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — before a lot of people have any idea that they’re pregnant at all.
I was horrified. Horrified that I might never have the choice whether or not to be pregnant again. And devastated that huge numbers of people, in more vulnerable positions or with different circumstances than me, would not have the window or the access to make that decision for themselves.
Every single person in this country should have the right to full reproductive care, including the right to an abortion. Abortions are health care. They have saved so many lives, and changed so many others for the better. They should be free and accessible for everyone. And that should be federal law.
In these last few years, we volunteered. We donated. A lot of us “voted blue no matter who.” We did everything the Democrats told us to do to put them in power, and it worked. They won. So it’s beyond infuriating to look at Washington and see nothing being done as our fundamental rights are stripped away. And it is so, so easy to want to just… give up.
But despite all of that, I won’t. I will keep doing everything in my power to fight against minority rule and authoritarianism in this country. I hope that you’ll keep fighting with me.
At the Working Families Party, we’re building a grassroots power that cannot be ignored. And this Monday, May 9 at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, I'll be hosting an Emergency Assembly to discuss reproductive rights, abortion access, and how to make real change in this country. Monday's Emergency Assembly will be joined by Elizabeth Warren, Jessica Cisneros, Nida Allam, Summer Lee, and Erica Smith.
You can RSVP for that here.
In moments like this, I want to remind everyone that we have to fight on all fronts to build the power needed to restore and protect our human rights. Sometimes, that will be through elections. Sometimes, it’ll be direct action, or building alternatives, or unionizing more workers. It’s never one tactic that gets you there, it’s all the tools in the tool box.
Before I sign off, I want to thank you for reading my story. One in four women and people assigned female at birth have an abortion before they turn 45. We’re your mothers, your sisters, your friends, your co-workers. And we’re people with autonomy and the ability to decide what’s best for ourselves. Don’t give up on us.
Join us at Monday’s Emergency Assembly, and let’s keep fighting.
In solidarity,
Nelini Stamp
Director of Strategy and Partnerships
Working Families Party
