With Today at Ms.—a daily newsletter from the team here at Ms. magazine—our top stories are delivered straight to your inbox every afternoon, so you’ll be informed and ready to fight back. |
“I had an illegal abortion that was quite a searing experience. Better than most women’s as a matter of fact, but life-changing as far as my attitudes toward the subject,” said Carol Downer, pictured here holding a Del-Em Kit, with her cat, Red. (Courtesy of Carol Downer) |
BY CARRIE N. BAKER | Before Roe v. Wade, one of the ways women bypassed the medical system to get necessary abortions was a technique feminists called “menstrual extraction,” using a syringe, flexible plastic tubing and a mason jar to extract the contents of the uterus.
Ms. spoke with activist Carol Downer about her experiences teaching people to perform menstrual extractions and how the procedure could help post-Roe. “How in the world can that Supreme Court sit up there and deny this thing to us? How can they get away with that? You can guarantee that Amy Coney Barrett has not seen her own cervix.” (Click here to read more) |