{"id":17797,"date":"2019-06-12T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T16:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=17797"},"modified":"2019-06-11T11:08:23","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T18:08:23","slug":"lets-talk-lets-talk-about-alabama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2019\/06\/12\/lets-talk-lets-talk-about-alabama\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Talk<\/em>: Let\u2019s talk about Alabama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the writer of a column about women\u2019s issues, one would think that I\u2019d be sitting at my keyboard with bated breath, fingers feverously clicking across the keys as I express my views on everything going on in the southern states right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in reality, I\u2019ve been dreading writing a column for this issue. I\u2019ve asked multiple people for something, ANYTHING to write about other than this topic. Highlights include me egging on a male acquaintance when he said something along the lines of \u201cYou know how women are,\u201d and how my friend\u2019s wife found a sundress with pockets, which led into a 20-minute discussion about how a lack of pockets in women\u2019s clothing is the patriarchy at work\u2014the conversation was passionate and I could already see the column forming in my mind. But then I came home, opened my Word document, and stared at the blank screen with tears in my eyes. Because I realized I couldn\u2019t do it. I had to talk about Alabama, but how could I articulate everything that needs to be said?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Let’s Talk?<\/em> is a column exploring women’s rights issues; it’s in every issue of Nexus<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How can I express the sick heartache and rage I feel whenever there\u2019s a CNN update on the issue? How I couldn\u2019t focus on a conversation with a co-worker because a newscast about it playing on her phone was filling me with rage? And how I wanted to ask her to turn it off because I wanted to avoid that feeling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I can\u2019t help but feel there is a certain element of \u201cwe\u2019ll give you something to cry about\u201d in the votes as a reaction to how far women\u2019s rights have come since the birth of #metoo? How a little part of me has a \u201cpreach\u201d reaction when I hear people say, \u201cThis is about controlling women, not about protecting babies\u201d? How I want to cry every time I see someone bravely bare their soul about their painful decision to terminate a pregnancy in hopes of highlighting how common it is? How nurses write passionate pleas about all the circumstances in which they\u2019ve had to help a woman who very much wanted her pregnancy but, for medical reasons, had to terminate it because it was not viable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How mental health, education, poverty, life goals, and a million other things go into the decision? How I\u2019m overwhelmed by how triggered people are by this topic, and how all I want to say is the right thing but it feels impossible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One in four women chooses to terminate a pregnancy, and the reasons behind it are as unique and complex as the woman herself. And it breaks my heart that there is nothing I can say to change the minds of people who are hell-bent on taking that right away. So, I guess all I can say is: I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m sorry to everyone suffering because of this. I\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t write a brilliant opus to all the brave souls faced with this decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are not alone. If nothing else, know that.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the writer of a column about women\u2019s issues, one would think that I\u2019d be sitting at my keyboard with bated breath, fingers feverously clicking across the keys as I express my views on everything going on in the southern states right now.  But in reality, I\u2019ve been dreading writing a column for this issue. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,232],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columns","category-june-12-2019"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t