The president of an abortion advocacy group unashamedly declared on Wednesday during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that she herself had an abortion, and asserted that killing unborn children gives women “power over [their] own destiny.”
Ilyse Hogue is the leader of the National Abortion Rights Action League, also known as NARAL Pro-Choice America. She took to the stage during the convention to shout her abortion to the nation and declare that American needs Hillary Clinton to keep abortion legal.
“To succeed in life, all we need are the tools, the trust, and the chance to chart our own path,” Hogue stated. “I was fortunate enough to have these things when I found out I was pregnant years ago. I wanted a family, but it was the wrong time. I made the decision that was best for me—to have an abortion and get compassionate care at a clinic in my own community.”
Convention-goers clapped and cheered at the revelation.
“My story is not unique. About one in three American woman have abortions by the age of 45 and the majority are mothers just trying to take care of the families they already have,” she said. “It’s not as simple as bad girls get abortions and good girls have families. We’re the same women at different times in our lives each making decisions that are best for us.”
Hogue suggested that abortion helps to make families successful because it allows women to end their pregnancies if they don’t want children at the time.
“If we want families to succeed, we start by empowering women. Give us accurate information and access to health care. Keep politicians out of our business when we’re not ready to parent and support us when we are. That’s what gives our families the best chance to get ahead and to stay ahead,” she said.
Hogue also contended that those who oppose abortion really aren’t against ending the lives of unborn children, but rather giving power to women.
“It’s not abortion that’s bothering them. It’s empowering women to live our own lives,” she asserted. “And when we have power over our own destiny, we honor our most cherished traditions of charity and equality. These aren’t just women’s issues. These are the very foundation of our freedom.”
