Since the Supreme Court's decision
to overturn Roe versus wade,
prominent women have been speaking
up sharing their own personal
stories about having abortions.
Among them is Washington State Senator
Mona Doss of the 47th Legislative district.
She shared her experience openly
for the first time while at a rally
for abortions rights outside the
Supreme Court in DC over the weekend,
Mona is joining us now.
Welcome Mona.
Thank you so much
and alongside you is Beth Dolio,
a former state representative,
now running to return to the 22nd
district in the state legislature.
Beth welcome as well.
Thank you very much.
Alright, we have both of you here
together for a significant reason
to discuss the overturning of Roe V.
Wade but Mona.
I wanna start with this question.
Why Share your story now?
Because I had to. It was important.
It was the moment there have been many
times that I have thought to share my story.
The first was honestly a few days
before Pramilla shared hers and then
I was so proud that she shared hers.
And then I went into retreat with
mine and then there was another
time that I thought OK.
Now is the time and this time I
happened to be in Washington DC.
You know we kind of we heard rumors
that it was you know happening and
so on Thursday we kind of knew and.
You know Friday morning was actually
texting about something else with the
state chair party chair Tina Paderewski,
and she texted me and it,
you know, never forget it.
It just literally said row fell.
And I immediately backed dressed,
put my shoes on,
and went straight to the Supreme Court.
I had two other friends visiting Megan Dunn,
so homes,
Snohomish County Council member and
another friend who's very politically
active and I texted both of them and
I said I'm going and they met me.
You know, we all went and we had
to leave at different times,
but they were all there and.
I just knew it and as I was
getting ready to go down there.
I was preparing mentally what
I was gonna say.
I knew I would go straight to the front.
I knew I would grab the bullhorn.
I knew that I am a senator.
And I knew that I had to share my story.
Like I, you know,
I came up with this hashtag faces of
abortion like it's always somebody else.
It's always another person.
It's always a friend and it's always
whatever but very rarely is it a leader.
Is a woman of color?
Is it a senator?
And I knew that I had to share my story.
And you know,
as I was getting there in the lift I,
you know, I was preparing
mentally what I was going to say.
And they went straight up to the mic,
the bullhorn.
And I told them I said hey,
I'm a state senator I'm ready
to share my story and they
immediately gave me the horn.
And I was tired of the shame.
27 years of carrying this secret.
And. Obviously I'm a senator.
I'm a leader. I'm a business owner.
I'm a business woman, you know, I'm I'm.
I do all of these things.
I raise lots of money.
I do all of these things
and I am your sister.
I am your daughter.
I am your niece. I am your.
Not a mother and I am I I I am not a mother.
I'm proud to say I'm not a mother.
I mother, I have nephews that
I love and care for deeply.
But I do what I do in the world so
other people so there can be a change
in the systems that we know are broken.
And I knew that day that
I had to share my story.
I needed to show the face of abortion
of someone who was seemingly successful
as a senator and a lawmaker and someone
who's passed very large bills I knew.
That it was my turn to share
and I want to publicly.
I have privately already,
but I want to publicly thank
Representative Pramila Jayapal for not
only inspiring me to run for office.
But now also inspiring me to share my story.
She shared hers.
You know representative Christine
Reeves shared her as representative
that Dolio shared her,
and then I shared mine,
and I found out that at the governor's
press conference representative Jessica
Bateman and Representative Milinski also
shared their stories that six women,
6 leaders in our State, 6 very
different stories and six spaces of abortion.
And before I pass the mic over,
I want to say one thing.
Where are the men?
Why is it the women have to share our trauma?
Why is it the women that have
to carry around this burden?
Where are the men?
My boyfriend at the time benefited
from my abortion as well.
He did not have to.
I mean, I was 22 years old.
I think he was probably 26.
He does not have to have a child so young.
And we weren't ready.
I mean, would we still be together?
I don't know.
Would have been a great mother absolutely,
but I made the choice.
I made the choice for me in my life.
I was 22 years old.
I had just graduated from college
my entire life was ahead of
me and I will say this.
I will say it out loud and I
will say it with conviction.
If I had had a baby at 22 years old
I would not be a state senator now.
I would also not be passing the laws I pass.
I would also not be representing
my community.
I would also not bring representation
to the state legislature and I know
that I would not be doing what I'm
doing now and I am no longer ashamed.
I am very grateful that I had a
safe abortion and let's be clear,
abortion is not going to stop.
What's going to stop is safe abortion.
I lived in New Hampshire at the time.
I actually did drive to Falmouth, ME.
We had to drive way to take the day off work.
We were poor. It was $350.00.
We couldn't even afford it but we
knew we couldn't also afford a child.
If you can't afford an abortion,
you can really not afford
to have a child. And
100% people were there supporting you
and encouraging you to share this story.
I'd love to hear from you, Beth.
I know you were one of those people
that was in court encouraging
Mona to speak up at this time.
I was important for you to
have her do that as well.
Yeah, I mean I the day after it leaked.
I UM two women in my community in
Thurston County organized an event
at the steps and asked me to speak.
And I was was going through my head.
What can we do? This cannot happen to us.
What can we do?
And I I shared advice that people
needed to share their stories
and so that's why I'm here today.
That's where I shared my story then.
And that's why I'm so glad Senator
Doss was able to share her story.
I think we need to normalize it.
It is a very normal thing to have.
Have this happen accidentally
and to we need that choice.
We need to have control over our own
healthcare decisions and over our bodies.
And the more people are able to
talk about their experiences.
I think it's also really important
for older women who are pre Roe.
I had some folks I had a woman contact me
and say thank you for sharing your story.
Let me tell you mine,
when it wasn't legal and and and
whoop she had to go through.
And and all,
all the things to make sure that she
had as safe a procedure as possible.
That's what we're headed for here.
No question about it.
And those stories.
Young women haven't experienced that,
and so I think it's really important
for everyone to share their stories
as much as they feel comfortable.
Of course,
you have to be comfortable to do that,
and I just wanted to make sure
that people felt as comfortable as
possible by me sharing my own story
and encouraging others to do that.
As well
now Beth Mona, both of you talking
about this importance of sharing
the stories that Mona you mentioned
the word shame that being a lot of
the time the reason people may not
share something personal like that.
Are there other overarching issues
as well that you know need to
come to the forefront in in terms
of access to healthcare,
access to healthcare for women of color?
Is there a disproportionate access issue
there that is also tied to abortion rights?
I am so worried that's one of the
things I'm really worried about.
One of the things I saw was that in
Mississippi now, the closest place
to get an abortion will be Illinois.
And I, you know, just having to
go from New Hampshire to Maine.
I just looked it up where I lived was at 60.
It was 60 miles,
so it wasn't like a huge burden.
But we had a car, right?
And I, I believe I can't remember exactly,
but I think we borrowed money from
friends for the abortion and.
You know, I am so afraid and I
will be donating and you know,
encouraging others to donate to
all the funds that are out there
now to make sure women can travel.
You know,
be a safe haven and I want to encourage
folks that are using the camping
metaphor to stop using the camping metaphor.
These women are not camping,
they're getting a health care decision.
They are making a choice for themselves
for their lives and I will choose me
every day and I did and I have no regrets.
But the shame was there and I will tell
you right after I left the Supreme Court,
I texted my family because I knew
this story would get picked up.
Just because, you know,
the fact that I am a leader in my
community and I'm I am a senator.
I texted my family members altogether
and I said, I'm sorry to, you know,
share with you in this way. And.
And my family. I'm 50 years old, right?
And I it was still very hard
for me to send the text.
And like my family was incredibly
supportive and a few family members,
and I know my mom had shared with me that
she had an abortion and I I think a few
others in my family might have had them too.
And and those stories are,
we hide them.
We don't share them.
And what I want to do with speaking out,
like Camilla,
did you know Carmilla speaking out?
Sorry, Congresswoman,
Jayapal speaking out, you know,
I think gave Representative
Christine Reeves and Representative
Dolio a little bit of cushion.
And I know those three women
that did gave me cushion,
and it gave me the strength to do it.
And you know,
I think represent our betulia was correct.
Until we share these stories that it
is all of us, it is every they say.
It's one in four.
I think it's one in three personally.
And it's not a Democrat, you know.
It's just not Democrats,
it's Democrats, it's Republicans.
It's independent, it's women, right?
And every story is different.
And I had a woman also share
with me that at age 50,
she didn't think she could get
pregnant and she got pregnant.
And so when age 50 she had an abortion and.
That is, that is a powerful story.
Beth, did you want to comment on
that as well and just you know what
you're trying to do going forward as
an abortions right supporter with a
plan to move forward to make sure
people that are looking for access
feel like they can find it that they
feel like they can find the resources.
Yeah, well, I mean as as
as Senator Doss shared,
I mean the one of the single
biggest predictors of women living
in poverty is being a single mom.
It's very challenging.
Childcare costs are out of off the
charts and it is the single biggest
predictor of a woman living in
poverty for the rest of her life.
So this is an issue that
cuts across all everything.
Right and and I I am very nervous
about what is to come for women
who don't have this choice.
I'm also really nervous.
I mean, it's really wonderful
that our states, Washington,
Oregon and California have jointly
agreed to be sanctuary for women who
are choosing to have an abortion.
But unfortunately we do not have
healthcare providers and abortion clinics
that can support all of the predicted.
Growth that we are going to have
in that need here in our states.
So one of the things that I
am focusing in on is that we
need to have more physicians
licensed to provide this service.
We need to figure that out and we
need to figure it out quickly.
We need to to challenge the religious
institutions who provide a significant
amount of care in our states.
They don't allow for their
residents to be trained.
To to provide abortion,
we need to change that.
We need to change that now.
And those residents who are seeking
that the training who are undergoing
residency right now need to rise up and
say we are not taking this any longer.
This is a matter of life and
death for women in this country
and those others who there are
also transgender people who are
choosing to have babies as well.
And we want to make sure
that they are supported.
To.
Alright, Beth Dolio, a candidate hoping
to return to the 22nd district for
the state legislature and also with
US Washington state Senator Mona Duss.
We thank you both for your time.
Thank you very.