How Wendy Davis—And an Amazon Reviews Page—Helped Women Share Their Abortion Stories
July 1, 2013You’ve undoubtedly heard about the amazing state senator from Texas, Wendy Davis, and her day-long filibuster of SB 5, Texas’ anti-choice omnibus bill that would have shut down 37 of the 42 abortion clinics (and which is now being considered again, under a different name, during a second special session of the state legislature). Her bravery and eloquence took the country by storm.
And, on the internet at least, so did her shoes. The hot pink sneakers that Davis wore during her filibuster have become the focus of memes everywhere. Activists have even taken to Amazon to write reviews of the particular model she wore. Buried in the hundreds of reviews, some of which are very funny, are also some stories about abortion and reproductive rights.
Two stories really struck me, the first an allegory about rape and the shame forced upon survivors.