“One commenter remarked, “God bless you brave and intelligent ladies. Yes, it’s your body and your baby. You all have the right to do what’s best for you. Nobody else has the right to tell you what to do with your body. …”
(Heather Clark – Christian News) A profanity-laced video posted to social media on Monday features an interview with the woman behind the “Thank God for abortion” float that appeared at the NYC Pride Parade on June 24. The woman, who claims that she was “blessed” to have two abortions, says that she is trying to push back against the Christian beliefs that stand against both homosexuality and abortion, and characterized the float as a “never before seen spectacle of autonomy and conviction.”
“The tie between GLQTQ and people seeking abortion rights is very much both real and unspoken—queer people need abortion access too! And the same Christian core beliefs that fuel homophobia are at the seat of the anti-abortion movement. The #TGFAPrideFloat brings that all together and together is where we need to be,” a GoFundMe page for the float reads. The fundraising effort exceeded its goal of $6,000.
Viva Ruiz states that she created the float because she wanted to celebrate autonomy, as she believes people have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies. One photo on the “Thank God for abortion” website shows Ruiz standing in front of a Ten Commandments monument wearing a “Thank God for abortion” shirt.
“[A]utonomy is where we meet as a queer community. That’s what it’s about—I have a right to do what I want with this body,” she said in the video. “This is a march in independence from a police state; a break from subjugation. That’s where we meet. Physical personhood. Autonomy.”
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