Australian Broadcasting Corporation's "Foreign Correspondent" - A Right to Choose

Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Foreign Correspondent” - A Right to Choose featured our story as part of their episode how the abortion landscape in Missouri and Illinois represents the tug of war over abortion rights that is happening right now in the United States of America.

I wanted to welcome people that arrived to our site to learn more about our story, and share some additional information:

• I am Robin Utz, and I have been married to my husband Jim for nearly 11 happy years. We live in St. Louis, Missouri.

• We tried for four years including two rounds of IVF and a prior miscarriage before becoming pregnant with our daughter Grace Pearl. But at her 20 week anatomy scan, we learned that she had a fatal fetal diagnosis, and would die upon birth. We chose a later abortion , sometimes called a termination for medical reasons (TFMR), rather than continuing the pregnancy and risking stillbirth, or choosing palliative care.

• Obtaining our abortion was one of the most insulting, degrading experiences of my life simply because the Missouri state laws are designed to be judgemental and full of unnecessary delays and hurdles. You can learn more about them here and here, and because of them, I started telling my story more, both so people would know one reason that a person might obtain a later abortion, and also so people could know how terribly these laws treat people.

• In the nearly five years since my abortion, I have learned that my situation and story is actually is not that rare; it’s that the stigma around talking about abortion is so deep, it’s hard to find storytellers willing to expose themselves to the misplaced criticism, judgment and condemnation from people that don’t walk in their shoes, or worse, would want to punish us anyway.

• My husband and I now have a two year old living child after seven total years of trying and several additional infertility treatments. Her name is Hannah, after her sister Grace, and she is utterly delightful.

You can find some of the most helpful links to information here:

• About Grace's disease

• Why Missouri’s timelines and consents are a big deal

• Why we didn’t choose palliative care for Grace

• The farewell Dance Party story and playlist

• My elected official looked at his phone and ignored me while I testified

• Our story in the Washington Post

• The Moth Podcast (with pregnancy announcement)

• Hannah’s Birth Announcement

• BBC Newshour Interview

• Why Missouri’s timelines and consents are a big deal

BBC Newshour Interview on Missouri Abortion Ban - Listen Here

I posted a link to my BBC Newshour interview about Missouri’s 8 week abortion ban, noting it was at the 37:30 mark. It is now available to listen to directly here.

Please listen and share - it provides a great context on what the 8 week abortion ban means for Missourians and the overall goal of bans such as these.

Parents Magazine Covers Full Impact of Abortion Bans, Including Our Story

I have often said that Jim and I were lucky in the most heartbreaking experience of our lives: we had close access to excellent medical care, had good jobs, health insurance, and other elements of privilege protecting us. This article from Parents Magazine covers our story and how it will be impacted by the abortion bans here in Missouri, and likewise in Alabama, Georgia, etc., as well as how those far less fortunate than us will be affected. Please read and consider.

What New Abortion Laws Mean for Moms, Pregnant Women, and Women Who Want to Get Pregnant

Restrictive abortion laws in states across the South and Midwest threaten your right to choose. Here's what they mean for women considering parenthood. May 23, 2019 Robin Utz learned in November of 2016 that there was something wrong with her second-trimester pregnancy.

Our Story Will Be On The Moth Podcast Tomorrow (11/2/18)

I am thrilled to announce that my Moth story from the 10/18/18 show in Boston will be part of the November 2nd podcast (this coming Friday).

I will share the link again when it is released on Friday, but for people that aren’t already subscribers, you can learn more about the podcast and where to subscribe here:

Jim and me at the Wilbur after The Moth show in Boston, MA on 10/18/18.

Sharing our story on The Moth was truly an honor for me.

I feel so urgently and strongly about sharing the reality of what has faced Jim and me (as well as so many others that do not have the ability to share so publicly for a variety of reasons).

It’s been a privilege to share Grace’s story, and I’m so appreciative to The Moth for the opportunity, and to Boston for the warm reception.

I hope you’ll listen.

Our Story in the Washington Post

Our story has been published in the Washington Post as an Opinion Piece. You can see it here.

Please share our story. 

It's okay to not know how you feel about our story, and still share it.  It's okay to say that too. It's okay to share it and not add any commentary to it. We know we'll face criticism from some for the choice we made, but it's our sincere hope that we can shed some light on the gray area situations that exist around abortion.

Men, too, please share our story. Historically, men have shared our story very little, for reasons I haven't quite figured out yet. I'll likely do a blog post about that in the future and would love kind feedback and perspectives. But the fact of the matter is Conservative men do not hesitate to speak their minds and propose and pass legal restrictions around our options without considering or including stories like ours. We need male allies to speak up with us. 

Thank you so much for your consideration of our story. 

Rachel Goldberg's Story

Rachel Goldberg of Southwest Missouri had to travel to Boulder, CO to terminate for medical reasons. Please read and share her story, which can be found here.