My Body, My Choice: Keeping My Tapeworm in Protest of the Reversal of Roe v. Wade

NEW YORK - As I sit here with my tapeworm coiled comfortably inside of me, I understand that no matter how much weight I lose, how many bouts of diarrhea I push through - it's not about me. After the news of Roe v. Wade had been overturned, I knew my priorities must shift if I want to leave a better tomorrow for my future sons. I, like most, had pondered writing to my representatives or donating to charities (god knows I have the money), but I understood I could have a more meaningful impact by showing how this affected me: John Robinson.

I never thought I'd find myself in the middle of a political battle, but here I am - with a tapeworm, and a mission. My friends told me I was crazy, how I was “misinterpreting the concept” of the movement and “making a mockery of real issues” with a parasite I contracted in Thailand.

What girls don't understand is that my tapeworm is a symbol - a symbol of their plight against the fight for reproductive regression into a time in which men ignored them, belittled them, and brushed their voices aside. They were held prisoner in their own body, their identity (like mine) reduced to “host”.

Sure, some people argue the worm is harming me, that it's draining my energy and causing me to drop weight at an alarming rate, but what small price to pay for forging a concrete stance against male oppression. Frankly I’ve never looked better.

So, to all the naysayers out there, I say this: keep your judgments to yourself. I know what I'm doing, and I know why I'm doing it. I'm fighting for a better world, one where everyone has the right to choose what happens to their own body. And if that means keeping a tapeworm inside me, then so be it.

My body, my choice.