This morning, RH Reality Check and the ACLU are publishing the words of Amy S, a lifelong Illinois resident, who was faced with the news that the baby she was carrying had a catastrophic brain malformation.

In her own words:

The genetics counselor confirmed the prognosis. If the baby was carried to term, he would essentially be a vegetable. He would never sit, eat, or recognize his parents. He would have seizures, not be able to regulate his temperature or blood sugar, and likely be in great, great pain. And I thought, no way. Not my child. I would not let him suffer and die because I couldn't muster the courage to do what I had to do for him to pass away in a more humane way.

Read the whole story. Thank you to Amy for your courage in sharing your experiences.

Do you have a story to share? We're listening. Visit action.aclu.org/rhstories or go to http://acluroadtrip.org.

Crossposted at acluroadtrip.org

Don't miss Khadine's introductory post at RH Reality Check and the ACLU's Blog of Rights.

An excerpt:

My first road-trip was back in '99, the summer I graduated from college. I convinced my friend Ben that it would be a good idea to pack our stuff into a Penske Truck and move from Jamaica Plain, MA to Berkeley, CA. I don't know what excited me more - actually living in California (aka the activist promised land) or the 5-day, 11 state road-trip we were about to embark on.

We made mix tapes that served as the perfect soundtrack to our experience; we saw parts of the country that I was always curious about; we ate awful rest area "food"; and we learned that the salt lakes in Utah are really made of salt (I was curious, we pulled over, I tasted it and (1) it was salty and (2) my tongue was numb for the next half hour).

Read the rest!

Crossposted at acluroadtrip.org

Don't miss today's posts on RH Reality Check and the ACLU's Blog of Rights. We're really proud to work with them to build awareness of the barriers women face in accessing reproductive health care services and information.

From today's post:

I got married at the beginning of July. The church, the flowers, the family, the cake and champagne, the whole deal. Why, you ask, am I now planning to spend 2 straight weeks on the road in Illinois traveling with someone other than my new spouse? Why am I leaving the love of my life at home in Chicago to eat food from truck stops, sleep in unfamiliar beds and talk to strangers?

Two reasons: corn dogs and Chlamydia.

Read the whole thing!