Kate Michelman, former executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice America, recently published an article in The Nation detailing her horrifying, yet all too common, experience with our country’s healthcare system. After her daughter was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident and her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she has seen her life, and life savings, diminished to near poverty levels. Her husband, who received excellent benefits as a retired college professor, and her daughter who had no benefits, both find themselves in a situation in which they are unable to afford their medical bills. Ms. Michelman describes her life as coming full circle after she first experienced the failings of America’s health care system when she obtained an abortion in 1969 in a humiliating and terrifying process.
This story is indicative of a nationwide healthcare problem that has become too severe to ignore. Women, who are generally paid less and are less likely to receive benefits, are often the most injured by this broken system. As the article ends by calling for action from our political leaders, we realize that we have a long way to go but can no longer stand by and watch.
