Before my daughter was born, I had two miscarriages. By the time my partner and I were sure we wanted a child, I was already at an “advanced maternal age.” Because of this I wrestled with waves of guilt and pressure. What happened to those fetuses? Is there a baby out there somewhere in our future?

I think about the nature of those miscarriages now, in light of the current political landscape in the U.S. Reproductive issues and bodily autonomy are hot topics once again. Scared politicians want to decide what we should do with our bodies because they need something to control. They don’t seem to understand the differences between miscarriage and abortion. Some of the same interventions are used in both cases. It shouldn’t matter. It’s personal business.