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Content Warning: This story contains mention of sexual assault and suicidal ideation.

While states across the country consider bills that would erode the rights of transgender youth, these targeted bills aren't the only legislation threatening trans people's freedom. The Supreme Court is poised to hear a case on abortion that could overturn Roe v. Wade. While transgender people are often left out of conversations around reproductive rights, a new series from TransLash Media is highlighting how important abortion access is to the community.

On March 14, TransLash Media is partnering with the National LGBTQ Task Force to launch a three-part video series called Trans Bodies, Trans Choices, in which transgender people speak out about their abortion experiences. Videos will be released on March 14, 21, and 28, each featuring a trans person telling their own abortion story. The videos not only highlight the variety of experiences trans people have, but the challenges they may face navigating a system set up largely for cisgender people.

“This issue is not merely philosophical for our community. Trans people have babies, need general access to reproductive medical services, and have abortions. However, we do so within a healthcare system that is often hostile to our very existence,” Imara Jones, founder and CEO of TransLash Media, tells Teen Vogue. “By not including trans people in this fight, the overall reproductive justice is smaller and weaker.”

The series starts with a video titled “My Abortion Saved My Life,” in which Cazembe Murphy Jackson, a Black trans activist, explains how having an abortion after he became pregnant when he was sexually assaulted in college prevented him from attempting suicide. On March 21, TransLash Media will share "I Didn’t Think I’d Make It,” the story of Stann's abortion that helped them access more trans-affirming care. The series will finish with “Trans Bodies, Trans Choices,” Jack's abortion story that explores transphobia in healthcare, and how they're now lobbying for more trans-inclusive training for abortion providers.

There's little research on the prevalence of abortion in trans and gender non-confirming people, but one recent study asked trans people who'd had abortions how these services could be more inclusive. The most frequent response, according to the survey, was that providers could use gender-neutral language, have gender-neutral intake forms, and have better privacy practices. In general, transgender people often experience discrimination in medical settings. A survey by The Center for American Progress found that transgender people are “consistently and systemically underserved” by the medical system, adding that discrimination by medical professionals leads to trans people seeking less care.

“The path towards justice includes a world where Trans people’s reproductive decisions,
including abortion, takes place in thriving communities that are safe, affirming, and affordable.
This will be a fight for the long haul, and it will take all of us," Adaku Utah, organizing director at National Network of Abortion, said in a statement. 

Watch the first installment of the series here: Trans Bodies, Trans Choices