This is the fifth story in a 7-part series in support of reproductive rights. On election day, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote Yes on 4  to get rid of a near-total abortion ban and reinstate the liberties under Roe v. Wade.  

The stories in the series were told live on stage in front of 400 people at Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida on September 5th 2024. 

As the country gears up for the election on November 5, 2024, we will be sharing all seven stories one week at a time. These stories highlight how Florida's current 6-week abortion ban negatively impacts all women and families. We hope these stories will help you understand why keeping abortion legal (which means voting yes on Amendment 4) is not only important but will also save lives. We know this sounds counter intuitive, but abortion saves lives. Click here to support Yes on 4 and please stay tuned.

Today’s story is by Dr. Cecilia Grande, an OB-GYN in Miami, Florida. Her story is about how the current abortion laws are prohibiting her and her colleagues from giving standard care to her patients and tragically, women are dying. Dr. Grande lists the exceptions provided by the law, but walks us through why these exceptions are grossly inadequate and why even the exception for rape and incest does not protect rape victims unless they report their rape and can provide a court order. The exceptions, in short, are cruel. 

Dr. Cecilia Grande has been a practicing physician in Miami for 30 years.

The Yes on 4 campaign is taking the full live show, Our Abortion Stories, on the road. Join us in a city near you:

Tour Dates:

Tallahassee, Oct. 24

Jacksonville, Oct. 25

Orlando, Oct. 26

Ft. Lauderdale, Oct. 28

Click on the city for tickets and theater locations.

Writing Class Radio is hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz. Audio production by Matt Cundill, Evan Surminski, and Aidan Glassey at the Sound Off Media Company. Theme music is by Kenny Korade.

This event was produced and created by Writing Class Radio, Rabbi Greengrass at Temple Beth Am, and 19 collaborative partners: The Women’s Fund, Equal Justice Society, Cuban American Women Supporting Democracy, Men for Choice, Books and Books, Planned Parenthood, Temple Judea, Coral Gables United Church of Christ, Tikkun Olam at Temple Beth Am, Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, Women’s Emergency Network, Sisterhood of Temple Beth Am, Catholics for Choice, Temple Israel, Women of Reform Judaism, RAC Florida, National Council of Jewish Women, The Workers Circle, and All Angels Episcopal Church.

There’s more writing class on our website including stories we study, editing resources, video classes, writing retreats, and live online classes. Join our writing community by following us on Patreon. 

If you want to write with us every week, you can join our First Draft weekly writers groups. You have the option to join Allison on Tuesdays 12-1 ET and/or Mondays with Eduardo Winck 8-9 pm ET. You’ll write to a prompt and share what you wrote. If you’re a business owner, community activist, group that needs healing, entrepreneur, or scientist and you want to help your team write better, check out all the classes we offer on our website, writingclassradio.com.

Join the community that comes together for instruction, an excuse to write, and the support from other writers. To learn more, go to www.Patreon.com/writingclassradio. Or sign up HERE for First Draft for a FREE Zoom link.

A new episode in this series will drop every WEDNESDAY until the election on Nov 5 2024. 

There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?