First-time moms Melissa and Kimberly Connelly of Cleveland planned for every detail of their daughter’s arrival, from her pink elephant pacifier to the Korean American firefighter whose sperm they used to conceive.
But when the Supreme Court struck down the right to abortion just days after their baby shower in June, the life Melissa had dreamed of for her child suddenly felt threatened.
“I wanted to bring a daughter into the world knowing that she could be anything, and that starts with bodily autonomy,” she said. “To have that right stripped a month before she’s born, and then to know she has more rights as a fetus — it’s absolutely absurd to me.”
