Yellow Rose of Texas

For years, the most common association with the wire hanger involves its role in self-induced abortions. Prior to the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, illegal or self-induced procedures accounted for an estimated 5,000 deaths of women in the U.S. each year.
The twisted piece of wire isn’t just a symbol of dangerous abortions, it’s a symbol of inequality. It is a tool of last resort, a hack of a household object, conjured out of desperation when nothing else would suffice. Even in the age of illegal abortions, women still had abortions.
As the daughter of a 5th generation Texan and having been educated and raised in Texas, I am horrified by the callous loss of reproductive freedom and rights for women in my home state. Right now, there are women with no choices, nowhere to turn, and have no alternative but to turn to desperate measures.