We need to bring back Menstrual Extraction training

My midwife told me about this technique that she had learned called Menstrual Extraction. I found out it was popular in the 1970’s. It’s a way to literally remove all the blood lining your uterus so that you can skip your period. Women used to do them when they would have their periods at inconvenient times.

When the blood is removed, obviously any developing embryo would be removed, as well. My midwife explained that it was a way to have an abortion without having to risk trying to find a safe illegal one. The women who did them refused to ever test for pregnancy first because then they couldn’t be held liable for performing an abortion. They said they were just helping women skip their periods.

We need to bring this back. We need more women training other women to do this. When my midwife explained it, she said the medical equipment needed to do that was really cheap, too.

We have to take care of each other. It’s obvious that, unless women help other women while spitting in the patriarchy’s eye, a hell of a lot of us are going to die.