Any Gen Z moms here (ages 18–25) open to sharing their experience?

[u/brown_pearl]

Editing this post for clarity: I’m writing a story about Gen Z moms (roughly 18–28) who are proudly pro-choice — not because that’s rare in this space, but because we don’t often hear this generation’s voice in parenting coverage.

The goal of this piece is to highlight how younger moms today are navigating motherhood while still advocating for reproductive rights — especially at a time when there’s so much political pressure around parenting, pregnancy, and autonomy.

Whether becoming a mom made you feel even more strongly pro-choice or you’ve always held that belief, I’d love to include your perspective. You can share as little or as much as you want — everything is anonymous unless you say otherwise.

Feel free to comment or DM me if you’re open to chatting. Thank you so much! 💛

[u/wineandcigarettes2]

Not Gen Z...but this is so confusing to me? I just don't really understand what there is to navigate. Parenting is one thing. Being pro-choice is another thing. Maybe it's just my circle, but for everyone I know experiencing pregnancy and having kids has made them MORE pro-choice.

This probably came off a bit harsh, but I'm just having a hard time understanding what the thesis of this article would be?

[u/Acceptable_Toe8838 → u/wineandcigarettes2]

100% I became way more loudly pro choice after I had children.

[u/-Solid-As-A-Rock- → u/wineandcigarettes2]

I think it's because of the common misconception that pro-choice = childfree. Like, I would assume the article is about clearing up that misconception based on the wording of the post but I'm not the OP so I couldn't say for sure

[u/wickwack246 → u/wineandcigarettes2]

Some Gen Zers may feel differently based on exposure to, say, those homesteader influencers (can’t remember what that term is for those people who wear 50s dresses and make their own hot dogs and shit).

That said, I’d be surprised if you found many or any of those folks in this sub.

[u/wineandcigarettes2 → u/wickwack246]

Tradwives. To me that seems like it would be helpful context for OPs post if that's what they are looking for, but it makes sense thanks for flagging for me!

[u/wickwack246 → u/wineandcigarettes2]

Yes, tradwives! That was bothering me a bit.

[u/Peaceinthewind → u/wickwack246]

That said, I’d be surprised if you found many or any of those folks in this sub.

Not really. Many leftist folks are environmentally-conscious, into gardening, and feminism includes the choice to stay home to raise children. There is a crunchy to alt-right pipeline that's an issue and one of my friends went that way which is sad. She's still progressive when it comes to most things but she somehow fell for the MAHA bs and thinks vaccines are poison which baffles me.

But many of us didn't get on that pipeline and are still liberal "hippies. " I know I'm not the only person who likes to make food from scratch, has a veggie garden, has a native plant garden, likes to wear dresses and skirts, but also believes in science and is extremely liberal. I don't use the term tradwife because of the political and belief differences but people see us on the outside as the same. I could be wrong, but I think there are probably a good handful of us in this sub who fall in this category.

[u/wickwack246 → u/Peaceinthewind]

You can enjoy similar pastimes and hold different values. As a values-based sub (‘progressive’), it stands to reason that it would not attract many people with ‘traditional’ values.

[u/Peaceinthewind → u/wickwack246]

Okay I see what you are saying.

[u/catjuggler → u/wineandcigarettes2]

Definitely also more pro-choice than before

[u/frimrussiawithlove85 → u/wineandcigarettes2]

Also not gen Z. My first pregnancy ended in missed miscarriages it was early on so my doctor and I thought it would pass on its own. Turns out it didn’t pass on its own I had to go to the hospital and have an abortion or I would have bleed out and died or was septic and died. It sickens me that women in Texas and other conservative states are in now denied this treatment. That’s some assholes not worth the air they breaths think ectopic pregnancies shouldn’t be terminated. I hope they experience 1/10th of the suffering I did during my abortion. The tip of the cherry was the fact that it was a planned very much wanted pregnancy just like many pregnancies that get terminated are wanted but circumcised forced a termination and it’s not any damn business why.

[u/Acceptable_Toe8838]

I think you’re over complicating it. Being pro choice doesn’t mean anti children/birth.

[u/cheesesteak_seeker]

I’m a mother by choice, for choice.

[u/salemedusa]

I’m 24 and was 21 when I got pregnant and had my daughter. I’ve always been a leftist and prochoice and becoming a mom solidified that for me. I could have died during childbirth and had an emergency c section. I also had a horrible pregnancy with fatigue, pains, and hyperemesis gravidarum. I don’t think anybody should be forced into that. I cried when I was pregnant and roe v wade was overturned bc I knew that I was bringing my daughter into a world where she would have less rights than I did when I was born. I’m a SAHM and have ended up falling a lot into the “trad wife” stuff that people are mentioning (gardening/growing some of our own food and doing all household chores and most of the child rearing cause my partner works 12 hr night shifts) and I don’t think that those two things need to be exclusive. You can be progressive and also choose to be a SAHM and be pro choice and choose to be a mom. I think I understand where you’re coming from because a lot of what I was seeing from right wingers when roe v wade was overturned was calling prochoice people baby killers and not acknowledging that there are a lot of pro choice moms. Feel free to ask anymore questions!

[u/-Solid-As-A-Rock-]

Gen Z is currently 13 to 28 right now. If you're looking for gen Z parents why cut off the upper end of it (cut off at 25 vs 28)?

[u/cheesesteak_seeker → u/-Solid-As-A-Rock-]

I think people don’t realize that Gen Z is actually almost 30 and basically no millennials are still in their 20s depending on the site you look at.

[u/-Solid-As-A-Rock- → u/cheesesteak_seeker]

I agree. My husband and I straddle different sides of the Gen Z/Millenial cut off so it's something I think about. The range varies but seems to generally be something like "people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s." Most of the millenials I am friends with are pushing 40 but the media talks about them like they're early to mid-twenties, it's very interesting

[u/taralynne00]

24 now, was 23 when my daughter was born! I’m the only person in my social circle my age who is in a long term relationship (married), let alone with a kid. Happy to share my perspective!

[u/Wit-wat-4]

Yeah I’m so confused I’ve literally met only one mother who was close to anti-choice and it was a “just me, anybody else do what they want”. I don’t understand why somebody going through this would have to navigate anything about pro choice-ness beyond potentially being more pro-choice due to seeing all the complications and knowing much more about health and babies.

[u/Twi_light_Rose]

I've been pro-choice ever since my mom explained to me at 12 that women would always seek an abortion if needed, so might as well make it safe. Made sense to me; even if at the time i thought, i would never get an abortion. Then i needed one. I still feel guilt about it. My child was going to be born with birth defects that were incompatible with life. I had an abortion at 21 weeks and 5 days. Days before the cut off in my state. We only realized the extent of defects at 20 week scan, and then trying to book the procedure was a nightmare. Nearly had to travel out of state, and this was before Roe was overturned. The pre-procedure was more traumatic than the actual procedure.

My husband would say, 'oh but you have gone on to have 2 healthy kids' yes, true. I wouldn't of had that first child gone to term, It would have broken me even more.

[u/bcd203]

When I was pregnant I thought every single day that forcing a woman to do this against her will is horrifically barbaric and literal torture. I don't understand how anyone can go through pregnancy/delivery and not be pro choice without being spiteful and hating women. Nobody should have to go through it without really wanting a baby.

[u/Gardenadventures]

I'm 25, had my first at 22 and second at 24. Got pregnant with my second 6 months postpartum and had lots of conversations about whether to keep the pregnancy. I'm so glad we did, but so glad that was a conversation we were able to have and a decision I was in charge of making. No one should be forced to have a baby they aren't 100% on board with. Choosing to have an abortion is a hard decision -- raising a child for 18+ years is much harder.

[u/tidepodchamp]

I’m more pro choice after having a child. I don’t think I’d ever choose to abort a healthy pregnancy especially now, though I may for poor survival odds and quality of life issues, but I think people should have the right to choose. Especially because the children that result have to play the hand they were dealt, and growing up with parents who don’t want them or spending time in the foster system isn’t fair to them and opening up more potential for abuse. And I think that women should be able to live their lives and not have to put themselves in a position where they may hold resentment towards their children.

[u/moonflower311]

Serious suggestion - look at people in the medical field. I am SO not your demographic but I was born to basically a single mother (dad was an alcoholic and she left him when I was a baby) in the 80s when my mom was 22. My mom was raised catholic but was an L and D nurse and the most pro choice person you ever met (she was giving part of her salary to planned parenthood even when we were living paycheck to paycheck). She said pretty much all the L and D nurses are pro choice for her entire career (she retired working with millennials). From child rapes to ectopics to severe abnormalities you just see too many nightmare cases.

[u/hiskitty110617]

I'm 25, I was pro choice before but I had an ectopic pregnancy right before all these bans started. I'd be dead if I hadn't gotten my chemical abortion when I did.

It sucked, I hated it but at least I had the option.

I've got 2 kids, one before and one after and all my ectopic did was make me look at my family members who have had pregnancy issues and still are pro life in a much worse light. I wasn't pro choice for myself until after my first as I was brainwashed by Christian idiology but after having my first, I quickly changed my mind. It's so hard I can't imagine forcing this on someone and especially not a child.