People think of Mexican Catholics as a monolith on abortion. One family shows it's not that simple
LOS ANGELES — Ana Lopez was 14 when her mother shared some gossip about a woman in their Huntington Beach neighborhood who, rumor had it, had gotten an abortion.
"How could they kill that innocent baby?" Bertha Valdez asked her daughter. "Catholic people don't do that."
"Se va a ir al infierno," Lopez recalls her mother telling her. "She's going to hell."
They didn't really talk about sex, Lopez says, and Valdez's denunciation of abortion was unwavering. So Lopez listened and said nothing, even though she already believed women should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies.
Nearly three decades later, Lopez, now 40, says the memory remains vivid, a reminder of her family's long-standing beliefs — and of how important it was for her to break with tradition and challenge the stereotype of Latinos as socially conservative. She has made it a point to teach her two daughters and son about reproductive health and abortion.
Recently Lopez — along with her 15-year-old daughter, Emily — has found herself lamenting that for many American women, the right to choose will be determined by politicians.
The Supreme
