I will be attending an international symposium on autoethnograpy and narrative research next week (we all know by now that I am a nerd) and in preparation I am watching some pre-recorded materials.
We all experience health and illness differently - two people with identical illness diagnoses can have vastly different experiences of that illness, treatments, and recovery/demise. But they will share common understandings through their experiences and insights. Knowledge that goes beyond statistical norms and probabilities. Knowledge about the human experience.
In my opinion, the only people who can speak with authority on any subject related to illness and medical treatments are those with lived experience of those illnesses and medical treatments. And the ONLY person with the right to make decisions over your body is YOU.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade is just one example of people being denied the right to medical autonomy and self-determination.
